Up and at’em early. 8:30 departure as usual. Breakfast at 7:00 as usual – but this time our sweet little bartender is there (don’t ask why) and he’s still upset from last night. Oh geez! I finally give him a big hug and tell him no problema! Really – no worries – it’s ok! Poor thing!
So – omelet guy shows (as he has every day except the first), everyone has their food, the bags are downstairs, we have to touch ours before we can get on the bus (good idea!) – and we’re off.
Today we are heading Southeast to Trinidad – via the town of Cienfuegos. We are using the National Highway Autopista which isn’t like any highway we’ve ever seen. It’s pretty amazing – and sad really. The road is wide – maybe 3 lanes each way – but it’s virtually empty – since outside the cities, no one really has cars. It’s not in the best condition either – top speed isn’t very high – maybe 50 mph? And then there are the bumps and pot holes and stuff for which we have to slow down. Not to mention the horseback riders and walkers in the right lane – not necessarily the side of the road – the right lane. This is Cuban country life – for certain!
Since it’s such a long drive, Steve has orchestrated a Q&A session with Julie. We are to write down our questions for her and she’ll answer. It’s a very informative ride – everything from “when you eat – do you hold your fork in your right hand or left (continental)?” (yes that was our question!) Answer – in the right hand! To – “do you want to come to the US?” To visit or stay? “either/both” (that was Richard/Maggi’s) – answer – to visit yes, to live no – reason: because of the guns. Now there’s an insight – and that was even before the awful tragedy in Newtown. “When can you retire – and what are the benefits?” Answer: 60 for women, 65 for men. Pension is based on the last 5 years of salary. Ok.
The questions sort of fritter out as we approach our rest stop – which is a zoo in the middle of the country off the National Highway. Too fun! We get to spend a bunch of time here to stretch our legs, hit the restroom (which wasn’t too terrible – and let me tell you – public bathrooms in the country – grim – my new word!) and shop at the various stores situated around the compound. We spend a fun few minutes taking pix of all the animals, there oxen and deer and guinea pigs and even crocodiles (which makes us sort of feel like we are at home!) – and buying some cookies in the store – yeah – Cuban (really Mexican) sweets – lemon cookies – they are to die for (I know Mom, sometimes I’m just not your child…what can I say?)!
Back on the road – we end up at Cienfuegos in time for lunch – yep – it’s a long ride! lunch is at the Pallazio del Valle. Originally owned by a French family, the palace was meant to be a casino for the hotel next door (which was owned by Batista before the revolution). It is definitely a tourist stop – but the place is so ornate and beautiful, that really, how can it be bad? Food is decent (it’s a fish course, that I actually eat – so how bad could it be?) – and heck – look at the architecture – soak up that and the food becomes secondary.
Probably the best part about this whole place is the rooftop bar – sadly not open for service, but we can sight see. It is fabulous up here, and you can just imagine how wonderful it would be at night for drinks or dinner al fresco! The bathrooms are even cool – in their own little square turret looking things – and these were NOT grim – perfectly maintained!
Next stop is the little town center of Cienfuegos. The town is known as the “Pearl of the South”, and was named after a famous Cuban Military officer. It is a major port for Cuba – with sugar cane as the major export, but also coffee and tobacco. There is also a fort here – as originally the bay was a haven for pirates.
Today was the day we were supposed to go to the Beny More art school where students are trained in all areas of art – visual, musical, etc. (Beny More is a famous singer, thought of as the most popular singer of his time.) But, alas, This Is Cuba, and our request to visit the school has not been approved. Next best thing: a community project cultural center for the arts. We’re going with it!
We all troop into this little open air sort of space where we watch 4 or 5 performances – children of various ages performing dances and an excellent teenage girl who juggles. Incredible talent! They are all great, but we are captivated by the cutest little boy (maybe 7 or 8) who just nails his dance (sadly, no picture!). Everyone else is great too. It’s pretty amazing in this country how much artistic talent there is everywhere. These kids are not classically trained, they just have rhythm! They can move on to specific schools for dance or art or theatre if they are good enough, but even if not, the dancing and the music just comes naturally to them.
This community center actually serves people of all ages – children to seniors. They have programs for virtually every type of art: dance, music, singing, theatre, cinema, etc. We leave some of our remaining school supplies and things with them then head out into the main square of Cienfuegos – the area in which was designated on the UNESCO World Heritage list as “and outstanding early example of Spanish [sic] implementation in urban planning in Latin America in the 19th century.” It’s a beautiful square with statues and a fabulous mix of colonial architecture.
After walking through the square, we go to the Tomas Terry theatre. A beautiful building built in 1888 from a bequest of the Terry family. It was Tomas’ wish to build a theatre here, but he died before it could be completed. His family made the bequest after his death to build the theatre in his honor. The architecture is fantastic, and inside, all wooden in a semi-circular shape with 4 levels of balconies.
Now it is on through the town…one bus picture for you…
…and off to Las Brisas, the all-inclusive resort that will be our home for the next 2 nights.
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