By Wilda Belk
Wilda’s Fun Travel
312-399-6256
wildasfuntravel.com
Cuba is a hot destination and will be more inviting in years to come. I recently traveled to the country right out of Flordia and this is what I saw.
Cuba has always had a certain mystique about it. It’s like the forbidden fruit. It looks good, you like it, but you can’t have it. But now you can. Thanks to President Obama, the restrictions on visiting Cuba are easing and Americans are traveling there by the thousands.
Cuba is a country rich in culture, where the people are proud, the art is amazing, the music stirs your soul, and the beauty of the landscape takes your breath. Cubans welcome their visitors with open arms and are eager to talk about who they are as a people and a country.
Whether you’re doing a walking tour through Old Havana, visiting the infamous Callejon de Hamel or simply feasting on a Cuban meal, you can’t help but be awed by the history, beauty and culture of the country.
Known for its architecture, Cuba strives to restore and maintain the deep rich beauty of its buildings and monuments, and the results are astonishing. You can see hints of the new mixed with the old as construction sites begin to appear; however, nothing is more astounding than witnessing the results of restored buildings that are hundreds of years old.
Visit the tobacco factory, tour the rum museum, listen to a live recording session at Abdala Studios where such artists as Nat King Cole and the Buena Vista Social Club recorded some of their best music. Hang out at the famous jazz club La Zorra y El Cuervo for a private performance by Cuban artists and dine at a paladar, a private family-owned restaurant with incredible food.
Why go to Cuba? The reasons are endless. It’s an expanding consciousness experience that you won’t soon forget. Cuba attracts more than a million international tourists a year, and the US is late to the party.
Old Havana
Old Havana is the city-center and one of the 15 municipalities forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of Havana. Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Plaza de San Francisco
Immediately inland of Havana harbor, Plaza de San Francisco (on Avenida del Puerto at Amargura) is one of the four leading plazas laid out in the 17th century. The spacious cobbled square, which was fully restored in the 1990s, takes its current name from the Franciscan convent built there.
Callejon de Hamel …. an outdoor haven for Afro-Cuban musicians and artists in Centro Habana.
Revolution Square
Plaza de la Revolución, “Revolution Square” is a municipality and a square in Havana, Cuba. The municipality, one of the 15 forming the city, stretches from the square down to the sea at the Malecón and includes the Vedado district.
Escuela Taller Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
An architectural restoration school, whose mission is to create young specialists to rescue and restore old buildings and monuments in Havana.
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas.
Matanzas is known as the birthplace of the music and dance traditions danzón and rumba.
A very refreshing article. So beautiful, and informative. I loved it. Thanks much!
Proof that there is more than one way to travel. The history as told through words and photos gave me a perspective on Cuba now and then. Your article is interesting, informative. I enjoyed reading it and looking at photos that captured Cuba’s spirit. Thank you.
I thought the story was well done. Welda the travel agent took us there. I want to go and see the old cars. They are beautiful.
Excellent review of her trip and beautiful pictures illustrating the colorful culture of the island and its people. Que bola Senora Wilda!
She told a great travel story. Let’s go.
I know that you enjoyed your time in Cuba. So many things to see and do. I appreciate you sharing this lovely article.
That isn’t Fidel on the building. You really should do your research on the country you’re going to visit prior to actually getting there. Even more when you’re going to write an article. It seem more to me that everyone is fetishsing Cuba and I really thing this is a serious issue. You shouldn’t be refereing to it with such words at “mystique” or “forbidden fruit” especially when many of the people who currently inhabit the country are dying in the ocean trying to get to the U.S.