From the capitol city of Douglas in the east to the “sunset city” of Peel in the west; from Castle Town, location of Castle Rushen, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval sites, built in 1265, Chicken Rock and the Calf of Man in the south to Point of Ayre, location of ‘Winkie’, the oldest lighthouse on the island in the north, there is so much to see and do on the Isle of Man. The South From Douglas, take the…
Douglas (Doolish in Manx) became the capital of the Isle of Man in 1869 when the seat of the Tynwald, the world’s oldest continuous parliament, was moved there. It sits on the eastern coast, is the main port of the island and boasts a stunning Victorian Promenade along the water’s edge. In the waters of the bay sits the Tower of Refuge, a castle-like structure built on Conister Rock to provided shelter for shipwrecked sailors. Ride on a horse-drawn tram…
The Isle of Man is notable for it’s many legends and tales of ghosts, fairies and mythical creatures. It is said that the Isle of Man was first ruled by the sea god Manannán Mac Lir who wrapped his cloak of mist around the island as a protection from hostile invaders. The island seems to have also inherited a cloak of mystery and superstition. It is a common theory that the Isle of Man is in fact, the location of…
Located between Ireland and England in the middle of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency, though not a part of the UK. It is nearly equidistant from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, though slightly closer to Scotland. From Snaefell, it’s highest point, one can see all of the above on a good day. It’s early history involves Celts, Vikings and a long struggle between Scottish and English rule. Ultimately, England won out around 1346,…
To wrap up our exploration of the ABC Islands, I thought it necessary to make mention of the famous blue liqueur that shares a name with the island of Curaçao. It has become a staple of beach bars everywhere. Although Curaçao comes in various colors – clear, green, red & orange – it is the blue that is most famous. There are various other orange flavored liqueurs on the market that are considered to be Curaçao but have no association…
Once a sleepy, neglected, almost barren island, Aruba is now a major tourist destination and one of the richest Caribbean Islands. The settlers and explorers in this part of the world were so unimpressed with the island, that they actually left the Indians alone here, making it almost an unofficial reservation for the Caiquetio. As many as two thirds of Arubans are part Indian as a result. The island is actually a desert and most vegetables are grown hydroponically. Large…
Bonaire, the most eastern of the ABC Islands (the order from left to right on the map is actually ACB) is widely considered a nature lover’s paradise. Most notable on the long list of Bonaire’s unique inhabitants is the pink flamingo. There are only a handful of places on earth where there are such large numbers of flamingos. They do like their privacy though and are notoriously difficult to photograph as they do not seem to appreciate being disturbed by…
The ABC Islands count among the best places in the Caribbean for fine dining. At the many upscale resorts and in the restaurants of the main cities, you are likely to find anything you might be looking for. But what about the traditional cuisine of the Netherlands Antilles? What can you find that is unique to the islands? It seems that there are culinary adventures to be experienced. If the sight of a iguana or a cactus makes you hungry,…
The islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao are of special interest to linguists. Papiamentu (in Aruba Papiamento) is described as the first new language in hundreds of years. There are numerous theories about the origin of the language. It is thought by some to have originated as a communication between Portuguese slave traders and African slaves. Other theories refer to the custom that explorers such as Christopher Columbus, de Ojeda and Vespucci followed of taking native inhabitants back to the…
At first, Curaçao was the island that nobody wanted. Discovered in 1499 by Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci (from whom the name America is derived), who deemed it useless, due to it’s lack of gold or any remarkable resources, it was subsequently settled by the Spanish in 1527. The native inhabitants of the island were Caiquetio Indians, a subgroup of the Arawak tribe of South America. They were soon enough all rounded up by the Spanish and sent to…