I always wanted to go to Cuba. I have friends who are Cuban that hate their Government and would be very unhappy with me for visiting their heavily oppressed country, but the passion and spirit they exude is the very reason Cuba has been calling me for years. The history between the U.S. and Cuban have been chilly even in the years before Castro locked down the country into a Communist state and destroyed the free will of it’s people. The turbulent and violent history of this beautiful country is for a different forum, but we know how strong the Mafia and organized crime shaped the country. Hemingway stamped Cuba with a romantic slant and the Soviets stamped it with a socialist twist. All along, the Cuban people fought and danced and loved. I had to find a way to visit. 

We decided on a cruise. There were several ways to visit the country during the short period the U.S. relaxed the restrictions but a cruise seemed like a very practical way to see some highlights and determine if it would be worth a further exploration. After only 2 days on land, it is a definite yes. At some time, when we open relations again I will revisit and this time spends days not hours.

We took a Royal Caribbean cruise because it offered 3 stops, instead of most other cruises offering one or two stops. Right from the beginning we were disappointed. The ship was one of the older in the fleet. They cancelled one stop (Santiago de Cuba) and rather than allow us to stay in Havana an additional night or some other arrangement actually involving Cuba, we were diverted to Cozumel. Love Cozumel but been there, done that, and for the extra price we paid for 3 stops in Cuba it was beyond a disappointment. We were also given false information regarding the requirement of a “shipboard sponsored excursion”, as this was not a requirement nor was exchanging to Cuban currency. The latter required standing in line for well over an hour when we arrived in Cienfuegos and delaying our excursion. This caused us to rush through some of the sites. With the new rules, it will be difficult to determine what is now allowable, but having false information from the staff of the ship was extremely disappointing and again devalued our expensive cruise.

Cuba itself was wonderful. We had a short day in Cienfuegos and a much longer day in Havana. I could have stayed much longer in Havana. When the boats arrive, the ports become filled with tourists. When they leave, the city becomes itself again. This is when you can really get the feel of a foreign port. So we were part of the herd and didn’t have the proper time to really enjoy the charms. 

Our first Cuban port was Cienfuegos, 

Jardin Botanico de Cienfuegos (Botanical Garden of Cienfuegos) is considered one of the top botanical gardens in the Americas. As my wife is really big on gardening, I thought it would be a nice introduction. As we were forced to take an excursion, the city tour did include the gardens so it all fit together. It was nice, a little rough, but you could definitely see the variety of plants and unusual fauna from around Cuba and live gifts from around the globe. There were very few flowers, mostly large trees. Since we were being rushed through the garden, it was not possible to relax and truly absorb what we were truly seeing. 

We then visited the Palacio de Valle, where we were offered a tasty rum concoction on our entry. The Palace was built in 1917 by Italian architect Alfredo Colli for the merchant Celestino Caces, who sold it to Acisclo del Valle Blanco, a wealthy Spaniard. Today, it is being renovated using money earned by giving tours and the restaurant and hotel. While there, renovation was ongoing. 

We then made a very quick stop at the Teatro Terry in the main square. The theater was very beautiful but as we were now in a full blown rush to complete our tour we were unable to enjoy the hand carved seats, the magnificent murals or the cafe attached to the Teatro. We were only allowed to gaze momentarily at the building surrounding the square before we were rushed back to the ship for departure.

Our second and final stop in Cuba was Havana. I fell in love with the city, the sites and the people almost immediately. I don’t let politics get in the way of my appreciation of a city, but our guide made sure we were all aware of the positives of his government; the health care and education system were mentioned more than once. That was not what I wanted to hear. We started with a walking tour from the plaza in front of the cruise port. The woman on the rooster is a modern art piece honoring the “working girls” in Cuba. 

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We visited various plazas before hoping on a bus and taking a quick tour around the inner city, learned the proper way to light a cigar, sampled some Cuban Rum and ended with a stop at a local rum and cigar shop where we stocked up on our Havana Club and Cohibas. 

We were then set free to explore on our own. We rented a car and driver and took a quick tour in a 1950’s Chevy Convertible. Tried to have lunch at the El Floridita, where Hemingway would drink daiquiris after writing all day, but it was so packed we decided to go next door. We were approached by a young man who suggested the restaurant we were looking at was closed but led us around the corner and up some stairs to a Mom and Pop restaurant where we paid too much, but had a wonderful and freshly made chicken and rice dish with Mojitos. We walked a little further and found a 1959 T-Bird and decided to finish our day with a drive around town. We stopped at a park near the Plaza De La Revolucion which was lined with the famous cars from the 1950’s. Interestingly, these cars are now selling for a small fortune in Cuba as they are very popular for tourists (like me) to drive around. We then went to the Parque John Lennon where I had a conversation with the bronze statue of the former Beatle sitting on a park bench.

Did get to see a lot of amazing ’50’s cars. Interesting to talk to the owners. Our second drive was in a ’59 T’Bird with a Toyota engine since they could not get parts. Most look shinny and new until you look close at the engine or the paint job. Still it was fun to see all these great cars and think about the romantic times in Havana before the world turned upside down for them.