Aruba by born2travel.it

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20 March Oranjestad (ARUBA)

We arrive early in the morning on the lovely little island of Aruba... the colour of the sea water begins to become ever more transparent as we enter its little harbour. The blue flag with the red star waves proudly on a pylon...

Aruba is considered the "pearl" of the Lesser Antilles; it is an island under the Dutch crown and is located 30 km from Venezuela. Renowned for its white sand beaches, it is favoured by a very pleasant tropical climate.

Although Dutch is the official language, in Aruba they speak "Papiamento", a Portuguese creole with Spanish, African and Dutch influences. Given the wonderful day, we take the opportunity to make a quick trip to what is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Eagle Beach! The "Arubus" bus travels along the coast and in less than 10 minutes takes us to this postcard beach!

Very fine white sand, coconut palms that give a bit of shade, a sea so transparent that you can snorkel almost without wearing a mask. We enjoy this relaxing morning with our little ones and it is really fun to play with them at the water's edge while they look around, with wide, amazed eyes!

In the afternoon we take a short tour of the island with Javier. Our driver tells us some stories and anecdotes about the island while we venture into its most hidden soul.

From the top of the "Casibari Rock" we have an almost 360° view of Aruba, from end to end; let's remember that this is the smallest of the former Dutch Antilles. Driving around with our van we have the opportunity to see where and how the locals live, the real Aruba, the one far from the 5- and 6-star resorts of the coast.

I am very struck by a path among large, thorny succulent plants that leads to the little church of "Alto Vista", on whose sides there are all the various stations of the Way of the Cross and from the top of which one enjoys a magnificent panorama over the Caribbean Sea.

The picturesque chapel of "Alto Vista", a remote church dating back to 1750 and now present on all the postage stamps.

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