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            Why You Should Not Miss Aruba’s Free City Center Street Car Tour



            ORANJESTAD - Aruba’s City  seats. The line was inspired  trian mall. The double-decker
            Center Street Car - or as we  by the popular battery-pow-  offers you a 360 degree view
            call  it  in  Dutch;  “Tram  van  ered streetcar operation at  of the down town area with
            Oranjestad’ - is a single track  the  Grove  in  Los  Angeles,  a picture perfect scenery of
            tram line in Oranjestad, the  USA. Aruba’s streetcars are  the island’s clear blue skies.
            capital city of Aruba. It was  powered by hydrogen fuel  Who would not enjoy a ride
            inaugurated on 22 Decem-     cells, which are charged by  on this beautiful and naturally
            ber 2012, being the first and  the island’s year-round trade  air-conditioned vehicle? The
            so far the only passenger rail  winds.                    tour consists of a total of 9
            service  on  Aruba  and  the                              stops approximately 200 me-
            rest  of  the  Dutch  Caribbe-  Caya  Betico  Croes,  mostly  ters apart from each other;
            an. There are two trolleys, a  referred  to  as  our  “main  all stops are clearly marked.
            single-deck one with 42 seats  street” has been developed  The tram will bring you close
            and a double-decker with 64  into a pollution-free pedes-  to different museums, histori-




                                                                                                   cal plazas, monuments, the  am  sharp  with  intervals  of
                                                                                                   Protestant  church,  Aruba’s  25minutes. The last trolley de-
                                                                                                   high- end mall, retail shops,  parts from the cruise port at
                                                                                                   and a variety of local and  5:00pm. Don’t miss this tour
                                                                                                   international cuisine restau-  of the beautiful Aruba’s City
                                                                                                   rants.  The  “I  love  Aruba”  Center– it is free for all!q
                                                                                                   trademark  also  belongs  to
                                                                                                   that list. The third stop on the
                                                                                                   route is close to a 5-minute
                                                                                                   walk to the famous Renais-
                                                                                                   sance  Marina  showcasing
                                                                                                   luxurious yachts and Aruba’s
                                                                                                   blue waters.

                                                                                                   The “Tram van Oranjestad”
                                                                                                   starts  from  a  balloon  loop
                                                                                                   near  the  Port  of  Call  and
                                                                                                   serves the downtown area
                                                                                                   and  ends  at  Plaza  Nicky.
                                                                                                   The  first  ride  starts  at  10:00


            How Aruban beaches came to be!


            (Oranjestad)—We’ve  talk-    veloped  over  the  span  of  sand  starts  to  accumulate
            ed about the best beaches  thousands of years. Waves  around  the  area.    Howev-
            to visit on the island before,  crashing  on  the  rocky  for-  er, whether the sand  stays
            but  have  you  ever  won-   mations  along  our  coast  there  is  another  question
            dered  how  Aruba  got  its  line  (which  consists  mainly  to be answered, and this is
            white, sandy beaches, and  of  coral  reefs)  have  start-  where we highlight the big-
            why  there’s  a  clear  differ-  ed  to  wear  and  tear  the  gest  difference  between
            ence between the northern  reefs  over  time,  resulting  the  northern  and  southern
            and southern shores? Here  in  its  gradual  breakdown.  coast of the island.
            are  some  fun  facts  about  Fish  that  feed  off  corals
            the  development  of  Aru-   also contribute to this, one  The sand that accumulates
            ban beaches.                 small  bite  at  a  time.  Over  around  a  torn  coral  reef
                                         the  course  of  thousands  is  swept  away  along  with   stream is weaker, the sand  interesting phrasing.
               How did Aruba get its     of  years,  as  waves  contin-  the  debris  by  the  ocean   tends  to  sick  to  the  bot-
              white, sandy beaches?      ue  to  crash  and  fish  con-  stream.  However,  in  areas   tom  faster.  This  is  why  the  Aruba  is  a  continental
            Aruba’s beaches have de-     tinue to eat off the corals,  where  it’s  shallow  and  the   beaches  in  the  south—the  island.  The  island  actu-
                                                                                                   areas  with  weaker  stream  ally  forms  part  of  South
                                                                                                   and    shallower    ocean  America,  and  the  space
                                                                                                   floors—has    sand    that  between  Aruba  and  the
                                                                                                   stretches  for  miles.  In  con-  South  American  continent
                                                                                                   trast,  the  northern  area,  is simply referred to as land
                                                                                                   where  the  stream  is  much  that runs under the ocean.
                                                                                                   stronger  and  the  ocean  This  is  why  it  gets  gradu-
                                                                                                   floor is much deeper, there  ally  deeper  in  the  south,
                                                                                                   is  no  sand  present—they  whereas the ocean floor in
                                                                                                   were swept away with the  the north runs steeply to the
                                                                                                   current!                     bottom.

                                                                                                   Why north deep, but south    Source: archival document
                                                                                                            shallow?            provided  by  the  National
                                                                                                   Ah!  Good  question…and  Archive of Aruba (ANA).q
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