Courtesy of: The Morning News
By Rosalie Klein
Aruba is alight with seasonal spirit as the Bo Bario community project and various groups and businesses dress up the island’s many traffic circles. On Monday evening, December 9, the new rotunda at the Reina Beatrix International Airport received its holiday treatment.
Airport executives welcomed employees and a delegation of workers and clients of the Funari Foundation, which provides social interaction, classes and productive activities for the wheelchair bound. Personally welcoming their special guests was Aruba Airport Authority CEO Peter Steinmetz and Director of Operations Jurgen Benschop.
They invited Funari Coordinator Anna Louisa Johnson to join them in flipping the switch on a sleek, contemporary display of lights which will brighten the international collection of flags that adorn the rotunda.
The festive evening was punctuated by Aruba’s traditional Christmas entertainment for such events, Gaita Group Talentoso. Gaita is a musical form originating from the Zulia Province of Venezuela, usually performed by a team of female vocalists. Though many of the group’s members were quite young, they performed like veterans.
One of Aruba’s largest rotundas, the airport roundabout welcomes visitors on arrival and bids them safe journey on departure. This year’s efforts may not be as elaborate as some others, but the simple and stylish holiday decor does not intrude on the impressive design of the traffic circle, complimenting it quite nicely.
