Christina’s Journey Journal

Tag: Caribbean

  • May & June: Red Rocks, Caribbean Blues, and World Cup Dreams😎🩵🇨🇼

    May & June: Red Rocks, Caribbean Blues, and World Cup Dreams😎🩵🇨🇼

    Some weekends are made for catching up on chores…not!
    Mother’s Day weekend took me to one of my favorite places on Earth🌎…Sedona, Arizona. There’s just something magical about those red rock landscapes that keeps calling me back. We mixed in a few favorites with some new discoveries…hiking Cathedral Rock and then Oak Creek Canyon, a new trail that didn’t disappoint. Spending Mother’s Day with one of my boys, making memories on the trail, is something I’ll never take for granted.

    Cathedral Rock🧡
    Oak Creek Canyon🌳🌲

    Before I had a chance to unpack, Memorial Day weekend took us to the amazing island of Curaçao. Crystal-clear water, warm Caribbean sunshine, and island life…there are certainly worse ways to spend a long weekend. It was just enough time to recharge before jumping back into reality.

    Queen Emma Bridge in Curacao
    A beautiful Curacao sunset 🌅

    Then came another quick getaway, this time to Kansas City for something completely different: cheering on Curaçao in their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance. Wearing yellow and blue, surrounded by passionate fans, and watching a country of just over 158,000 people take the world stage was something special. The final score almost became secondary. It was about believing, celebrating, and being part of history.

    Fútbol ready in Kansas City!
    Curacao 🇨🇼 vs Ecuador 🇪🇨
    Final 0-0
    (Curaçao’s 1st World Cup point!)
    The Blue Wave 💙🌊💛
    Cheering on Curaçao’s goalie, Eloy Room, who shut the door on Ecuador.

    Looking back, May and June weren’t about long vacations. They were about saying “yes” to weekends that became memories. Sometimes the best adventures don’t require weeks away. All you need is a free weekend, a boarding pass, and a “just go” attitude!

  • Curacao for the Holidays!

    Curacao for the Holidays!

    Bon Bini (Welcome in Papiamento) to Curacao as we spent the holidays with family on this beautiful island. We rented a lovely home called Villa Hundu. I would highly recommend for larger families who want privacy and to get away from it all! There is a small tram that takes you down to the bottom where you will find a secluded rocky beach.

    The private tram headed back up from the beach
    Playa Hundu

    We got off to a rough start with 9 of the 10 of us getting the stomach bug. There appears to be a surge in Norovirus across the US. Luckily we were isolated and enjoyed the views as we recovered.

    New Year’s Eve …
    Ushering out 2024 with the most stunning sunset
    The sky was on fire 🔥

    We did venture out some —snorkeling trip to Klein Curacao, exploring Willemstad, Playa Forti…but most of the trip was spent chilling by the pool, trying to feel better, family game nights, and the obligatory family pictures lol (we had a photographer come to the house).

    Willemstad was decorated for the holiday
    Standing on the Queen Emma Bridge with the Handelskade behind us—the harbor front street lined with 18th century candy-colored Dutch colonial architecture. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The bridge connects the two neighborhoods — Punda and Otrobanda.
    Dushi — in the island’s language of Papiamentu it means sweet, nice or good, treasure, sweetheart, darling, and even sexy.  It is said that the word is like a “hug”!
    Dinner for some of us at one of our favorites, The Gouveneur
    Rif Fort – built in 1828 to protect the entrance of the St. Anna Bay and the outer part of the Otrabanda neighborhood. It’s now a mall/eatery.
    Celebrating the new year at Restaurant Playa Forti
    Fireworks over the Handelskade!
    A rainy day at the Palapas at Blue Bay Beach
    A view from the pool at Villa Hundu
    Dal Toro Restaurant was divine!
    Until next time! Ayo!
  • Curacao 🇨🇼 – Days 1 & 2

    Curacao 🇨🇼 – Days 1 & 2

    A quick getaway with my sister for some tropical fun-in-the-sun in this southern Caribbean island.

    We’re here! This Dutch Caribbean Island is home to 151k+ people, coral reefs, beautiful beaches, and an official language called Papiamentu, a Creole language based primarily in Portuguese & Spanish. It is also spoken on their sister islands, Aruba and Bonaire
    (aka The ABC Islands)
    Lots of “blue”💙 in the drinks! Of course! Curaçao is the home to Curacao liqueur, created when a local figured out how to use the rinds of the citrus fruit known as laraha (similar to an orange)
    Preparing a mid afternoon snack
    Crazy for coconuts! 🥥 🌴
    Sunset from our balcony Day 1
    Sunset from our balcony Day 2
    Incredible dinner at Gouverneur de Rouville. We started with spicy banana soup and then shared the Caribbean Chicken and the Keshi Yena. The latter is a traditional Curacao dish – cheese stuffed with chicken, onions, olives and prunes.
    It was out-of-this-world delicious!
    Walking through a rainbow 🌈
    Queen Emma Bridge, Willemstad, Curacao
    This pontoon bridge was originally built in 1888. It’s been renovated 4 times and the lighting arches were added in 1955
    🔒 ❤️All the locks of love!❤️ 🔒
    Such a great word.
    Dushi in Papiamentu means sweet, nice or good.
    When there are roses, you stop and smell them. When there’s this on your walking path, you stop and swing!