¡Bienvenidos a Cuba!

On Wednesday, Dad and I returned from our week in Cuba. We went with a group of 3 adults and 3 youth (including me). Even though this blog is about Germany, I thought that I would include a little post about Cuba and tell you about what all we did.


We arrived in Havana and stayed at the bishop's office the first night. In the evening, we walked around town and visited some of the important monuments/attractions such as the Hotel Nacional, El Moro (a colonial Spanish fortress), and Habana Vieja (Old Havana).


However, the majority of our week in Cuba was spent on La Isla de la Juventud (the Isle of Youth). Known for its pristine beaches and marble mountains, the Isle of Youth was the inspiration for Peter Pan and Treasure Island!


While on La Isla, we stayed in Nueva Gerona, the provincial capital. The island was actually quite large (about 40 X 40 km) and had 4-5 towns. To get to La Isla de la Juventud from the main island of Cuba, we had to take a ferry from a small port town, Batabanó, to Nueva Gerona. The security on the ferry was actually as tight (if not stricter) than on the flight over from Toronto. Supposedly many ferries have been hijacked in the past and taken to Miama or Mexico.


Anyways, while in Nueva Gerona, Dad and I stayed with Pastor Javier and his wife, Ana. They had two boys (Javierito and Alejandro) and lived right across from the church where Dad taught in the morning. While on the island, the other two youth and I walked around town and visited some of the places nearby. On our last day on La Isla, we were taken to one of the prisons where Castro was originally put when trying to spread the revolution. We also went to the home of José Martí (one of their famous national heroes) and some of the old tourist attractions when the island used to be a more popular destination for the average tourist/vacationer.



Overall, Cuba seemed to be a land of paralleling contradictions. Beautiful black sand beaches, but bare and empty - untamed by man. Boardwalks along the ocean with shops and beach houses in the background - boarded-up and fading away into the mountains. Antique streets of Habana Vieja (and the rest of Havana) - gorgeous and yet filled with old cars (none newer than 1960 allowed). Religious statues dotting the city skyline - and right across from them, statues of communist figures.


In spite of all this, I can't stress how wonderful the trip was and the beauty that Cuba had to offer. To state it shortly and to the point, I would go back to Cuba in a heartbeat without any hesitation at all! And so, I will leave you tonight with some of the images of "Habana Vieja."