Sel’s Sassy Siblings Go to CUBA

Sel’s Sassy Siblings Go to CUBA

Eighteen of us flew into Miami Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016 from several states and spent the night before meeting in the early morning at the International terminal.  We met up with the representative of Vantage Travel to get our visas and  hook up with an additional six adventure lovers to complete our group. 

OUR ITINERARY

OCTOBER 31, DAY 1: Depart Home City / Cienfuegos, Cuba

It took us an hour 15 minutes to fly on American Airlines to  the historic port city of Cienfuegos, Cuba’s “Pearl of the South,” which soothes the eye with harmonious architecture and Spanish-colonial urban planning.

NOVEMBER 01, DAY 2: Cienfuegos

During the walking tour of the graceful Old Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we witnessed the neoclassical architecture and 19th century city planning; we saw Tomás Terry Theatre, the Government House, and the Cathedral de la Purísima Conceptión.  We also visited the lush, fragrant Cienfuegos Botanical Garden, and enjoyed a discussion about its unique species. The garden, actually a botanical experimental station, was developed in the 19th century by a wealthy American sugar planter from Boston, in concert with Harvard University, to develop more productive sugar cane. The university maintained a connection to the garden, using it as a field laboratory for the study of tropical botany, until the Cuban revolution in 1959.

In the afternoon we had a taste of Cuba's strong musical heritage a performance by the world famous Cienfuegos Choir, Cantores de Cienfuegos. JC Combs, retired professor of music from the University of Wichita enjoyed the performance so much that he promised to find a way to invite them to the US.

NOVEMBER 02, 2016 DAY 3: Cienfuegos (Trinidad)

We rode through fields of sugar cane, Cuba’s most important agricultural product, en route to the colonial city of Trinidad. Trinidad and the nearby Valley de los Ingenios – Valley of the Sugar Mills – were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a testament to the prosperity generated by Cuba’s sugar industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. A guided walk revealed the historic city center around the Plaza Mayor, with its wealth of buildings clearly reflecting their Spanish heritage. We also witnessed how traditional crafts are made in workshops and then went to a canchanchara club for some traditional local music. In the afternoon we visited Valley de los Ingenios, actually three interconnected valleys, where up to 50 sugar mills processed cane from the fertile fields into syrup, and where 11,000 slaves labored.

NOVEMBER 03, DAY 4: Cienfuegos / Havana

Today, you’ll cross the island to Cuba’s capital Havana. First stop is the Bay of Pigs, where the Cuban government maintains a memorial and museum at the spot where forces under command of Fidel Castro successfully repelled a 1961 invasion force made up of Cuban exiles trained and financed by the CIA. You’ll also stop at a local restaurant for lunch. Afterwards, stopping in the town of Papite, visit the Korimaccao Community project, where you’ll enjoy a student performance. Upon arrival in Havana, check into the famed Hotel Nacional de Cuba, which was once the most glamorous destination in the Caribbean. Enjoy dinner this evening at a family-run restaurant. Included Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

NOVEMBER 04, 2016 DAY 5: Havana

Today you begin with a stop at Morro Castle, where you’ll enjoy the best panoramic views of this iconic city. Then, take a guided walking tour of Old Havana, the historic center of Cuba’s capital city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the Museum of the Revolution, the four main plazas of Old Havana, the basilica of San Francisco de Assisi, the beautiful Havana Cathedral, and El Templete, a Greco-Roman monument marking the spot where Havana’s first Catholic mass was celebrated in 1599. Continuing on, we visit the studio of a local silk screener and eat lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards, you’ll head to New Havana for a highlights tour.

Included Meals: Breakfast and Lunch Hotel Nacional de Cuba

NOVEMBER 05, 2016 DAY 6: Havana

Start your day by awakening your senses with a guided visit to the National Museum of Fine Arts. Here you'll admire the most comprehensive collection of Cuban art in the world, spanning from colonial times to present day. Following lunch in a local restaurant, visit an arts and crafts market. You’ll also see another side of Cuba’s lively dance culture when you watch a dance performance at Havana Compass Dance. Then, stroll through Calle Hammel, an alleyway in Havana that has been transformed into a living work of Afro-Cuban art, with vivid murals covering entire buildings and the streetscape transformed by funky sculptures and mosaics. You’ll have the evening at leisure, with dinner on your own.

Included Meals: Breakfast and Lunch Hotel Nacional de Cuba

NOVEMBER 06, DAY 7: Havana

You'll set off on an excursion to Las Terrazas, a planned town and eco-preserve in the Sierra del Rosario Mountains. Begun in 1968 as a project to restore lush jungle that was cleared for Cuba’s first coffee plantations, Las Terrazas has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Today, an eco-resort and an active arts community overlook a small lake at the site. Bird watchers and other nature lovers take to the trails threading the lush surrounding hills. During your visit, you’ll learn how the sustainable community operates and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Dinner is on your own this evening.

Included Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

NOVEMBER 07, DAY 8: Havana

Today, you'll get a glimpse of why Cubans are renowned for their great joy in the traditions of child-rearing when you visit a local day care center run by a Catholic nun. After lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll visit Finca Vigía*, the beloved home where “Papa” Hemingway lived for 21 years and worked on “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “The Old Man and the Sea.” The house is maintained as a museum and remains almost exactly as Hemingway left it when he last visited in 1960. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore. Perhaps you'll visit the quaint San Pedro Arts & Crafts market, or take the opportunity to relax. Later, prepare for a Farewell Dinner at a Havana restaurant that begins with a ride in a vintage American car. Before the 1962 embargo against Cuba, such classics as 1957 Chevies, 1953 Fords, and 1958 Dodges were prevalent in the island nation. In the decades since the embargo, ingenious Cuban mechanics have kept thousands of these "Yank tanks,” as they are known, in meticulous running condition. They are one of the most distinctive sights to be seen on this vibrant island that in many ways seems frozen in time. Included Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Hotel Nacional de Cuba

NOVEMBER 08, DAY 9: Havana / Return home

Following breakfast, transfer to the airport in Varadero (2 hours away from Havana) for your flight back to the US.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Please Note: All details presented inside were accurate at the time of publication, but the nature of travel in a changing world means that some details are subject to change. During your trip, your Cruise or Tour Director reserves the right to make deviations based on local conditions. Rest assured, Vantage is committed to delivering an experience that meets or exceeds your expectations.