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Recorded at 2X speed. Carnival Horizon visit. The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon bridge across St. Anna Bay on Curaçao island in the Dutch Caribbean. It connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarters of the capital city, Willemstad. It was named after Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who was queen consort of the Netherlands during its construction. The bridge is hinged and opens regularly to enable the passage of oceangoing vessels. On the opposite end from the hinge is a small shelter where an operator controls two diesel engines turning propellers. The propellers are mounted perpendicular to the length of the bridge and allow it to swing parallel to the shore. The process only takes a few minutes to complete. Originally a toll bridge from 1901–1934, individuals without shoes were permitted to cross the bridge without paying the toll. When the bridge swings open, two ferries spring into action to bring pedestrians across the water. The ferries are also free of charge. Motor vehicle traffic ceased in 1974 when all such traffic was diverted to the newly opened Queen Juliana Bridge, and the bridge became pedestrian-only. Locally, the bridge is known as the "Swinging Old Lady" because of how it literally swings open to the Otrabanda side of Willemstad. Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is an island country located in the southern Caribbean Sea, specifically the Dutch Caribbean region, about 65 km (40 mi) north of Venezuela and 80 km (50 mi) southeast of Aruba. The Queen Juliana Bridge is the highest bridge in the Caribbean. The 2023 census recorded a population of nearly 156,000 people in Curaçao. The country has an area of 444 km2 (171 sq mi); its capital is Willemstad. Together with Aruba and Bonaire, Curaçao forms part of the ABC islands. Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean. It is the largest of the ABC islands in terms of both area and population. Curaçao was originally inhabited by the Arawak and Caquetío Indigenous Peoples. The first Europeans to explore the island were Spanish, who first reached it in 1499. The island became a Spanish colony after Alonso de Ojeda's 1499 expedition. Though labelled "The Useless Island" due to its poor agricultural yield and lack of precious metals, it later became a strategic cattle ranching area. When the Dutch colonized the island in 1634, they shifted the island's focus to trade and shipping, and later made it a hub of the Atlantic slave trade. British forces occupied Curaçao twice during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, but it was returned to Dutch rule. The abolition of slavery in 1863 led to economic shifts and migrations. Dutch remains the official language, though Papiamentu, English, and Spanish are widely spoken, reflecting the island's diverse cultural influences. Curaçao was part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony from 1815 to 1954, and later the Netherlands Antilles from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao. The discovery of oil in the Maracaibo Basin in 1914 transformed Curaçao into a major refinery location, altering its economic landscape. There were efforts towards becoming a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the island achieved autonomy in 2010.