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Seek out some European flavor right here in the Americas
Willemstad
A Netherlands transplant in the Caribbean, Willemstad, the capital city of Curaçao, is not your typical harbor town. The only Caribbean city besides Havana to be ranked a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Willemstad is more of a mini-Amsterdam, loaded with pretty 17th- and 18th-century Dutch colonial buildings along its waterfront streets. Plazas turned into outdoor markets, gabled rooflines, gingerbread buildings, and beautifully restored mansions dating back to the 1700s are some of the hallmark Dutch influences. You’re likely to hear a variety of languages spoken as well, since some 55 ethnicities call the island home, and almost 40% of visitors hail from Europe. The cultural hub is also renowned for hosting the Mikvé Israel-Emmanuel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western hemisphere (consecrated in 1732), and the Kura Hulanda Museum, which documents the rarely discussed slave trade in the region.
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