If things had gone as planned with the cruise I signed up for in March 2023 (The 3-year cruise was cancelled by the cruise line late last week), I would be in Paramaribo, Suriname right now. I was both surprised and delighted that their national language is Dutch. While I don't speak the language, I did teach German for most of my teaching career. It's fairly close to Dutch, so I can make out signs and menus pretty easily.
The climate is once again tropical, not my favorite. It's 90 degrees today, partly cloudy with a chance of rain and lightning late in the afternoon. Still, not too bad, considering it could have poured down rain all day, and ruined my plans.
I'm a culture junky and enjoy seeing the architecture, food, music, and languages of the places we're visiting. I also adore nature, especially flowers, butterflies and birds. This location has all of my favorite things.
My first goal is to take a tour of the Historic City. The architecture is Dutch Colonial. The buildings were mostly built of wood, and painted white. This works with the tropical climate here, of course, but is also very Dutch.
Next on my to-do list is a visit to the Neotropical Butterfly Park, no surprise there. I go to every butterfly park, garden and conservatory I can find, both back in the U.S., and when traveling. Although there are organized tours, at about $90 (which includes Colakreek), I would do it myself. If we were staying longer, I might visit more areas, but on a short stay, nope.
If there's time, I would like to visit Fort Zeelandia. Out front, there's a statue of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, who was also the monarch of Suriname at the time of her reign. I enjoy seeing statues and paintings of historical figures. They bring history to life for me. I'd be surprise if I make this tour, however, with the stay in Paramaribo being short, and the weather threatening.
No doubt I'd enjoy the Dutch architecture and the butterfly garden. That's enough for one day. No reason to push myself. After all, although this is now a "virtual" 3-year cruise, there's still lots to see elsewhere.
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