The Curacao Cure - Part 10

The following day, a large group of our divers had signed up for the trolley tour of Willemstad. We all met in front of the Queen Emma Bridge for the Trolley. It was a super hot day, so sitting passively and feasting my eyes on the sights of Punda in an open, but shade covered, trolley was a splendid idea. The trolley pulled up, ours was blue, and we all piled in.

Off we headed towards Scharloo. Scharloo was populated by Sephardic Jews who designed neo-classical Italian style mansions in U shapes with basements to protect them in case of storms in the early 1900’s. New building materials were used to facilitate the ornate details seen in the buildings. Brick was used in combination with masonry and iron supports in addition to ornamentation with broken roof tile and pieces of brick. Marble was used for floors and ceilings were finished with intricate designs. Wooden medallions were used for the traditional Italian coat of arms over the front door. Scharloo designs were copied all over the island.

Kitchens were built on the west side of the house to minimize odors. Bright colors were utilized throughout. Spanish style patios were built in the rear portion of the houses.

All in all, the houses were breathtaking to drive past. I cannot imagine living in one!

Stay tuned next week for part two of the trolley ride...