“However you feel about the government, however you feel about the last 55 years, there aren’t any places in the world that look like this. I mean, it’s utterly enchanting.” ~ Anthony Bourdain

 Fortunately, we had the opportunity to see the enchanting countryside of Cuba 

as we traveled outside of Havana.  

Hemmingways "Lookout Farm" was a highlight.

It was here he wrote "The Old Man and the Sea" 

whose first line sets the stage beautifully...

"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream 

and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish."

He lived here from 1939 until 1960...

and often referred to his boat as the 'true center of his life in the Caribbean'.

Our bus rides out to the countryside offered the opportunity to get to know

 our local guide and hear about her life in Cuba.  

The Literacy Campaign was interesting to hear about 

and the mention of Operation Peter Pan enticed further research.

The massive Matanzas Bridge took us...  

to the San Severino Castle... 

built as protection for the city of Matanzas and its bay from pirates.

The Slave Route Museum offers a visual of what we have heard or read in textbooks while profoundly expanding one's understanding of these humans reality.

Created in memory of slaves in Cuba between 16th-19th centuries...

 the museum gives equal attention to the culture 

these slaves managed to keep alive during their years in forced labor.

From here we headed to hear an amazing choir performance...

above the Triolet French Drug Store Pharmacy Museum 

in Mantanzas across from the Parque de la Libertad.

Following lunch at our first state run property, the Velasco Hotel...

we visited the site where Cuba experienced its largest slave uprising...

in 1843 on the Trianvirato sugar mill plantation.  

Using communication through drums heard from neighboring plantations, 

 Carlota , an enslaved woman led three hundred slaves to burn the plantation. 

Slavery did not officially end in Cuba until 1886.

Pinar del Rio offered beautiful vistas...

from the grounds of the the aptly named old coffee plantation...

El Cafetal Buenavista .

 While sipping a cafecito, we wandered around 

and enjoyed some amazing birdwatching. 

Nearby La Terraza village impressed with 

 examples of its continued efforts for sustainability.

Its community preschool shows creativity 

can abound with a bit of effort.

As we walk around observing, laughter and singing are winding down

as one class is getting ready for nap time.

The paper mache items on the playground are my favorite. 

Children were playing near the kitchen set complete with sink and oven.

Lunch was enjoyed at another state run Casa Del Campesino...

where the locally sourced food was embellished 

with a local band singing table side.

Equally as vibrant as the lush countryside of Pinar del Rio, 

Fusterlandia, like a bag of M&M's, offers so.much.color!

José Fuster, is the perfect example 

of the ubiquitous art found throughout Cuba. 

He helped rebuild the fishing village of Jaimanitas

after decorating his own home with ceramic tile,

 spilling his talent out into the homes of his neighbors to transform the village.  

The Met Museum in NYC offers Cuba: A History Through Art 

in a three part series if you want to learn more about Cuba through its art.

On reflection, our visit to Cuba allowed us to experience its 

music and art firsthand, which was no surprise.  

These have been nurtured and encouraged throughout its history.

We expected this.

What we hadn't expected 

is the value of the opportunity

 to learn and hear from its people.

Today they depend on tourism

and they are ready to welcome you.

Thanks for following along,

Happy travels.

 

"By the end of the 1950s, American cars were so reliable that their reliability went without saying even in car ads. Thousands of them bear testimony to this today, still running on the roads of Cuba though fueled with nationalized Venezuelan gasoline and maintained with spit and haywire." P. J. O'Rourke

Well, it’s been a minute.  

So much life has happened since my last post 

and while most of our traveling here on Traveling Simile takes place on land, 

hubby and I spent a year and a half exploring 9000 miles 

of Americas waterways aboard our 32 foot Ranger Tug, Odysea II. 

We completed what's known as Americas Great Loop 

and are now officially ‘Loopers’.  Ha!

For weeks I wrangled with an answer to the common question 

about my favorite part of this odyssey 

until we listened to Goodbye to a River by John Graves, 

who offers the most unique aspect of travel by water.  

“Penetration into the country is no longer a possibility; 

barbed wire and the universal privacy of property obstruct passage, 

and the highways are mere gashes across the land … 

rivers thread through it and are still public domain…”.  

We were basically cruising through peoples backyards 

where family gatherings were taking place amongst artwork 

ranging from sculptures to mannequins dressed in amusing attire.  

Please enjoy our Great Loop adventure on Odysea II @ www.odyseaii.com

Meanwhile, back on land, we polished up our Spanish and traveled to Cuba 

where many preconceived thoughts dissolved into thin air.  

At the airport in Miami our already high excitement level expanded 

when we met musicians and others headed to the International Jazz Festival 

taking place while we are there.  Pure serendipity as you will see later.

It will be difficult to mask my peevish disdain for flawed media

 and yes, even our one-sided education

 after meeting the people and hearing their stories.  

  All with huge smiles, creative spirits and an ability to carpe diem.

Our lodging was an old house turned boutique hotel, The Claxon.  

They are now allowed to turn homes into hotels.  

We enjoyed lunch and some dinners each day in homes known as paladars; 

a small family run restaurant.

Paladar El Cafe

Paladar Sensaciones

ChaChaCha

El Cocinero

The best example of a family run paladar is Grados, 

serving modern Cuban cuisine just inside of the patio/bar 

in the front room of the home complete with a piano.  

A visit to the toilet offers a view of the well stocked library.

Fortunately, we traveled with AHI, an Alumni travel group who arranged informative speakers for our small group of 14.  Questions were encouraged and thoughtfully answered.  Healthy, respectful discussion with differing politics proved it is possible to listen and learn from each other and also gave us an opportunity to hear the other side of the stories we hear back home.

Their willingness to enhance our visit was made clear when they found tickets for a small group of us to hear Frank Fernandez, a cuban pianist, 

who was celebrating his 80th birthday and decided if it was his party 

he would invite friends to help him celebrate.  

We were treated to quite an unforgettable  jazz evening.

Our local guide wandered with us through the Plaza de la Catedral... 

where I have great regret for not sitting down and visiting with this woman.

She has stories.  I just know it.

The Cathedral behind her is beautiful but a mere backdrop.

We then passed through the Plaza Vieja... 

where the sculpture known as "Wooden Cloud"

has become the 'improvised wall of lamentations'.

No one knows the story behind the rooster with a woman holding a fork in her hand

 wearing only stilettos but the sculpture is known as Viaje Fantastico.  

Atlas Obscura offers some explanation. 

Old Town is a burst of color.

We stopped by to see a successful women owned designer clothing store.

The street art is an outdoor walking museum. 

San Francisco Square de Asis overlooks the port of Havana

 and was built as home to the Franciscan society...

but today is a flurry of comings and goings... 

and great people watching.

Americans are not allowed to stay at the National Hotel 

but sipping mojitos in the Hall of Fame 

filled with photos of Hollywood stars is a must do.

We had exhibits opened for our group in the Fine Arts Museum 

where staffing is tough when wages are $17.00 a month.  

 

Next door to the museum was the public library...

complete with an aluminum book tree...

sculpture.

After admiring the American classics parked around town from afar...

we had the opportunity for a cruise through the Miramar neighborhood

filled with embassies and beautiful homes missing their better days... 

and under the massive trees of the Mount Barreto Ecological Park.

Quite the cruise.

One evening we met artists with the Ludwig Society 

and had the opportunity to see their individual studios.

Meanwhile, there was an artistic display going on outside as the sun set over Havana.

We finally get a close enough view of the Christ of Havana...

on our way to visit the Jewish Center.

The jewish population reached its peak of 25,000 in the 1920's 

but is now a 'small but vibrant' community of 1,000.

Another vibrant community can be experienced at the Afro Cuban Cultural Center

 filled with art and live dance events.

Our days in the capital city...

were filled to the rim.

Fortunately, we were able to venture out to the countryside. 

That is for another day.

Coming soon!

Thanks for following along.