What A Letter!

Here is a photo of a framed letter that hangs in Charlie’s Bar, San Nicolaas, Aruba. This letter is one of the most amazing documents I’ve seen over the years. Tells you just how memorable a place can be. Enlarge the photo by clicking on it, and discover what this man has to say.

Imagine being a sixteen-year-old merchant mariner, ending up in a place like Aruba several times during wartime. Amazing. This is the stuff great stories are made of and is one of the reasons why I like San Nicolaas, specifically, and Aruba in general. It is a crossroads. A small place, but also an important one at times, as it was in the Second World War.

And the weather is pretty nice, too.

Published in: on July 25, 2008 at 10:58 am  Comments (1)  
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Charlie’s Bar, Book Signing Event

Wow! What a turnout for the official launch of my novel, An Island Away. There was only one place where this could be held, Charlie’s Bar, Main Street San Nicolaas. I want to start by thanking Charlito (aka Charles III, that is Charlie, Jr.’s son) and Mr. Speziale for making the event a huge success. The bar had to be rearranged a bit, a steel band brought in, and everyone pitched in to get things ready. By 11:00 am people were literally waiting for the bar to open, even though things weren’t scheduled to begin until 12:30. The doors opened at 11:30 and the party began. Here are a few photos:

That’s Mr. Speziale and I, just before things got crazy. And here’s how people lined up.

I’m signing on a table we put on Main Street so there would be room for more people in the bar. In the photo above is my friend from college and her mother. Like so many people who love Aruba, they visit the island at least once a year. Then there was this lady, who reminded me of a character from the book, but she insists it wasn’t her.

It was tons of fun to meet people who have heard about the book and wanted an official “Aruba” copy. I want everyone to know I sincerely appreciate their support and look forward to hearing from all of you about the story. Yes, I am working on the sequel (with brief breaks to hang out at Charlie’s). Here’s a look at the band.

Their music kept everyone entertained. And here’s a few random shots of me with some readers.

One more for the fun of it.

You can find more photos and details on my website, http://www.danielputkowski.com, under the news heading. Or you can simply click HERE (yes, on the word “HERE”). Once again, many thanks to everyone for coming to Charlie’s as well as the staff at the bar who did a yoeman’s job of keeping everyone happy. I can’t wait to do this again. Don’t forget to email your comments about the book to my website.

Published in: on July 24, 2008 at 12:24 pm  Comments (3)  
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Angus and Ice Cream

So, a couple of nights ago, my wife and I go to one of the bars at the Marriot Hotel here in Aruba. I never actually had a drink in this hotel despite all my years on the island. We promptly take a seat and the bartender comes over to take our order. The bartender’s name was Angus. He makes our drinks, which were excellent by the way, and we get to chatting. He’s a man of some years and relates how he used to work at the Bushiri Resort which is now nothing more than a ruin. Anyway, this was his first job in the hospitality industry. He worked well into the night and usually skipped supper. But on his way home, he would stop by an all night place on the road leading up from Balashi to Santa Cruz, where he lives. The place was, and is, called Shahai. There he would get an ice-cream that he would eat before finally heading home to bed. I said, “Angus, I think I know that joint.” After I described it, he said, “That’s it.” Here’s a photo.

I never bought an ice-cream here, but I have had more than a few ICE-COLD Coca-Cola’s as the sign proclaims. Well, we chatted the hours away with Angus and several other people at the bar, which is one of my favorite things to do. Can’t wait to swing back to Shahai and see if they still have ice-cream.

Don’t forget, ENJOY your Coca-Cola, ICE COLD no matter where you are, Aruba or Antarctica or points in between.

Published in: on July 21, 2008 at 4:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Spanish Tile

The name of this post should really be Spanish Tile, Part 1. There are so many fantastic examples of Spanish tile both in Spain and around the world that someone could easily earn a doctorate in the subject. I pulled a few examples from my photos taken within the country, basically representative examples of a few of the most traditional forms. Let’s start with this one, the mural at a restaurant.

I like the picture of the travelers on the little coach with the two guys following. Just out of the frame is another explanation about the place, in case the image doesn’t do the job. Murals like this are all over Spain. They liven up the street without the garishness of neon signs. Let’s take a look at another one.

Here you have a much more impressionistic piece of tile work. The glamour lady invites you in from the street. Subtle. Nice. And not bad advertising either. A more traditional front might look like the following:

The place above is looking a little worse for the wear. A few tiles are missing but the name lives on above the door. The monochrome scheme works well, though, and I would venture to say the person who created those tiles did quite a bit of work back in the day.

To my surprise, I found numerous Irish Pubs in Spain. This place, La Fontanilla, may use the term “taberna” but they aren’t shy about announcing the fact that Guinness is served inside. The fountain mural on the left is quite clear as to meaning. The woman on the right, is a bit confusing to me. Are they suggesting there are rooms to rent for weary women travelers? I’m not sure. Sometimes, you’ll see famous works of art recreated in tiles like this. I’ve seen works by el Greco, Picasso, and others recreated in tile and mounted on the outside of buildings in various places around Spain.

This is one of the great things about visiting Spain. There are millions of little discoveries like this, things that make the country eternally interesting and beautiful.

Published in: on July 17, 2008 at 11:23 am  Leave a Comment  
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