Havana, Cuba

From Cuba — Havana Great Time by Becs and Chris

Still adventuring on their Magical Mystery Tour, RealTravelers Becs and Chris recently spent 6 eye-opening days in the city they now call the best of their round the world trip. They begin to paint a picture of Havana, Cuba by writing, “a group of men play dominoes outside crumbling colonial buildings, shrouded in the haze of their fat cigars and the dust kicked up by the classic cars grumbling by….” going on to state that they want to experience the authentic city life of Cuba. Exploring Havana Vieja, the city’s historic center, Becs and Chris found “brightly painted houses with wrought iron balconies and huge wooden doors lead to portico bordered squares, headed up by centuries old stone churches.” They also found part of the soul of Havana in the music riffing out of bar after bar, all of it wonderful.

Venturing into the less touristy parts of Havana, Becs and Chris visited a cigar factory where they learned that “Many of Cuba´s most famous brands such as Romeo y Julietta and Monte Cristo are named after a book that was being read to the workers” and that 2,500 cigars are hand-rolled in the factory every month. In the outskirts of Havana, they also found the charitable spirit of the locals, saying that everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming throughout their visit to Cuba.

Here’s a passage from their journal, Cuba — Havana Great Time:

“We came to Cuba not so much to see the actual country but to soak up the Cuban city life, the music and the culture. It surpassed our expectations a hundred times, as well as helping us to dispel the romantic notion that we have of the country. It’s a wonderful place but life sure is tough and the people really do have very little.

But although life is not easy the Cuban people are some of the warmest we have met on our trip. The fact that I speak Spanish obviously helped us loads but we were constantly engaged in conversation, getting invited to people’s houses or to private band practices. In fact by the end of our time in Havana Chris would be terrified about me opening my mouth for fear of yet another invitation of appointment with someone. A truly welcoming country.” (more…)

If you’d like to experience the welcoming nature and soulful city life of Havana, check out these useful links:
Havana Guide
Cuba Travel Blogs
Cuba Travel Information
Cuba Havana Tourism

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