Tom and Steve at Sea

Posted: 06 Jun 2016 08:55 PM PDT

It's been more than a year since we've posted to this blog. We started using Facebook in the past year of our travels to post photos and comments because it's much easier, but having just returned from our first visit to Cuba and with so much to report, I decided to publish a new post to our World Cruise 2013/2015 blog.

We hope you'll enjoy reading the story of our first trip to Cuba that follows......

We happily waited at Port (of) Miami, Terminal J, to board the cruise ship, Adonia, operated for Fathom Travel by P&O Cruises. The ship departed at 4pm on Sunday, May 29th and soon after we sailed past the condo buildings of Fisher Island at the southern end of Miami Beach.

Soon afterwards, though, a power failure onboard affected lighting on the ship for about 15 minutes. The ship never slowed down, however we learned from the captain that the US Coast Guard was requiring the ship to return to the Port for inspection.

Sadly this took several hours and, having already fallen asleep in our cabin, we were awakened by the captain's announcement that the ship had successfully passed inspection and our voyage to Cuba was underway again, at 3am Monday.

Later that morning we enjoyed our first breakfast on the deck at the stern of the ship outside the World Cafe and we wondered how long it would be before we arrived in Cuba.

But since we couldn't arrive as scheduled in Havana that morning, it was decided to slow down and spend our first day of the cruise at sea and instead arrive in Havana early on Tuesday morning. We felt disappointment at this delay, however it turned out very well because the Fathom (staff) Team rearranged things and began its programming in earnest on that full day at sea.

We reviewed Cuba's history and we learned more about the excursions we would enjoy when we arrived and about the "people to people" visits and cultural exchanges we would experience, (in) meeting requirements of the new relationship that exists between the governments of the United States and Cuba.

Monday night we again fell asleep but with renewed excitement, remembering this was an historic month of first cruises from the US mainland to the island nation of Cuba in more than 50 years !!

The next morning, the weather was clear and I wandered on the outside decks and happened to meet Edin Chavez, a photographer, who was setting up a drone with camera to take aerial photos of the ship. I'd seen drones flying near our home in downtown Miami but never like this.

As we sailed into Havana, the drone took some amazing photos (see edinchavez.com). We learned later that the permission Edin thought he had been given was withdrawn by Cuban port officials and he was prevented from flying the drone again. The photos below were taken by me from the deck of the ship, but I will always remember seeing photos of the ship taken aerially by the drone.

And Tom took his share of photos as we enjoyed the sail-in to Havana, the capital city of Cuba.

We disembarked and began with a tour of the City from a comfortable motor coach. We got to see a lot of Havana, and we were impressed by the architecture and colorful neighborhoods. Seeing lots of vintage cars from the 1950s, many used today as taxis, provided us with a sense of the time that has passed since Cuba was last frequented by many visitors from the United States.

One of the most interesting neighborhoods was created by artist, Jose Rodriguez Fuster, who was influenced by artists, Antoni Gaudi and Pablo Picasso. Homes that voluntarily participated in the artist's project were transformed and their outdoor facades were decorated with bright ceramics and painting. Tourists strolled the neighborhood's streets and everyone was smiling, as music played and we gazed at the playful-looking homes of "Fusterlandia".

Lunch was served in a local paladar, named La Fontana, one of many private residences whose owners are given a license by the government to operate a restaurant on the ground floor and rooms for rent on the upper floors of their home. The delicious meal was traditional Cuban-Creole and included, roast pork, shredded beef, chicken and fish, plus grilled vegetables and, of course, flan for dessert. A trio of young ladies performed, with one singing beautiful, well-known melodies.

It was quite warm in the afternoon, so riding in the motor coach made for a comfortable tour of the many sights we drove past on our first day in Havana, including the Russian Embassy which our guide said, "looked like a sword stuck in the ground" and the Cementerio de Cristobal Colon. Comprised of 140 acres, this cemetery averages 50 burials every day.

Lastly we stopped for photos at Plaza de la Revolution, which highlights a tall monument honoring Cuban national hero, Jose Marti, and is opposite government buildings that show iron sculptures of the faces of leaders, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.

Our Havanatours tour guide, Manuel, spoke openly about his life in Cuba and he was entertaining, and so "Group 17", the name we adopted from the stickers we were assigned for our first tour, decided to join his tour the 2nd day, a "walking tour" of Old Havana.

Meeting the local folks on the street and stopping to talk for awhile provided lots of "people to people" opportunities and we really enjoyed the friendliness we experienced. And our Fathom Team leader, Colin, joined me in "getting down" with the local musicians.

We visited the Ambos Mundos Hotel, and the museum (today) in Room 511, which Ernest Hemingway kept as an apartment when he was staying in downtown Havana. His home was located 30 minutes outside the city and we hope to see it on our next visit.

Hemingway received notice while staying in the apartment of his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature 1954 but, having survived two fatal plane crashes, he was afraid of flying to Sweden and he asked John Cabot, the US Ambassador, to accept the award on his behalf.

To take a break from the heat, we went to the roof-top of the Hotel and enjoyed the surrounding views.

Our guide provided lots of stories about Old Havana and before lunch we stopped at the Cathedral, where we took a "group photo".

Today's lunch venue, La Bodeguita, lays claim to being the birthplace of the Mojito cocktail, since its opening in 1942. We tried some and soon, at the suggestion of the band that played, of course, I was up dancing with Juanita, our server.

After stopping at another Fortress for photos, our Group returned to our ship and we departed from Havana towards our next port, Santiago de Cuba. Rain threatened the sail-away party, but not our spirits, as we wished Havana "goodbye" on this voyage.

Santiago is at the opposite end of Cuba and so we had another day at sea. We recharged ourselves with me playing cards with Ken, Fred and Janis, while Tom read novels and then took a long nap, just as he does when we're at home. The next morning, we sailed into the beautiful natural harbor in Santiago de Cuba.

Santiago de Cuba is the hottest city in Cuba according to the locals, with only 22 days each year when the temperature and humidity soften and today wasn't one of the 22 days. But we were prepared and we enjoyed the all day tour with our guide, Eddie. First stop was the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba visited by Pope Francis last year. If there's one impression this city will leave any visitor with….it's the music that fills the air and the spectacle of dancing that pervades despite the significant heat and humidity.

We visited a Club where student dancers gave us quite a show and we came across local musical groups performing on every street.

Before going to another paladar, named Brassa, for lunch, we witnessed the entrepreneurial spirit evident throughout the city.

Monuments and memorials also prevail in Santiago, as this is where the Cuban Revolution began in 1953. Even earlier in history, it is home to San Juan Hill made famous by Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders in the Spanish American War at the close of the 19th Century. The Castillo de San Pedro del Morro is a UNESCO World Heritage site and lies at the entrance to the Bay of Santiago.

We later visited the Cementeria de Santa Ifigenia where the remains of Jose Marti and other heroes are entombed, and where Fidel Castro is expected to be buried upon his death. We departed Santiago de Cuba that afternoon and sailed towards home in Miami.

Regrettably, the days delay arriving in Cuba caused us to miss stopping in Cienfuegos and this port remains just one of the reasons Tom and I will return soon to Cuba. We enjoyed our final dinner aboard the Adonia with our friends, including Ken and Fred, Janis and new friends, Robert and his mother, Jackie.

Now we are home and getting ready for our next adventure, on Holland America's Rotterdam sailing across the north Atlantic on the Voyage of the Vikings. Please check back to see if I've taken the bait again to spend time creating more memories on our blog……..

Tom and Steve at Sea

Click on comment at the bottom of this post to reply and thanks !!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Making history on our Voyage to Cuba

Tom and Steve at Sea

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