Sorry about all the details in my last post but I wanted to put it all in one place so I can pull it up as stuff arises over the next months without shuffling through so much paperwork.
Our Easter dinner went well and after sharing leftovers we were able to not have too much left in the refrigerator.
I woke up at 1:00 am the morning we were leaving and Ted slept until 2. We left at 3. We had to drive the 45 miles to Hobby but with light traffic we arrived in plenty of time. We used our QR code to enter the parking lot and quickly got parked and picked up by the shuttle. Lines were not long at check in but we had to go to the help desk check in counter because of leaving the country.
She checked our passports and our enter/exit QR code for Aruba which gave us the red stamp that said we had proper documents to enter Aruba. Off we went to the gate and we boarded and took off right on time. We changed planes in Orlando without incident and arrived in Aruba early.
Cindy asked us to pick up two bottles of duty free tequila which we did. Walked right through Customs waving my boarding pass to allow the liquor purchases and were outside looking for “Manny in the red van” to take us to Top Drive car rental. Cindy and Tim met up with us there. They wanted to lead us to their house.
Thursday we drove all around the island, up one side and down the other (the middle is desert) taking in the neighborhoods of the west side and the expensive resorts, high end stores and multi million dollar homes of the east shore. We stopped at a Lourdes grotto and said a prayer for Ted’s two brothers that are having medical issues.
Our anniversary dinner was at Flying Fishbone where we had a $200 gift certificate from our girls. It was right on the water, there was a flower arrangement on the table from Cindy and Tim! People below us had their bare feet in the water and our level was all sand. Lots of fish, spectacular sunsets and raggae music here!
Friday we spent the day swimming in their pool and then had dinner at a local place with a steel drum band. There was a street fair going on and we walked around a bit. We chose to come home before that band started but Tim and Cindy stayed.
Saturday was beach day so we drove to Baby Beach for the afternoon. The wind was light, the water warm and it was a delightful afternoon. We had some company, a lovely yellow fluffy crab that looked like he was made out of pipe cleaners and an iguana I named George. He was so curious! He eventually climbed a tree and we never saw him again. We went to a favorite restaurant off the beaten path for dinner. It was King’s holiday 3 day weekend and all the big restaurants would be crowded. Another lovely sunset.
Sunday we attended Mass at St. Teresa Church. It was an hour and a half long but was said in Dutch so it seemed even longer. I could follow the Bible readings along on my phone but his homily went right over our heads. At the end of Mass we asked the priest for a marriage blessing in honor of our anniversary. He complied! Then we went to a local restaurant for a buffet breakfast. It was a delightful venue and we chatted with the whole family who ran the place. The place settings were very attractive!
We decided to drive all over the island today to see a lot of nature and some places of interest. First up was many goats along the seashore. They and donkeys roam freely all over the place. Next was the huge boulders that dot the inside area of this 19 mile island. Evidence of people living in caves crested by these rock formations can be seen to this day.
Next was the collapsed Natural Bridge. The walkway and sitting area remains. The bottom photo is a photo of the bridge intact.
Our next stop was a chapel built in 1750 and was recently repaired. It is the oldest church on the island. Carvings of the Way of the Cross fill the road to the church.
We headed home and stopped for dinner. Slow, slow, slow service. Island time and all of that! Ted ordered a burger advertised as 2X the meat thinking it was a double. It was 2 times the double so he had 4 hamburgers on one sandwich! And he ate it!
Our next adventure was to see the Aruba Red Anchor, visited the newest natural bridge, and enjoyed the beautiful murals decorating many buildings! They are fabulous. We had dinner at a restaurant directly on the beach. We had the most delightful young lady from Poland! And one more sunset!
This is getting very long so I will stop for now. We return home tomorrow. We received the sorrowful news that Ted’s brother Dan passed away from a lung condition no one could identify and it destroyed his lungs.
We have a full week when we get home and then will be going to Cincinnati for Dan’s funeral. So very sad.
