Tag: UNESCO World Heritage site

Cartagena Highlights

Cartagena is one of the biggest cities we’ve sailed into, and even with Covid lockdowns, we found it lively and entertaining. Even though this isn’t our first visit to Cartagena, we still had a lot to see and discover. I went on some tours my first time here, but I’ve done a lot in the 5 years in between visits, so the city seems new to me. It’s been a blast exploring Cartagena again. Read on for my Cartagena highlights.

Orientation to Cartagena

When you arrive in Cartagena, the views are stunning. The ocean is next to skyscrapers and old stone walls. There’s an ancient clock-tower and a modern gold building. On the water are old wooden sailing ships and luxurious catamarans. On the streets are women in colorful traditional costumes, including fruit hats, alongside hundreds of people driving mopeds.

Old and new in Cartagena Colombia
Old and new in Cartagena Colombia
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5 Curaçao Rainy Day Activities

It’s rainy season in Curaçao which means day after day of downpours. Want to know what to do on this Caribbean island when the weather is bad? Here are 5 Curaçao rainy day activities, so you can still have fun without the sun.

Curaçao rain
Rainy day view from our boat in Curaçao

Curaçao Museum

Housed in a pretty former hospital building in the heart of Willemstad’s UNESCO historic district, The Curaçao Museum‘s collection honors the island’s history.

Curaçao Museum
Curaçao Museum

Art, crafts and furniture fill up the main building, but the highlight of the museum is the old airplane in the hangar in the back. So either bring your umbrella for the run through the raindrops, or find a break in the rain because you want to see the tiny aircraft in the shed. The Snip carried 4 crew and Christmas mail from Europe to the Caribbean in the 1930s, marking the first KLM trans-Atlantic mail flight, which took 8 days. They had to take off the wings to fit it in the barn, but it’s a cool exhibit and story.

The Curaçao Museum is located in Otrabanda Willemsted.

Snip plane 5 Curaçao rainy day activities
The Snip at the Curaçao Museum

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Antigua and Barbuda Favorites

We have been in Antigua for over four months so we must know the island pretty well. Granted, a lot was shut down with the pandemic but we still had time to explore the islands, which have a lot to offer visitors. Here are our Antigua and Barbuda favorites for when you get the chance to visit.

Nelson’s Dockyard

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Nelson’s Dockyard is a top site in Antigua for history buffs, hikers and sailors. Continuously running since 1754, the working dockyard site includes a small museum with historical exhibits and is surrounded by acres of land holding old forts and military buildings.

Nelson's Dockyard Antigua and Barbuda Favorites
Nelson’s Dockyard Copper and Lumber

Admiral Lord Nelson ran the English naval post here and many of the original structures are scattered about the grounds, including munitions and lovingly restored buildings.

museum Nelson's Dockyard
Museum at Nelson’s Dockyard
Nelson's Dockyard cannon outside the liquor store
Nelson’s Dockyard
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