12/02/2023 - Santo Domingo / Dominican Republic

VACATION :-))

After we spent 5 months with AIDAbella in Northern Europe, the Canary Islands, and the Caribbean, our assignment ended today in the capital of the Dominican Republic and we have almost 3 months of vacation ahead of us. At 1 pm, we had a transfer from the ship to our accommodation. We lived in the middle of the colonial center of Santo Domingo, across from the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery on the American continent. We rested briefly and then took a stroll through the city. It's Sunday, the city is bustling, people are sitting everywhere, talking, playing, and listening to loud music. We walked through alleys with colorful houses, past colonial buildings to Columbus Parque. Here, a statue of Christopher Columbus awaited us right in front of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. It was the first church in the New World and has been part of the colonial city since 1990 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We couldn't visit the interior because the church is closed to visitors on Sundays. We walked along the pedestrian zone, Calle el Conde, which was also crowded with many visitors, street performers, and sellers. Slowly it got dark, the city lights came on, and we made our way back. At Monasterio de San Francisco, there was live music today and we didn't even have to go there because we could hear every word loud and clear in our accommodation. At some point, we fell asleep.