Final Farewell to Aruba

It is said that “Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind, and fills your life with stories to tell.” Even though our trip to Aruba was not filled with lots of adventures, we have had a wonderful time, and today we say good-bye to this beautiful island. Indeed our hearts are filled with images of the quiet, peaceful ocean that is almost as warm as the air, the friendly people, and the gentle breezes.

As we sat at the beach-side restaurant having breakfast, we marveled at yet another beautiful morning. If we were home in Pennsylvania, sitting on our front porch drinking coffee on a morning like this, we’d probably muse “You don’t see many mornings like this in a year”, but evidently in Aruba, you do. Every morning has been just like this – sunny, beautiful, 80 degrees, breezy.

For our last evening in Aruba, we decided to visit the Pure Ocean restaurant – we had a 7:00 reservation on the beach. Yes, on the beach – chairs in the sand, mere feet from the ocean. This is a very elegant restaurant, beautiful white tables and chairs along a private beach (there is also indoor seating). The location is called Sunset Beach and our dinner show was the beautiful Caribbean Ocean, the sun setting slowly, a few seabirds dancing in the light, and occasionally a sailboat gliding by.

The food was as fabulous as the location – I started with a Seafood Martini (no alcohol involved) – it was a martini glass filled with shredded romaine, tiny scallops, shrimp and lobster. It was dressed with a wonderful citric vinaigrette. Jim started with an unusual Risotto fritter with shortribs and a spicy tomato sauce. Both were as delicious as they were beautiful.

For the main course, I chose grilled scallops served on a bed of risotto and Jim tried the Tomahawk porkchop. I have run out of adjectives to describe how fantastic the food tasted. And as we dined, the sun slipped slowly into the ocean for our final farewell.

The leisurely pace of the meal found us still at the restaurant after dark, and we shared this beautiful chocolate cake and basked in the quiet beauty and stillness of the night.

The gentle surf lapped quietly at the shore, clothed in the darkness beyond the soft lights of the tables. Finally we walked back to our room, with all the memories of this wonderful place.

And even though we leave today, we’ll be back.