Curacao Soak It in
Reader's Digest UK|March 2022
Flamingos, beaches, a rich and sometimes dark history—there's more to this Caribbean island than a colourful liqueur
By Victoria De Silverio. Photographs by Michael George and Getty Images
Curacao Soak It in

I'M 12 DEGREES north of the equator and about 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela on Curaçao, a flat stretch of an island in the Caribbean Sea, so I shouldn't be surprised how hot it is. Curaçao feels like a secret paradise, where sunset-pink flamingos feed year-round in salt pans, where dozens of coral beaches beckon with ferociously bright-blue water, and where locals shoot off a rainbow of fireworks Thursday night, simply because it's almost the weekend.

It's autumn, and the trade winds have caused the divi-divis-stubby trees with dry, mangled trunks and flamboyant green tufts on top-to lean cartoonishly. But the winds are on siesta today, so I splash on sunscreen and prepare to explore the historic Unesco-listed capital city, Willemstad.

Founded by the Dutch West India Company in 1634, Willemstad has always been, by some measure, a cosmopolitan trading port. It was the capital of the former Netherlands Antilles until 2010, when Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

After going through hard times and neglect, Willemstad is enjoying a massive rejuvenation, with artists and entrepreneurs helping to create a new spirit of civic pride. Today the city of 125,000 pulsates with a mishmash of 50 cultures and three official languages: Dutch, English, and the island's very own Creole tongue, Papiamentu.

I CHECK OUT of my hotel in the Pietermaai district, where slave merchants, bankers, and ship captains built ornate mansions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of these buildings have been restored into trendy hotels and restaurants with airy courtyards. Their playfully painted exteriors are like flavours lemon, lime, blueberry-and the fancy white trim like icing.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2022-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2022-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS READER'S DIGEST UKAlle anzeigen
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Reader's Digest UK

EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME

Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
May Fiction
Reader's Digest UK

May Fiction

An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month

time-read
1 min  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Wine Not
Reader's Digest UK

Wine Not

In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Train Booking Hacks
Reader's Digest UK

Train Booking Hacks

With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices

time-read
4 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Reader's Digest UK

JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
My Britain: Cheltenham
Reader's Digest UK

My Britain: Cheltenham

A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!

time-read
6 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Reader's Digest UK

GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB

Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
Reader's Digest UK

Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant

After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Reader's Digest UK

Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World

Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024
Stand Tall, Ladies
Reader's Digest UK

Stand Tall, Ladies

Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Reader's Digest May 2024