Oranjestad, Aruba

Oranjestad has been the main port and capital of Aruba since 1797. The small harbour attracts yachts and cruise ships from all over the world, and the picturesque town centre still has examples of traditional Dutch colonial houses, painted in bright colours and exhibiting distinctive decorative gables. Since 2012 Oranjestad has been served by one of the world's 'greenest' public transport systems: electric trams that look old but which are in fact ultra-modern: they are powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which are kept charged by the island's year-round trade winds. This is part of an ambitious scheme to make Aruba the world's first 100% 'green' economy by 2020. We took a took a tour that started with a drive along the Druif and Eagle beaches and then on to the California Lighthouse where we got a great panoramic view of the island. The historic Alto Vista Chapel was built in the 17th century and is where Spanish missionaries are said to have converted the island's natives to Catholicism. The route then took us along the north coast to Aruba’s most famous tourist attraction, the Natural Bridge Ruins and the Baby Natural Bridge. The powerful forces of the rough sea had over the years carved its way through coral and limestone, causing the original Natural Bridge to collapse in 2005. The journey then took us to the Casibari Rock formation, a group of large granite boulders. It had been a good introduction to an island we had not visited before.