The morning of Day 9 we started at the largest crafts market, a grouping of storage lockers inside a quonset hut, that was just waiting for a cruise ship to pull in. While it was true that you could find most everything anywhere else, the selection was good and the stop worth making.
Lunch was at La Baraca in the National Hotel
Designed by McKim, Mead and White, the hotel features a mix of styles. It opened in 1930, when Cuba was a prime travel destination for Americans.
Lunch, again, was the standard fare of red Beans and rice, shredded beef, and vegetables, but the setting was glorious. The rain began to just pour, making it a wonderful experience.
We had the “opportunity” to visit the Revolution Museum.
“Two hours in the museum, that is longer than the revolution lasted”…Bill
Revolution Museum of Cuba
The museum is housed in the former Presidential Palace, used by all Presidents up to Batista. It became a museum after the Cuban Revolution. This classical building was finished in 1920, and was designed by Cuban architect Carlos Maruri and Belgian architect Paul Belau.
The museum covers the history of Cuba but is primarily devoted to the Revolutionary war of the 1950s. There is an amazing array of political cartoons expressing the feeling that the Cuban government holds for the American government.
Behind the building is the Granma Memorial which houses the Granma yacht that Fidel used to travel from Mexico to Cuba for the revolution, as well as aircraft and tanks.
Just down the block is the Fine Arts Museum. Built on the site a former Mercado, this fairly modern building was designed by architect Alfonso Rodríquez Pichardo and completed in 1953. The collection is stunning and one needs several hours to consume it all.
A piece by The Merger
Alex and I were the only two with enough energy to continue on to a private art gallery. Met by jewelry artist Sandra we perused paintings by both established and up coming Cuban artists. The highlight, for me, was the co-operative venue of “The Merger” a group of friends that work jointly on every piece they produce.
Our Farewell dinner at La Moneda.
The lamb
or the lobster
It was Sandi Gerstungs 21st birthday
This has been the absolutely, without a doubt, most cohesive group I have ever traveled with. We all had an absolute ball, and got along famously. I know we all hope to cross each others paths many times in the future.
The trip to the airport was punctuated with a wonderful story by Paula. Her father was the gentleman that caught and raised Andre the Seal.
A seal that was free to come and go, but lived in Rockport Maine. Andre served as ringbearer for Paula’s sisters wedding, and was once the town’s person of the year.
You can watch his story on BBC and PBS.
Our Itinerary Day 9
Meet with staff from the Antonio Nunez Jimenez Foundation for Nature and Humanity
Lunch at a local restaurant
Visit the Museum of the Revolution
Farewell dinner at Cafe del Oriente
Again – one gets used to changed in Cuba
Our Itinerary Day 10
Morning at Leisure (see cars in Cuba)
11:30 am transfer to the airport for check in and flight
3:45 pm arrive Miami
Signs of a storm rolling in
We will all miss Luise
We will all miss Gustavo
That was our day to day life, please keep reading for more in-depth observations of Cuba in general.