Curacao: Street Art & Beaches

First order of the day after coffee, was to find a place to watch the World Cup Soccer match between Holland and the US.

David thought that wearing his Twins shirt would be an indicator that he was cheering for the US soccer team but not seriously because baseball is his preferred sport.

We did find two seats at a bar that was filled with Holland fans.

Everyone in the bar knew we were from the US. There was a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ and bell ringing when Holland scored.

With every Holland goal came a shot of orange rum even for the opposing fans.

The US lost 3-1. David spent all day congratulating the Dutch on their win.

We walked through our neighborhood looking at street art. It’s everywhere in this very colorful city.

Delft Blue pottery comes from the city of Delft in the Nederlands. This mural adds a Caribbean flare.

*This work features a metallic sculpture*

*On the right side of the red statue, electrical boxes are for nearby dwellings become part of the artwork.*

*Interesting statue of a person with a baseball mit.*

Finally we found the entrance to the Kura Hulanda Museum.

The Kura Hulanda Museum shows the turbulent period that involved the Slave trade between the Netherlands and Curacao. The museum also houses an extensive collection of African and Antillean (religious) art.

Amid the Kura Huland buildings were a variety of gardens. Banana trees are always intriguing.

A sculpture of Africa is in the center courtyard and surrounded by buildings with exhibits …

… From the other side, the sculpture looks like a face.

Enough walking … we jumped in the car and headed for Mombo beach. Driving in Curacao is very slow. Traffic lights seem to last over five minutes. There are long lines of cars everywhere. For excitement add the sky view over the Juliana bridge and a few one-way streets.

We had a hard time finding the beach, mostly because you can’t see it. There are blocks of dirt parking lots lining Mombo Beach boulevard. We arrived late afternoon which is when everyone leaves …therefore parking was free as were the entrance and chair fees.

The beach entrance is decorated for Christmas.

An anchor made of shiny Christmas ornaments.

We had to walk down a few flights of stairs in a mall-like building filled with shops to get to the beach. The shops, restaurants and bars were endless. We did find the beach eventually.