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pre trip photos
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photos albums - every day we
post a daily photo album .. to
view all of the photos for each
day click on the small daily
photo icon located in this
column
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Sunday May 10th thru Wednesday May 13th
- Fort Myers Florida
Happy
Mother's Day weekend! .. we have
spent the weekend and the balance of the
week completing some final preparations
for our upcoming trip to Cuba .. since
we have been advised that wifi is either
non-existent or at best very slow and
expensive to access we will not be
taking our laptop computer .. thus we
have decided to travel 'light' bringing
just one wheeled carry-on suitcase, a
regular carry-on bag, and the
ever-present and reliable West Marine
waterproof bag to tote all the camera
stuff ..
'
Sunday we took a drive south to Coconut
Point and the Apple Store where we
picked up a couple of connectors to
download photos from the camera to our
iPad and got a great tip from the Apple
techie who recommended we get the
Sandisk ixpand storage unit to transfer
and store our final edited photos from
the iPad .. our next stop was Best Buy
.. and then another Best Buy .. where we
finally found a couple of 64bit units
that someone stashed in the back of the
store ..
'
while we were at Coconut Point we
couldn't resistant taking a couple of
pix of a beautiful cream-colored Bentley
coupe .. thought it would make a great
contrast to the vintage autos we were
sure to see in Cuba ..
'
late Tuesday morning in the midst of our
packing and other chores we got a
surprise phone call from our boat broker
in Dania who asked if he could send over
a couple who wished to take a look at
Dee Light .. yikes .. they would be here
in a couple of hours .. no problem! ..
we put it in high gear and by 1:30 the
boat was ready to show and we were
showered and cleaned up for our visitors
too .. luckily they came when they did
because shortly after they left the boat
the skies turned black and we were hit
by a torrential rain storm with gusty
winds and lightening all around ..
seems the summer rainy season has
officially begun .. by evening the
storms had passed thru the area, the
skies had cleared and stars were out ..
' |
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Thursday
May 14th thru Saturday May 16th
- Fort Myers Florida
.
with most of our preparations (except
for some last minute items) completed
for our trip we took a break and went
with John and MK to the Nauti Parrot for
a bite to eat before going to listen to
the doo wop group The Brylcreams for
their final show of the season at Daddy
Dee's Ice Cream Parlor .. it turned out
to be a great evening of entertainment
.. not only did we enjoy the great music
of the Brylcreams at Daddy Dee's - the
Nauti Parrot happened to feature a
terrific singer on their outdoor deck by
the name of Sherri .. with a great voice
and varied repertoire she sang
everything from Taylor Swift to Michael
Jackson to Bonnie Raitt and everything
in between .. and she could sing and
chew gum at the same time!
Friday evening we got together with good
friends Bernie and Barbara who will soon
be headed back to their home in
Wisconsin .. Anita also joined us along
with John and MK and we headed
down to the 'Smoke on the Water' BBQ
competition in downtown Fort Myers ..
this was also the evening of the monthly
downtown Music Walk so it was really
well attended .. we partook of some fine
BBQ .. listened awhile to the Beatles
'Nowhere' Tribute Band and chatted with
a few friends despite dodging the few on
and off again rain showers .. we ended
the evening for a nightcap with our
favorite sax player Jim Blackburn at the
lobby bar at Hotel Indigo ..
Saturday Dad gave Autumn the 'dreaded
bath' in preparation for her stay with
Martha our dog sitter .. finished our
last bit of packing and finished getting
Dee Light ready to show while we are
away .. in the evening we decided to
wander back downtown to pig out on some
more BBQ ribs but we first stopped at
the Legacy Chickee Hut to catch the
Preakness Horse Race and watch American
Pharaoh win the second race of the
triple crown ..
.
|
the
above link has all (50) of our photos
from the 19th .. latter we will be
adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
|
Sunday May 17th
- drive Fort Myers to Miami Florida
.
Sunday
morning .. time to go .. packed up
the car .. gave John a quick
orientation of the boat .. packed up
Autumn and told her to be a good
girl while we were away .. only to
be totally ignored once we arrived
at Martha's .. she was last seen
giving us nothing but her tail end
as she walked with Martha down the
street sniffing all the way .. but
we know we will miss our little
girl! ..
finally on the road a little before
noon .. midway down Alligator Alley
we ran into lots of dense smoke from
the brush fires burning in the Big
Cypress Swamp area with periods of
brief but heavy downpours .. and at
this the rains are very much
welcomed ..
.
we checked into the Crown
Plaza Hotel, arranged to
leave our car for the
duration of our trip and
once settled in we took a
short walk down the street
to the Hereford Grill
Restaurant .. it turned out
to be a local Latin place
with a Spanish-style guitar
player in the piano bar
alcove .. we found a
comfortable seat in the bar
area for a cold drink and a
cheese appetizer plate while
waiting for Sally and Vince
to arrive .. it definitely
looked like a place we would
like to come back and try
for dinner sometime ..
.
at 5:30 we returned to
the hotel lounge/restaurant
where we met up with Sally
and Vince along with Sally's
cousin Nan and her husband
Bill .. after cocktails and
a light dinner we adjourned
to one of the meeting rooms
for our 8:30PM orientation
meeting with the Friendly
Planet Tour representative
.. after more forms passed
out and paperwork to fill
out it was off to bed for an
early morning breakfast and 9:00AM meet
up in the lobby ..
.
|
the
above link has all (204) of our photos
from the 19th .. latter we will be
adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
random photos from our
first bus tour and lunch
Havana icon - some of the
vintage cars
our first dinner at Hotel
Nacional
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Monday
May 18th
-
fly Miami Florida
to Havana Cuba
the Crown Plaza has a very good
breakfast buffet and was included with
our room .. after breakfast we all
gathered with our luggage in the lobby
before boarding the bus for the Miami
Airport at 9:30 AM .. our flight was not
scheduled to leave until noon but they
wanted us to be sure to check in early
before all the other passengers arrived
with their 'cargo' (i.e. microwaves,
TVs, small appliances, etc) returning to
Cuba .. our group of 23 checked in as a
group and it went fairly quickly .. the
flight was on time (with all seats full)
and by 1:30 PM we had landed at the Jose
Marti Airport .. cleared customs and
immigration .. and another security
check ..
we were able to collect our luggage from
the carousel in a relatively quick time
and exited the doorways where we were
greeted by Trish Oliveira who would be
our Friendly Planet tour guide for the
next 4 days .. Trish then directed us
with our luggage to bus No. 1704 where
our driver Herman loaded our belongings
.. we were pleasantly surprised and very
happy to see a new, modern and fully air
conditioned 50+ seat motor coach with
comfortable upholstered seats and big
clear windows which would allow the
group plenty of photo opportunities ..
we later learned that the Cuban
government purchased these motor coaches
from the Chinese especially for tourism
and they are run and managed by the
military ..
once on board Trish introduced us to our
official National Cuba guide ..
Alejandro - a very pleasant and good
looking young man who goes by Ale .. at
31 years old he speaks fluent English
and German .. after serving a year in
the Cuban military he went on to the
university where he majored in German
studies and is now employed by the
Cuban government as a people-to-people
tour guide working primarily with 3 or 4
US tour companies (including Friendly
Planet) that are presently licensed to
conduct Cuban tours ..
while underway from the airport Ale gave
us a brief description of the city and
encouraged us to feel free to ask any
questions of him on any Cuban social,
economic or government subjects ..
our first stop was for lunch at
Saborear, a state-owned restaurant (as
opposed to a privately owned paladar)
.. because we had not yet had an
opportunity to covert our US $$ to the
Cuban CUC Peso Convertibles (cukes)
Trish took care of our tips to the
toilet attendant ..
after lunch we were free to walk around
a bit and we naturally gravitated to the
line-up of vintage cars parked in front
of Central Park Square and the adjacent
hotel where we met Fernando who drives a
pink and white 1955 Chevy Bellair
convertible .. we immediately liked and
were impressed with this very
well-groomed polite young man who spoke
wonderful English and we exchanged
contact information so we could contact
him later be our tour guide for our
independent program scheduled to begin
Friday morning ..
upon arrival at The Nacional Hotel we
were escorted to the terrace bar where
the walls are covered floor-to-ceiling
with photos of the many dignitaries and
celebrities that have stayed there thru
the years .. we enjoyed a complimentary
welcome drink .. our first Cuban Mojito
(of course!) and got
acqhttp://marvboater.smugmug.com/Dee-Light/2015-05-18-Cuba-first-dinner/
the rest of our group while we took in
the view and waited on our room keys ..
the
Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic
luxury hotel opened in 1930 and is
located on the Malecón in the middle of
Vedado, Havana, Cuba. It stands on
Taganana hill a few metres from the sea,
and offers a view of Havana Harbour, the
seawall and the city .. by Cuban
standards it is a 5-star hotel ..
www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com
..
our first night dinner was a welcome
buffet in the 'basement' of the hotel ..
we're not sure why they call it a
basement as it is actually a lovely
terraced dining area on the lower level
with a covered outdoor portico and a
terrace that overlooks one of the
swimming pools (where Johnny Weissmuller
.. aka Tarzan .. performed exhibition
swimming and jumped from the 2nd floor
balcony) ..
after dinner we ended our first day in
Havana on the outdoor veranda
overlooking Havana Harbor with an after
dinner drink and espresso .. everywhere
there is live music as it is part of the
Cuban National Heritage .. with the
beautiful songs of a female vocalist and
the rhythmic tradition tunes of the 3
musicians .. a cool tropical breeze ..
perfect temps under a clear evening sky
.. it definitely felt like we had
stepped back in time somewhere to the
late '50s early '60s ...
.
|
the
above link has all (503) of our photos
from the 19th .. latter we will be
adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
people to people visit to a
school
The Cathedral of The Virgin
Mary of the Immaculate Conception completed
in 1777
Graphic Arts Studio and
Printmaking Shop
walking the
streets near
The Cathedral of The Virgin
Mary
rum and tobacco shop
rum and tobacco and coffee
party
the Cabaret Tropicana
|
Tuesday May 19th
- Havana Cuba
up and at 'em .. breakfast is included with
our room so after a breakfast of omelets,
fruit, pastries, cheeses and meats (with
lots of Americano coffee) in La Veranda on
the lower level (also where we had dinner
the previous evening) we met the group in
the lobby and boarded the bus at 9:00 AM ..
we began our day with a visit to a
neighborhood primary school (ages 5-12)
located in Old Havana .. we were greeted by
the principal who explained the structure of
the school and makeup of the students with
Ale acting as interpreter to answer all our
questions .. after all our questions were
exhausted we were treated to a song and poem
from two of the 6th grade girls ..the school
supplies and other items we brought were
left for the students and we were invited to
take a walk thru the classrooms to tour the
school where we were able to take lots
pictures of all the smiling and bright faces
of the children ..
after leaving the school our next stop was
Plaza de La Cathedral .. location of The
Cathedral of The Virgin Mary of the
Immaculate Conception completed in 1777 ..
the cathedral is built in the Cuban Baroque
style cut from coral rock and contains many
beautiful paintings, frescos and sculptures
.. Catholic Mass is still said every Sunday
..
outside on the expansive Plaza are many
locals dressed in colorful period costumes
who will readily pose for you to take photos
.. it is customary to give them a one 'cuke'
or some combination of other coins for their
time ..
just off the Plaza is the Graphic Arts
Studio and Printmaking Shop ..
although the new artwork being produced is
often are very contemporary in style they
use the same same original 17th century
German print blocks and printing techniques
passed down thru the centuries .. many of
the artists' prints were for sale ..
within walking distance of the Plaza we next
visited the Cigar and Rum store where we
were treated to a demonstration in cigar
rolling while we shopped .. we asked if they
accepted American credit cards .. the answer
was 'no, not yet but hopefully soon' .. but
still many 'cukes' were expended and the
treasures packed up with most of us with
lighter wallets ..
the Cigar shop faced onto an adjoining
atrium area and were then ushered to tables
in the interior open courtyard for a very
fun and 'enlightening' lesson in the fine
art of Cuban coffee, rum and cigar tasting
..
finally time for lunch and more Cuban food!
.. today lunch was in a paladar located on
the first floor of a grand old house .. it
had a tiny but cozy bar area and large airy
dining room where we were seated at 2 long
tables of 12+ .. we were offered a choice of
3 entrees and the side dishes of rice, green
beans and salad were served family style on
large platters .. dessert was traditional
caramel flan ..
after the late lunch we were back at the
hotel around 3PM to relax, shower and change
for the evening ..
before
leaving the hotel for dinner our tour
company had arranged for one the the
economics professors from the University to
met with us at the hotel for a discussion on
the history and current affairs of US/Cuban
relations .. 'the Professor' was extremely
engaging in answering and further discussing
with us any of our questions or comments ..
and in a totally uncensored and forthright
manner .. the hour passed too quickly and as
most of us had dinner reservations we had to
go .. but we could have easily stayed
talking with him for another couple of hours
..
for dinner tonight we would be on our own
and we had been given a list of several
excellent paladars we were welcome to
choose from .. Trish graciously offered to
make our reservations for us .. our group of
6 (with Sally Vince, Nan and Bill ) decided
to attend the iconic Vegas-style floor show
at the Cabaret Tropicana .. however as the
show did not start until 11PM Trish
suggested we have dinner at the Vistamar ..
a 1950's contempory-style home right on the
ocean and it turned out to be a wonderful
choice .. the 2nd floor dining area
overlooked the water and we had dinner on
http://marvboater.smugmug.com/Dee-Light/2015-05-19-Cuba-Rum-and/boater.smugmug.com/Dee-Light/2015-05-19-Cuba-Rum-and/
boater.smugmug.com/Dee-Light/2015-05-19-Cuba-Rum-and/boater.smugmug.com/Dee-Light/2015-05-19-Cuba-Rum-and/
outdoor deck .. the lobster special was
prepared perfectly and a bargain at only 20
cukes ..we had such a good time lingering
over dinner we were almost late for the show
..
the
Cabaret Tropicana was everything it is
advertised to be .. beautiful dancers,
colorful costumes, a great orchestra, and
talented singers set in a tropical and
exotic outdoor theatre under the stars .. oh
and I almost forgot the bottle of rum! ..
. |
the above link has all (360) of our
photos from the 20th .. latter we will
be adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
the Christopher Columbus
Cemetery (
home of Ernest Hemingway
lunch at a Mexican paladar Bodega
Las Brisas
Callejon de Hamel street
-
entertained by a group
dinner
at
Nazdrovia a Russian
Restaurant
|
Wednesday May 20th
- Havana Cuba
Trish had warned us not to drink too
much of the rum at The Tropicana .. that
was a good thing because it was a short
night and we were to be back on the bus
at 9:30AM .. we also wanted time to have
a leisurely breakfast and coffee at the
excellent hotel buffet La Veranda this
morning .. the weather has been very
warm but picture perfect for taking
photos and today was no exception ..
another beautiful morning with blue blue
skies and puffy white clouds (Kodak
clouds) .. with no rain in site ..
our first destination was Revolution
Square with it's Monument to Jose Marti
.. the Square is notable as being where
many political rallies take place and
features a 358 foot tall tower and a 59
foot statue of Jose Marti, Cuba's
National Hero .. opposite the square is
the famous Che Guevara image on the side
of the Ministry of Interior building ..
our next stop was the Christopher
Columbus Cemetery (Cementario de
Cristobal Colon) .. founded in 1876 ..
it is one of the great historical
cemeteries in the world .. the 140 acre
Cemetery is noted for its many elaborate
sculpted memorials and family vaults ..
many shipped to Cuba from Europe and
made by Spanish, Italian and French
artists with Carrara marble or granite
.. with more than 800,000 graves and
1million interments (approx. 40 funerals
still take place every day) space is
currently at premium .. after 3 years
the remains are removed from their
tombs, are cremated and placed in
special niches ..
Andres who was our official guide during
our visit brought us to the grave of a
young women named Emilia and her infant
daughter .. both had tragically died
shortly after birth .. when they buried
Emilia her baby was placed at her feet
.. however when they removed their
remains after 3 years for cremation the
baby was found embraced in her arms ..
to this day people visit their gravesite
to make a wish (especially for a healthy
baby) .. when their wishes come true
they often leave beautiful painted tiles
and plaques at the grave in gratitude
and in memory ..
our next destination was the home of
Ernest Hemingway and his restored
fishing boat Pillar .. we found it to be
quite different than his home in Key
West .. much smaller in scale and
simpler in design .. it is also very
well kept up .. after viewing the house
and boat we stopped for one of their
special sugar cane cocktails made with
freshly pressed sugar cane juice and ..
yes - you guessed it .. rum!
after leaving Hemingway's home we drove
to the small fishing village of Cojimar
.. noted to be the inspiration for
Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the
Sea .. Cojimar is also the site of a
17th Century Spanish stone fort built in
1645 as the easternmost defense point of
Havana .. lunch in Cojimar was at a
Mexican paladar Bodega Las Brisas
.. ice cold daiquiris, a cold Cristal
(local beer) and either seafood paella
or grilled fish or turkey ..
our next and final stop of the day was
the
Callejon de Hamel ..
one of the shortest but most interesting
streets in Havana and a hub for the
African Cuban religion of Santeria .. a
fusion of the African belief system of
spirit worship and Christianity .. the
colorful artwork, dance and music of
this area reflect the culture and
religious beliefs of the Santerians
.. during our visit we were entertained
by a group of drummers, singers and
dancers depicting the mythological
symbols of
child, water, wind, fire,
and
wood ..
we were left to our own devises for
dinner again tonight and had come across
an interesting article in the Cuba
Magazine profiling Nazdrovia Restaurant,
a paladar specializing in Ukraine-Cuban
cuisine and featuring art and
memorabilia from the Soviet-Cuban
historical period .. we found the
address/phone and asked Trish to make
reservations .. so we ended up with 2
folks from Florida, 2 from Kentucky, 2
from Indiana and 1 originally from Aruba
in 2 vintage American automobiles at a
Russian Restaurant in downtown Havana!
.. go figure ..
Nazdrovia is located in a building
directly on the Malecon and overlooks
the Havana Harbor .. it also happens to
be on the 3rd floor .. with no elevator
.. strictly stairs but has a great view!
.. when we arrived we were the only
patrons however by the time we left all
the tables were filled .. the 2 young
handsome waiters and bartender spoke
excellent English with hardly a trace of
an accent .. the food was plentiful,
well prepared and authentic and the
drinks were generous .. and everything
was very moderately priced ..
so after another very busy and active
day we again ended our evening relaxing
on the hotel veranda with a drink in
hand listening to the wonderful Cuban
music under the stars ..
|
 the
above link has all (378 of our photos
from the 21st .. latter we will be
adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
streets of Havana
lunch at
Tres Monedas Creative
Lounge
the wedding
farewell party for group
our 'people to people'
group
|
Thursday May 21st
- Havana Cuba
this would be our last full day with the
Friendly Planet tour group .. most of
our group were from Naples with a few
from Marco Island .. the make-up of our
group was about half couples and half
single folks .. all very nice and most
in our group were very accomplished
high-end photographers ..
another 9:30AM bus call and we were off
.. this time to the complex of military
offices, barracks and armament displays
located on the opposite side of the
Harbor from Old Havana and next to Moro
Castle .. the castle was built as a
fortress in 1589 and is perched on a
high promontory guarding the entrance to
Havana Bay .. it also serves as a
navigational landmark ..
this is also the site of Christ of
Havana .. a 66 foot statute of Jesus of
Nazareth sculpted from white Carrara
marble .. the sculpture with a 10 foot
wide base was inaugurated on December
24, 1958 .. just 15 days later Fidel
Castro entered Havana on Jan 8, 1959
during the Cuban Revolution .. that same
day the image was hit by lightening and
the head was destroyed .. it was later
repaired (source: Wikipedia) ..
about 50 feet from the main statue we
noticed a large piece of white marble
displayed .. we suspect that may the
remnant of the piece stuck by lightening
but we were not able to confirm that
during our visit .. the view from the
top of the hill at the base of the
Christ Statue overlooking the city of
Old Havana, the entire Harbour and the
entrance to the sea was absolutely
spectacular ..
also at the entrance to the park area
were several vendors selling local craft
items and we purchased 2 handmade
crocheted tops and a white
guayabera-style shirt at a very
reasonable price ..
we also had a chance to chat with Trish,
our tour guide .. born and raised in
Brazil she moved to the US as a young
girl and now resides in Atlanta, GA ..
after working for Coca Cola for 15 years
she left her position as administrative
assistant and became a bi-lingual tour
guide .. she works as an independent
contractor setting her own travel
schedule and has been with Friendly
Planet for 3 years .. she tells us she
loves her work and it clearly shows ..
Trish is very detailed oriented and took
wonderful care of our group in every
respect .. she is also very fun to be
around!
next the bus dropped our group off at
the base of Cardenas Street which leads
to the Capitol Building and Square .. we
had ample opportunity to take lots of
photos and absorb the atmosphere and to
observe the activities on the very busy
city streets .. several of our group
also visited one of the many free
neighborhood health clinics in Havana
where various minor injuries and
ailments are routinely treated ..
lunch today was at Tres Monedas Creative
Lounge .. this paladar is named
for the 1952 time capsule found embedded
in the wall during renovation of the
building .. 3 cents in a coke bottle and
a letter to the future from the former
owner - a local doctor .. the
restaurant's owner is an artist and it
has a very hip and cool 1950's vibe ..
staff was very friendly and the food was
very good .. traditional Cuban roast
pork or chicken and our complimentary
drink was .. surprise! .. a Mojito ..
the excellent piece of flan for dessert
was served on the owner's vintage family
china dishes .. .. after lunch we were
invited to the small adjoining bar area
and treated to a demonstration of fancy
mixology by one of the top-rated
bartenders in Havana .. going back down
the narrow flight of stairs to the
street we noticed the walls had been
totally papered with the historic slave
documents from before the civil war ..
after lunch we were given the choice to
get dropped off at the Market Place (a
large flea market with no A/C) to do
some shopping or at one of the many
museums in the area .. several of our
group went to the Market Place and a
couple went on to visit a neighborhood
organic farm .. since it was the now the
hottest heat of the day we elected to go
back to the hotel .. enjoy our cool air
conditioned room with a nice shower and
to relax before dinner ..
for our last evening they had planned a
special farewell dinner for our group
and we were told to wear our dancing
shoes! .. it was a short bus ride to
Casa Miglis .. a Cuban-Swedish dining
and bar .. upon our arrival we were
greeted with a cuba libra cocktail (rum
and coke) before being ushered into a
large dining room set with white
tablecloths .. the room also featured a
unique metal sculpture on the ceiling
lit with revolving colored lights
setting the mood for a fun and festive
evening .. after being seated we placed
our orders from the menu specially
prepared for us .. one of our party (to
remain unnamed) insisted he was eating
lutefisk! .. during dinner we were
entertained by a wonderful group of
musicians ..
once dinner was finished a dancing
couple appeared to entertain our group
.. eventually after everyone had dessert
(along with a few adult beverages) they
invited everyone to get up to join them
on the tiny dance floor area to teach us
how to do the salsa Cuban style! .. we
shared lots of laughs over our 2 left
feet and everyone agreed it was the
perfect ending to our tour of Havana ..
.
|
the above link has all (384) of our
photos from the 22nd .. latter we will
be adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day .
our first Hemingway Bar
the
Hemingway Hotel (Hotel
Ambos Mundos)
and
upper deck
the streets
of Havana
Cuban street
music (video)
dinner at The
Atelier
|
Friday May 22nd
- Havana Cuba
Trish had contacted Fernando and we all
agreed to meet in the Hotel Nacional
lobby .. with Trish we were able to
coordinate some places to visit and the
cost to engage Fernando's service as our
tour guide for the next couple of days
.. a little after 9:00AM we said our
goodbyes to Trish and thanked her for
everything and at 9:15 we stared at the
back of Bus No. 1704 as it roared out of
the hotel driveway on its way to the
airport with the rest of our group ..
Yikes .. we were now truly on our own in
Cuba with no Trish or Ale to tell us
what to do and what time to be there! ..
we had made arrangements for Fernando to
pick us up at 11:00 so we had plenty of
time to finish our packing and a
leisurely breakfast before checking out
of the Hotel Nacional .. because the
hotel was fully booked when we made our
initial reservations we would now be
moving to the Hotel NA Capri located
just one block up the street ..
whereas the Hotel Nacional is the 'grande
dame' of hotels .. very elegant and
stately .. the Capri was built in 1956
and is a comparatively modern,
contemporary 'avant guard' sort of
structure ..
Fernando arrived promptly at 11:00 and
loaded our luggage into his trunk and we
were off in the back seat of his pink
and white 1955 Bellair Chevy convertible
.. no top and no seat belts! ..
our first stop was the La Floridita Bar
.. the famous Ernest Hemingway bar and
home of the world famous Daiquiri ..
Opps! .. as it was not yet open we left
Fernando at the car to wander down
Obispo Street to take some photos .. we
had been advised not to buy 'street
cigars' because you often don't get the
real thing however .. after climbing up
3 flights of stairs .. Yup .. you
guessed it .. we did! .. since it didn't
really matter as we don't smoke we will
have our dock neighbor and friend
Lorenza try them out ..
by the time we got back to the La
Floridita they were open .. we ordered a
daiquiri a light coke and a virgin
strawberry daiquiri for Fernando .. when
we arrived there were only a couple of
other tables occupied but by the time we
had finished our drinks it was standing
room only ..
while we were at the La Floridita we
noticed a large group of people wearing
T-shirts with a Longboat Key logo on
them and a fellow wearing a Useppa
Island hat .. we had heard that there
was a sailing regatta from the US on the
island and it turns out this was the
group .. they originally had applied for
visas for 10 boats but were only able to
obtain permission from the U.S. State
Dept to bring 4 boats .. by now the bar
was very crowded and noisy so we didn't
have much time to talk further .. not
sure how many people were in their group
but they did say several were staying in
hotel rooms at the Marina Hemingway
Resort ..
Fernando then drove us to the Plaza de
Armas .. we had visited this lovely
shaded park area with its statue of
Carlos Manuel de Caspedes in the center
on our bus tour but now had more time to
explore and take a closer look at the
many book, poster and memorabilia
vendors lining the pedestrian street ..
we visited the elegant lobby and atrium
with its fountain at the colonial Hotel
Santa Isabel .. originally the private
residence of a Spanish family with
extensive gold and silver mining
holdings in Mexico .. there is a
wonderful display of large old historic
photos of the square from the 1800's ..
the atrium also included a photo and
letter from former President Jimmy
Carter when he and family stayed there
in 2002 ..
our next stop was at the Hotel Ambos
Mundos .. built in the 1920's with an
Art Deco decor this was also a favorite
of Ernest Hemingway as evidenced by his
bar tab preserved for posterity in the
hotel's museum room ..
we squeezed into the original Otis
wrought-iron and bellhop-operated
elevator with 4 other patrons and glided
silently up to the 5th floor rooftop
terrace with its open-air bar and
restaurant and panoramic views of the
city and harbor ..
before arriving at the hotel Fernando
also showed us the local pharmacy with
its shelves lined up to the ceiling with
jars containing the various herbs and
other natural supplements used for
homeopathic remedies .. all the major
hospitals in Cuba practice homeopathic
medicine with its emphasis on preventive
care rather than treating disease after
it occurs ..
next on our afternoon agenda was a visit
to a Cuban coffee house and it also time
for a snack .. we walked a couple of
blocks to the Plaza Viejo .. the oldest
square in Havana with its extensive
restoration of the building facades ..
it was quite interesting to see the
'before and after' photos displayed in
front of each of the buildings ..
while walking along the narrow street
leading to the Plaza Viejo our guide
Fernando he told us the locals do not
walk on the sidewalk but instead walk in
the center of the streets .. Why? ..
'well one has a much better chance of
surviving being hit by a truck then from
a baloney falling on top of you' ..
since then we have stayed in the middle
of the street!
we walked to the opposite side of the
Plaza to Cafe Escorial .. the coffee hit
the spot and was delicious .. a cold
iced coffee with latte and a regular
coffee with ice cream floating on top!
.. accompanied by a delicious piece of
Tres Leche cake .. while we sat on
the veranda enjoying the sites we were
able to spend some quiet time chatting
with Fernando and learning more about
him and his family .. we had wished to
buy some coffee beans to take home with
us but unfortunately were told that
there was presently a shortage of beans
with none available to purchase ..
on our walk back to Obispo Street we
stopped in at the Hotel Raquel - a
Jewish hotel.. built in 1905/08 it is a
monumental and baroque structure with an
interior in the Art Nouveau style .. a
centerpiece feature of the hotel lobby
is their elaborate stained-glass barrel
ceiling which spans the length of the
lobby and bar area .. their refined
restaurant offers Jewish cuisine ..
it is the only Jewish hotel in the city
and also near the oldest Sephardic
synagogue in Cuba ..
after a very busy afternoon it was time
to check into our 'new and newer' hotel
The Capri and Fernando dropped us off
about 4:30 with plans to pick us up for
our 7:30 dinner reservation ..
Trish had made reservations for us to
have dinner at another paladar .. The
Atelier .. some of our group had
dined there this week and highly
recommended we try it .. Fernando
dropped us at the gate to the private
house and we were greeted by an
attendant who then directed us to the
front entrance and up a flight of stairs
to the restaurant .. we were seated at a
large table on a small covered terrace
with 2 other tables .. as the evening
progressed we were able to meet and talk
with the others .. a women and her son
visiting from Maine and a couple who
just arrived on the afternoon flight
from NYC .. small world huh?! ..
after dinner Fernando was at the curb
waiting for us at the agreed upon time
to take us back to the hotel .. upon
check-in we had been given a coupon for
a welcome drink at the 17th floor bar so
decided to stop by for a night-cap ..
sure enough .. it was a Mojito! .. we
spent some time talking with Williams
the pleasant bartender and then walked
up the flight of stairs to the rooftop
pool area with bar .. the live music was
just ending but we arrived in time to
enjoy a final number and a drink before
they quit for the night .. we said we
would be back tomorrow evening!
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the above link has all (481) of our
photos from the 22nd .. latter we will
be adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
Fusterlandia .. the home
and surrounding neighborhood of Jose
Fuster .. considered the Picasso of the
Caribbean .. Wow!
Marina Hemingway Marina
and Yacht Club
City Forest
dinner at the Le
Chansonnier
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Saturday May 23rd
- Havana Cuba
in the morning we went down for the
breakfast buffet at The Capri
(again included with the room) .. we
found this buffet even better than the
one at the Nacional ..
we asked Fernando pick us up at 11:00AM
again today with the destination of
Marina Hemingway on our itinerary ..
Marv had the occasion to visit the
marina in the early 2000's and was
curious to see what changes -if any -
had been made .. we also thought we may
run into some of the folks from the 4
sailboats from the US ..
we drove thru the Miramar District of
Havana where many of the fine old
mansions are located and Fernando
pointed out the various elegant
buildings housing the foreign embassies
.. we thought the Canadian Embassy was
one of the prettiest and the Russian
Embassy one of the most foreboding .. we
also enjoyed seeing the local middle
school baseball game with parents
whooping and hollering for the players
..
earlier Fernando suggested we make a
stop to tour Fusterlandia .. the home
and surrounding neighborhood of Jose
Fuster .. considered the Picasso of the
Caribbean .. Wow! .. we had no
idea what a surprising treat we would be
in for .. we had difficulty focusing our
eyes and the camera lens! .. starting
with a small wooden home over 25 years
ago as his canvas Jose Fuster has turned
his dream into reality and transformed
not only his home but the entire
neighborhood into a unique and colorful
artistic landscape and has adorned the
community with sculptures and mosaics
everywhere .. his work is not only
beautiful but expresses a special
spirituality and oneness with nature
that shines thru in all his art work ..
we lingered, explored, looked at and
photographed as much as we could for
well over 2 hours and left knowing we
still hadn't seen everything! .. this is
definitely a must-see for things to do
in Havana and worth a second visit or
two ..
we arrived at the expansive drive into
the Marina Hemingway complex and drove
right in with just a wave from the
official at the entrance guard house ..
much looked the same with the exception
of several new modern buildings
containing groceries and other
provisions, liquor and cigars and gift
shops ..
after parking the car we walked along
the docks snapping some photos of the
boats tied alongside the sea wall .. a
few were older boats in need of some TLC
but also some very nice (and expensive)
yachts .. we noticed several flying the
Canadian flag from their transom ..
just as we started to head back to the
car our photo hound was approached by a
man in a uniform who very politely
advised him that photos were not allowed
on the property! .. even Fernando was
surprised by this ..
it being time lunchtime we decided to
see if we could get into the Hemingway
Yacht Club for something to eat .. Marv
went in to speak with the manager and
came back to the car to tell us that yes
.. we were welcome to have lunch with
them .. on our way out of the building
after lunch we happened to run into a
fellow who lives on Fort Myers Beach and
works in the yachting business primarily
in Fort Lauderdale .. he was accompanied
by a Cuban-American who introduced
himself as an art lawyer .. they
explained to us that they were in Cuba
to arrange an exhibition of large yachts
(in the 80-150 foot range) to visit
Marina Hemingway right after the 2016
Miami Boat Show .. seems lots of changes
are afoot ..
on the way back to Old Havana (approx 12
miles) Fernando drove us thru the City
Forest .. in the blink of an eye all the
city traffic noise was gone and we were
surrounded by a tropical rain forest
with the Almendares River meandering
thru the serene forest setting
.. then in another blink we were back in
the midst of city traffic ..
our last stop of the day was back at the
Cathedral Plaza and around the corner to
the Bodeguita del Medio .. a teeny tiny
itty-bitty bar in the middle of the
block .. another famous Hemingway haunt
with walls covered in handwritten
messages and names .. after a quick
look-see and a few photos inside the hot
and crowded bar we instead decided to
head back down the street where we had
spied the lovely and pleasant sidewalk
cafe at the Hotel Tejadillo for a couple
of cold cokes and a cold Cristal cervaza
before heading back to the Hotel Capri
..
the previous evening before going to
dinner Fernando stopped by the paladar
Le Chansonnier a very nice
sophisticated French bistro .. he had
suggested this restaurant for our
Saturday evening .. the restaurant was
totally jam packed on Friday when we
stopped in but to her relief we quickly
assured the young server we wanted a
reservation for the following night!
as it was getting late we decided to
head back to The Capri after another
full day .. we had made an 8:00PM
reservation at Le Chansonnier so we had
time to enjoy a drink while listening to
the live music at the lobby bar while
waiting for Fernando .. thankfully they
ended up having a much slower evening at
La Chansonnier that night so we could
relax and we thoroughly enjoyed a quiet
dinner of asparagus soup with a
perfectly grilled rare filet mignon
steak with fresh vegetables .. we also
had the pleasure of talking with a nice
couple presently living in Havana .. she
works for the Canadian Embassy and he
was from Austria ..
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the above link has all (148) of our
photos from the 22nd .. latter we will
be adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
Fernando and his family
trip to the
ice cream parlor with
Fernando and family
our farewell dinner at
the
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Sunday May 24th
- Havana Cuba
whew!
.. our last full day in Havana, Cuba ..
it has been a fascinating and
tremendously rewarding experience .. we
have continually been astounded and
amazed at the beauty, diversity and
friendliness we have encountered during
our visit to this fascinating city and
its people ..
we decided
to have a late breakfast and than spend
the rest of the morning organizing and
packing up our suitcases for our
departure in the morning .. our flight
didn't leave until 2:00PM but Trish had
advised us to leave the hotel for the
airport around 10:30AM .. we also noted
on our ticket folders that flights
close 1 1/2 hours before departure and
you would need to purchase a new ticket
if you arrived later!
after being
satisfied that our luggage was
completely stuffed and ready for
tomorrow we took a break for a short
walk in the neighborhood .. on our drive
back to the hotel in the evening we had
noticed a lovely terraced dining room on
the upper floor of a building just
around the corner from the hotel and
learned it was the Cafe Laurent ..
another of the recommended paladars on
our list .. we walked the block and a
half to check out the menu and make a
reservation for later that evening ..
located in another lovely old home it
turned out the paladar was on the 5th
floor but .. hooray .. they have an
elevator! ..
we walked
the short way back to the hotel and
ended up on the rooftop bar .. it was
another hot and sunny but beautiful day
with just enough breeze to keep it
comfortable and there were a few brave
souls sunning on the poolside lounges ..
the waiter tried to talk us into trying
their Cuban sandwich but we settled on a
plate of salty French fries instead just
to hold us until dinner .. besides we
had a date to meet Fernando and his
family later for ice cream! ..
one of the
highlights of this trip was our Sunday
evening ice cream outing with Fernando
and his family .. he wanted us to meet
his wife and children so we had arranged
to meet in the hotel lobby .. a few
minutes before 5:00PM he showed up with
his lovely wife Denise and their 2
adorable children (very sorry I didn't
write down their names) .. they
surprised us with a gift of 3 espresso
cups and a small ceramic holder to hang
them on and another ceramic holder for
keys .. and for Marv they had a lovely
white long-sleeved Guayabera shirt that
Fernando said he would like him to have
..
after a
couple of photos .. of course ..we took
a short walk down the street to the
local ice cream shop where we had ice
cream salads .. a waffle-cone bowl with
five scoops of orange, pineapple, mango
and strawberry ice cream drizzled with
chocolate sauce and diced fresh fruit on
the side .. we had an absolutely
delightful visit and after our ice cream
treat we all took a walk .. the young
man (age 10) even took my hand at the
very busy and very wide street we needed
to cross to reach the Malecon .. it
being a Sunday evening there were many
people sitting on the sea wall
overlooking the harbor enjoying the nice
breeze while waiting for the sunset ..
back at the hotel we said our goodbyes
and confirmed our pick up time in the
morning with Fernando ..
during our
stay the hotel has been extremely busy
with many tour buses coming and going
every morning and evening and tonight
was no exception .. the elevators
and lobby were bustling with activity
and we happened to speak with an English
couple in the elevator ..
when we
arrived at the Cafe Laurent we noticed
the same couple requesting a table and
being told there were no reservations
available that evening .. we asked if
they would like to join us if they could
find a table for 4 .. in a few minutes
they had one set up and ready .. we had
a great evening splitting a nice bottle
of Cabernet and visiting with both
Caroline and Paul .. we had originally
requested a table on the terrace but
when a brief but strong rainstorm came
thru we were glad we were seated inside
.. this was the first rain we had seen
in our entire time here ..
by the time
we finished dinner the rain was long
gone for our very dark but thankfully
short walk back to the hotel .. they
recommend you bring a small flashlight
along if you will be out and about on
the streets after dark and now we could
see why ..
after a
quick stop at our room we decided to
head to the rooftop for a nightcap and
listen to some music .. because we had
said our goodbyes in the lobby we all
laughed out loud when we walked in and
saw Caroline and Paul already sitting at
the bar! .. we all ended up having a
great time dancing under the stars and
when Caroline got Paul up to dance she
said 'that's a first in 30+ years of
marriage - must be the Havana night
air!' ..
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the above link has all (74) of our
photos from the 22nd .. latter we will
be adding additional links highlighting
parts of our day ..
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Monday May 25th
- fly Havana Cuba to Miami
time to head home .. after our final
breakfast buffet downstairs we gathered
up our luggage .. we wished our nice
room maid farewell and headed down to
the lobby to checkout at the reception
desk ..
we counted up the cukes we had left in
our pockets and figured we had just
enough to pay Fernando for our ride to
the airport with a few cukes to spare
for cold drinks .. if needed you are
also able to exchange money at the
airport with no fee ..
it was about a 20 minute drive to the
airport and Fernando was a couple of
minutes early to arrive so we had plenty
of time .. with big hugs at the airport
we wished him the best with our hope
that we may someday soon return ..
Fernando was an absolutely godsend as a
our guide .. we consider ourselves very
fortunate to have been able to spend
time with such a knowledgeable competent
and responsible young man and all-around
good person .. we would highly
recommend Fernando Devila Mena (phone: 5
283 3271 or
nandotur81@nauta.cu
) to anyone wanting to see Havana .. and
he has a cool car too!
at the Jose Marti International Airport
we received our boarding passes at the
main counter and after checking our bag
proceeded to the customs area .. one at
a time please .. take off your glasses
and have your picture taken and then
passport stamped .. thru the little door
and step right up to security with your
stuff on the conveyor belt .. a pretty
straightforward procedure .. if you are
bringing back art work they suggest you
put it in your carry-on luggage ..
we boarded our flight at 2:00PM .. given
a customs form to fill out and the
wheels left the ground at 2:35 for the
45 minute flight to Miami .. in Miami
they now have electronic kiosks where
you enter your customs info .. smile for
the camera and its spits out a receipt
with your photo .. pretty cool .. you
take that and your passport and go thru
a checkpoint .. we collected our bag and
then thru another check point and we
were out! .. jumped on the hotel shuttle
and checked in .. all in all we were in
our room before 5:00PM .. had one of the
best hamburgers EVER in the hotel lounge
.. a patty of ground sirloin, pork and
chorizo covered with blue cheese and
bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion on a
buttered and grilled Cuban-bread bun ..
YUMMY!
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post Cuba
2015 images
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Tuesday May 26th
- drive Miami to Fort Myers - and post
trip images ..
we left the hotel at 9:30AM Tuesday
morning and after a couple of stops for
gas, drinks and potty we were at
Martha's house about 12:30 to pick up
our little girl Autumn .. we also have
the BEST dog sitter and we call her the
dog whisperer .. Autumn was running
around the kitchen with 3 other little
dogs and acting like puppy .. she looked
great! .. after a great trip everyone
was glad to be back safe and sound
..
several people have inquired as to how
we were able to visit Cuba as US
citizens .. since the US State
Department has loosened the travel
restrictions we are able to obtain our
visas under the people-to-people
provision of traveling under an
organization that sponsors such
exchanges .. our sponsor was Understand
Photography with Naples Portraits and
was arranged by Peggy Farren and Joe
Fitzpatrick and we were under the Arts
category .. the actual details and
arrangements of the tour .. i.e air and
bus transportation - hotels - meals and
all other activities were handled by
Friendly Planet Travel who has the
actual license to conduct tours to Cuba
..
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in conclusion here are just a few of our
general observations ..
the city is much bigger than envisioned
.. once considered one of the five most
beautiful cities in the world along with
Paris Rome Madrid and Athens .. we can
now only imagine what Havana looked like
once upon a time .. there is also a lot
more construction and restoration
activity than we anticipated .. seems
like it would be a good time to purchase
some waterfront property! ..
along with the vintage cars everywhere
there is lively Cuban music everywhere
.. on the streets and in the hotels,
bars and paladars .. we enjoyed live
music in the afternoons and evenings at
both our hotels .. we also brought back
a couple of CD's - one a gift from
Fernando of his friend's CD/DVD .. also
in Havana you will see original art work
everywhere .. during our visit they were
just setting up for
Havana’s
12th Arts Biennial which takes place
every 3 years .. various large art
displays are set up thru out the city
which are designed to interact with the
public .. as it was just beginning we
were only able to catch a few glimpses
of what was to come ..
we have been asked about the food .. in
the hotels and paladars it was very
good, artfully prepared, plentiful and
pretty varied for the most part ..
pork, chicken and seafood is readily
available ..
we had been warned that the Internet -
when available - would be very slow and
expensive and it was .. the cost wasn't
too bad considering the source but it
was difficult to access and when you
finally got a connection you were often
bumped off immediately .. found it
wasn't good for anything except checking
and sending a few emails and toting
along a laptop would have been a total
waste of time ..
they only have running water every 3rd
day .. every rooftop contains barrels
(often blue in color) used for storing
water for their use until the water is
turned back on ..
$2.2 billion is contributed to the Cuban
economy from US visitors .. after Canada
the US ranks 2nd in the number of
visitors but not counted in the
'official' tourism numbers ..
the Cuban government previously allowed
only 10 paladars (privately owned
restaurants) in Havana but at this time
there is no limit on the number allowed
.. however the larger the paladar (with
more tables and more revenue) the more
taxes they pay and can be as high as 90%
of profits ..
there is only one private new car dealer
in Cuba .. a new Peugeot from
France runs about $260,000 .. a small
Kia (like those used for taxis) will
cost $35-50,000 .. and always paid for
in cash ..
Cuba imports about 65% of all goods
(including food) consumed .. they import
chicken, rice, beans, wheat from the US
but it is all paid for with cash by the
Cuban government .. most all cosmetics,
lotions, toothpaste, etc comes from
China and is of inferior quality .. the
locals appreciate any nice cosmetic
items ..
Homeopathic medicine is practiced in the
major hospitals with an emphasis on
preventative care ..
we were told there is very little crime
in Cuba .. most crimes committed are
those of passion .. they say there are 3
million people in Havana and 1 million
are policemen ..
we were told that Cuba has little or no
racism - most of the people are of mixed
race (or what they call mulatto) .. Cuba
once had substantial Chinese - Lebanese
- Jewish neighborhoods however the the
majority of people are primarily of
Spanish and African descent ..
the vintage cars are also of mixed
heritage with many of the auto parts to
keep them running imported from Russia
Spain Germany etc .. whatever is
available they will use ..
with the breakup of the USSR and when
their financial support dried up good
food soon became scarce and many of the
Cuban people were starving .. as a
result of the lack of good nutritious
food in their diets for so long they are
now left with many residual health
problems .. especially in the older
populations .. also there are no 6-toed
cats left at Hemingway's home because
they ate them all ..
despite the many hardships the people of
Cuba have endured and the lack of modern
conveniences all in all we found the
people we met very resilient and
resourceful .. they still carry with
them a profound hope for a better future
for themselves and their children ..
as Ale, our tour guide very succinctly
put it ..
'the
first thing we have is hope and the last
thing we lose is hope'
..
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