Days 1 and 2

To celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary, Mike and I spent six warm, relaxing days in Aruba, an island nation in the southern Caribbean, less than 20 miles north of the coast of South America. It's an autonomous state within The Netherlands, and its overall culture and distinctive language reflect its complex history, with elements contributed by everyone from the original inhabitants (Arawak Amerindians) through Spanish and Dutch colonists to today's global tourist community.

This was a lazy trip for us; we had no goals other than hanging out together and, in my case, spending as much time in the ocean as possible!

Mike at bus stop; the "Arubus" runs all over the island	Iguanas on the lawn at our resort; we saw them and other lizards everywhere	While I was off scuba diving, Mike took a hike near our hotel, and this windmill was one of his landmarks
Typical beach scene; white sand, thatched roofs for shade, boats	The windmill was imported from The Netherlands (it's now a restaurant)	Several shopping districts line the coastal road near the biggest hotels