Page 21 - ATA 19 MAY 2017

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LOCAL Friday 19 May 2017

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

list. and ends at Plaza Nicky.
The third stop on the route The first ride starts at 10:00
is close to a 5-minute walk am sharp with intervals of
to the famous Renaissance 25minutes.
Marina showcasing luxuri- The last trolley departs from
ous yachts and Aruba’s the cruise port at 5:00 pm.
blue waters. Don’t miss this tour of the
The “Tram van Oranjestad” beautiful Aruba’s City Cen-
starts from a balloon loop ter – it is free for all!q
near the Port of Call and
serves the downtown area
ORANJESTAD - Aruba’s City referred to as our “main
Center Street Car - or as street” has been devel-
we call it in Dutch; “Tram oped into a pollution-free
van Oranjestad’ - is a single pedestrian mall.
track tram line in Oranjes- The double-decker offers
tad, the capital city of Aru- you a 360 degree view of
ba. the down town area with a
It was inaugurated on 22 picture perfect scenery of
December 2012, being the the island’s clear blue skies.
first and so far the only pas- Who would not enjoy a ride
senger rail service on Aruba on this beautiful and natu-
and the rest of the Dutch rally air-conditioned ve-
Caribbean. hicle? The tour consists of
There are two trolleys, a sin- a total of 9 stops approxi-
gle-deck one with 42 seats mately 200 meters apart
and a double-decker with from each other; all stops
64 seats. are clearly marked.
The line was inspired by the The tram will bring you close
popular battery-powered to different museums, his-
streetcar operation at the torical plazas, monuments,
Grove in Los Angeles, USA. the Protestant church, Aru-
Aruba’s streetcars are ba’s high- end mall, retail
powered by hydrogen fuel shops, and a variety of lo-
cells, which are charged cal and international cui-
by the island’s year-round sine restaurants.
trade winds. The “I love Aruba” trade-
Caya Betico Croes, mostly mark also belongs to that