Saturday February 17,
2018 – Havana
Although
the cycling is over, we had a day full of planned activities. We started with a
visit to the Antonio Nuñez Jimenez Museum. Nuñez Jimenez was a revolutionary
who fought under Che Guevarra, and an academic who was a prolific writer, an
explorer, and a collector of a wide range of artifacts. The museum was
fascinating.
Following
the museum visit, we went to lunch as a group. We had good bread for a change.
Our appetizers included octopus, ceviche, croquettes, eggplant and fried
plantains filled with cheese. We had a choice of several grilled entrees – I had
the excellent pork chops. Others had sea bass which they said was also
delicious.
We
were on our own for the afternoon, and then regrouped around five for a reprise
of the vintage car ride through Havana (for the benefit of the cyclists who
joined us the second week). We took a different route this time, so we saw
different parts of the city. The car
that I was in was a yellow 1958 Pontiac that had been featured (so the owner
told us) in the Hemingway movie, “Papa.” He played early Beatles music on the
car stereo as we cruised the city.
We then walked through a portion of Havana
Vieja to a small restaurant where we had our farewell dinner. Unexpectedly, our
waiter was wearing winter gloves and sporting a rather obscene t-shirt.
 |
| Our Farewell Dinner |
Back
to the hotel for a final drink on the veranda where we listened to a small but
energetic group of musicians playing as some of the patrons danced. Even our
waitress got into the act, dancing to the tables while balancing drinks, and
then joining the band with some form of percussion instrument (a gourd?) that I
did not recognize.
Sunday February 19, 2018
– Heading Home
I
spent the morning with a leisurely breakfast, packing, and a final email check
before riding to the airport in a taxi with Nancy and Aylan. Check-in was
orderly and quick; security much less so. I exchanged my remaining CUCs for
Euros and waited for the plane. I noticed that a flight to New York, scheduled
to leave about the same time as our flight to Charlotte, was cancelled. I hope
that it did not affect any of our group who were heading to or through New
York. Two uneventful flights brought me to San Francisco just aft 11 pm, so it
was early Monday when I walked in the front door.
In
10 days of cycling, I pedaled 300 miles, seeing all the variety that central
and western Cuba has to offer. The trip was full of surprises, shared with a
fantastic group of guides and fellow cyclists, and one to be remembered fondly
for a long time.
Postscript
Awaiting
me upon my arrival at home was a copy of Liza Gershman’s new book “Cuban Flavor
– Exploring the Island’s Unique Places, People, and Cuisine.” I am looking
forward to perusing this book given to me by my daughter-in-law, and friend of
the author, Carol Morganstern Cunningham.
No comments:
Post a Comment