I was reading some Aruba history and I thought I'd share where Oranjestad got it's name. Apparently, it was initially called the Bay of Horses. Then, in the 1820s, it was given the name Oranjestad after King Willem van Orange-Nassau. Kind of funny that the king after which Aruba's capital was named also has the name of the capital of the Bahamas.

That's interesting. Although the Bay of Horses sounds good too. I wonder why it was called that? Unless they are talking about the waves looking like horses.

That is very interesting, the Bay of horses name. I like that a lot. I wonder why it had that name too?
That is pretty neat though that they named it after the King.
Thanks for sharing that information with us.

I think the Bay of Horses name comes from the fact that they had, at one time, a pretty good horse trade there, but the horses were then exported to Curacao. I'm not sure why the horses were moved, but I seem to recall reading it somewhere.

Thanks for the update! I love horses! I don't want to bring one home, but I would love to go horseback riding while I'm there. I wonder if they allow you to ride horses on the beaches? I have always wanted to do that!

It's interesting, both the King's name and the Bay of Horses. I haven't found many cities or islands named after kings or heroes. Maybe the only popular city which is named after a great hero is Washington D.C.