The cars! The history! The natural beauty! And most of all, of course, the people. While Cuba is not the easiest place to travel, it’s among the most rewarding we’ve visited. Here are some highlights, in alphabetical order:
Camaguey: an artsy masterpiece of a town where the pace is soft and slow and the thunder loud and close.
Cienfuegos: home of the Cuban-league baseball team Los Elefantes, and a very flirty pitching staff, one member of which is probably wearing Adam’s Lawrence of Arabia hat as we speak.
Havana: including the Malecon seawall, which also served as a locale for Havana’s outdoor Biennale art exhibition, some very cool street art, an exploration of the tradition of Santeria, Museum of the Revolution, La Guarida, Jewish life, and of course, atmosphere galore.
Santiago de Cuba: just west of Guantanamo, home to San Juan Hill, more Santeria, the El Morro fortress (because, pirates), a Carnaval museum and cultural center, and the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, final resting place of Jose Marti, a bunch of Bacardis, and oh yeah, Fidel something-or-other.
Trinidad: a colonial jewel box, set between the mountains and the sea, and a great place to enjoy both.
Villa Santo Domingo: in the Sierra Maestra, whose mountains and inhabitants sheltered Fidel and his revolutionaries in their Comandancia, and where we spent a lovely day swimming in a river. Revolution? You’re soaking in it!