Arrived at 8am, to a bright and sunny day.
The island is about 30 miles long and 15 miles wide, with a population of 100,000. It is only 12 miles from the coast of Venezuela but is a self governing country, within the Dutch Antilles. Not sure what that means but there were Dutch flags, alongside the Aruba ones, on government buildings and one of their warships in the harbour. Also, statues of Dutch royalty dotted around.
We were here just over a year ago but it was on a Sunday and many of the shops were closed. This time, it was lively and busy. Probably due to the fact that another two cruise ships had docked, disgorging around 7,000 passengers into the town.
We decided not to take a tour, as there was plenty to see in the town and it was a short walk to a long, sandy beach.
We walked along the beach, passing bars and restaurants with sun beds and umbrellas. They were busy and the waiters seemed to have better things to do than serve customers, so we walked on, paddling in the sea.
The end of the beach was about a mile from the town and the walk back was a bit of a chore, in the sun and heat.
Aruba is certainly a very nice place and there are some large, modern hotels and resorts away from the main town.
Had quite a late dinner and went on to the ballroom for a dance.
Someone at dinner told us that there is a man, who eats in the upstairs dining room and has been on the ship for 4 years – long time to wait for your pudding.