December 27, 2014, was spent exploring the past. We visited Fort Nieuw Amsterdam. Located on the banks of the river, this fort was built in 1734 and finished in 1747. It was built when the French attacked the plantations in the area it is currently located rather than Fort Zeelandia and the city of Paramaribo.

Later, it was used during WWII to protect the bauxite industry. The large guns are still positioned next to the banks of the river along with the watch towers. It is no longer used for any military functions and is either used for historical or government purposes.

While here, I took a picture of a red bridge that we crossed. This picture placed first in District TNT and went to TNT @ TNU. After I took the picture, it began to pour and we retreated to the shelter of one of the watch towers until the rain ceased.

After we visited the Fort, we went back into town before heading back to my grandparents'. While in town, we stopped at another local cook shop to get one of my favorite Surinamese treats, loempias! Loempias are a roll very similar to an egg roll that is served with a spicy sauce. The roll is stuffed with onions, kusbanti, and chicken.

After we had rested from our day of sight seeing, we decided to head into Paramaribo again. While there, we visited a rubber tree that my Great-Grandparents had visited many years ago and took a picture in front of it just like they had. After stopping there, we went to a Korean restaurant for supper. I had a garlic shrimp plate with rice and everyone else in my family ordered different things so that we could try different things! It was a wonderful meal and a great ending to a busy day.
The pictures were taken by Paige Burge and Shelley Burge.