I couldn't believe that we were actually walking on Cuban soil. Last I knew of my family traveling to Cuba was in the 1940's. There was a photo on the wall of my Mom's house for over 40 years of her, my Dad, another couple and a complete stranger - we think he was the tour guide - in Sloppy Joe's bar. It was a great photo of mom back in the day when she was quite a beauty (and I can say that because others have told me so, not just because she was my mom). We drove past Sloppy Joe's, which is open again after about 40 years, but did not have the opportunity to stop in. That, in fact, is the point of my next paragraph.
The limited time we had in Cuba was almost entirely taken up with tours that were Far. Too. Long. Kate and I signed up for the Hemingway Tour, which was intended to run between six and eight hours. It could easily have been done in three. Maybe 2 ½. We had been advised that in order to get our Cuban visas we were required to book a tour through the ship. This turns out to be misleading as we spoke to people on the ship who went ashore on their own, rather than take a Holland America sponsored tour. They still had to pay for the visa, but didn't have to book the tour through the cruise line. Hemingway's house is interesting and I'm more than happy I saw it. However Hemingway was also well known for the bars he hung out in - from Rome to Cuba to Key West and I'm sure there were more in Spain, Africa, etc. - but I didn't feel it was necessary to visit - and have a drink in - nearly each one he patronized in Cuba. Even the drinkers in our group were ready to mutiny by the last bar. And the two hour plus lunch in a closed-to-the-public museum felt way too extended by the time we all got out of there (one member of the group fell asleep at the table). We weren't allowed to see the museum, just the restaurant, and over two hours is entirely too much for a simple lunch. Everyone was itching to move along.
A few photos of Hemingway's house (you are not allowed to go in, but can take photos through the open (screen-less) windows.
The house is situated at the top of a hill with panoramic views over the neighborhood, all the way to the ocean. The property includes a large garage with guest house, pool, tennis court, cock-fighting ring (it was popular in the day), and Hemingway's old boat, a Wheeler named the Pilar. The house is built to catch the trade winds and offers cross breezes in every room. There are hundreds of books on bookshelves throughout the home as well as magazines featuring Hemingway on the cover.  |
| Guest house and Garage (under restoration) |
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| The Pilar, registered in Key West |
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| Cojimar, the Pilar was docked right next to this small fortress. |
Please don't take my comments the wrong way, I LOVED seeing Hemingway's home, visiting Cojimar, driving through Havana, etc. I just personally would have liked to have done it more quickly, allowing for more time to do other things; like ride around in a 1950's Chevy, visit some of the open museums, squares, architecturally significant buildings, walk along the Malecón, visit the fort, that sort of thing. I wanted to have my picture taken in Sloppy Joe's. And did I mention time to go shopping? There wasn't going to be any until us tourists staged a minor revolt.
Anyway, the bottom line is simply that there could be more, shorter tours, leaving time for other activities - in this tourist's humble opinion. All that aside, if you have a chance to go to Cuba - don't let it pass you by! Worth the wait, worth the anticipation, worth the experience. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief that I can actually say I've been there now. I could start sentences with "When I was in Cuba ..." or "I really liked that day in Cuba when ..." or even "The 1950's cars I saw when I went to Cuba ...". Not bad!!
By 6:30 we were back on the ship, in time to shower, dress and head off for THE TROPICANA! What a night, what a show ... but you'll have to wait for tomorrow's blog!
No souvenir of the day ... time to shop was limited.
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