Many people don’t like November, they say it’s gray, rainy, dull and depressing. In 2020 entering yet another lockdown even more so. But me I actually always loved this month. It’s calm, it’s cozy, it’s time to slow down and enjoy the quietness before the holiday season preparations kick in (not sure about the last part this year though). Today on the 1^st of November it is raining outside, my last open air tennis training got cancelled and I decided it was the perfect time to finish the long overdue chapter of our 2017/2018 trip to Cuba – La Habana.

It was the very last part of our 2,5 weeks on the island. We have saved the best of Cuba for the end and it was absolutely beautiful. After almost 3 years since that trip my memories are not that vivid anymore and I wouldn’t be able to tell you in detail what we did. But I still would like to share with you some pictures and some emotions that stayed with me.

It was the longest and the hardest to arrange drive during our vacations in Cuba: 416 km from Cienfuegos to Viñales. Normally it would take us 15-30 minutes to find a taxi, but that time it was very hard to get one. No one on the streets of Cienfuegos was willing to take us that far. Only with the help of our casa owner could we find a driver who finally agreed to take us to Viñales. For a much higher price than we expected, but at that point we did not care anymore =) It took us 8 long hours in an old car to get to Viñales, but we made it!

We stayed in Cienfuegos for one night only and it was absolutely enough to have a look at the city: to walk along Paseo el Prado turning into malecon, to visit the famous Palacio de Valle and to hang out around the main square which for some reason they consider to be a park and call it Parque Jose Martí.

All you should know about Trinidad is that we stayed there for 5 days – more than in any other location in Cuba. And two friends of ours stayed there for even one day more. That’s how much we loved it! It is quite a popular destination among tourists, nevertheless it felt very authentic and welcoming!

Here are the top things we have done in the beautiful Trinidad: Continue reading “Trinidad – the highlight of our Cuban adventure” →

Our first town in Cuba was Varadero. After a long flight and a long ride (around 2,5h) from Havana airport three of us have reached our first casa. We were very tired but very hungry as well, so we went out to search for a place for dinner. We got recommended one restaurant and as we liked it quite a lot we ended up spending there every night in the next two days. The food was good and our mojitos were delicious!

Bienvenidos a Cuba! Continue reading “Varadero, Remedios and Cayo Santa Maria” →

People

Cuban people seemed to me rather distant. I could say “as if we were in two parallel worlds” … but the problem is that we are indeed in parallel worlds. We are just tourists, the ones who spend money, enjoy their time and leave. And though the whole life in Cuba takes place on the streets and you get a chance to witness many small daily life scenes, you are still just an outside observer. With no doubt even that glimpse at Cuban life was very enriching and interesting but unfortunately I cannot think of any engaging conversation or meaningful connection with local people. I talked to casa owners, taxi drivers, tour guides and bar tenders – but it was mostly “just business”. (Bear in mind I speak fluently Spanish, so that was not an issue). Maybe a company of six people was just too self-sufficient, I guess this would partly explain the lack of interaction with locals. But the other part, I believe, is that we were mostly seen as a source of income and there was no genuine interest in us. (The truth is why should they even have this interest? There is nothing special in us :)) Anyway, I guess it was just a mismatch of expectations and reality.

Continue reading “Cuba: Tips, tricks and personal impressions #2” →

Cuba is a firework of emotions, it is a different world that will make you smile, laugh, love and hate it all at the same time. Sometimes you will wonder if this is for real, sometimes you will be insanely annoyed, sometimes you will be left breathless contemplating the beauty of this country and its people. It is a unique place that can become one of your most wonderful journeys or one of your worst ones as well… all depends on your attitude. But I would not even know how to describe the right attitude, I guess it’s either your vibe or not and when it clicks it’s an unforgettable adventure. Continue reading “Cuba: Tips, tricks and personal impressions #1” →