Cuba has been on Kathy's and my “list” for a long time and when President Obama restored diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba in 2015 and removed many of the travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, I knew it wouldn’t be long before Kathy and I would travel there. The only question was how we would go there.

President Trump reversed some of the policies implemented by President Obama but the People-to-People program is still in place. People-to-People is one of 20 authorized categories of travel for Americans who wish to go to Cuba. Other categories include family visits, journalistic activities, humanitarian projects, amateur or semi-professional international sports federation competitions, etc.

For the People-to-People category, you must travel with a tour through a US-based company. All qualifying tours for Americans will include a full-time schedule of educational activities consistent with the People-to-People travel requirements from the US Treasury Department. A Cuban visa is also required.

Since Kathy and I love cruising, we looked at several cruise companies that now visit Cuba and settled on Oceania Cruises as they were the only cruise we found that stops at three ports in Cuba. We chose a 10-day cruise out of Miami, Florida on the Sirena, a former Princess Cruise Lines ship that only holds about 650 passengers.

Also on the itinerary was a stop at Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, a private island owned by NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines) which also owns Oceania. We were really happy with this itinerary as the Dominican Republic was one of the few counties in the Caribbean besides Cuba that we haven’t seen yet.

Punta Cana doesn’t have a large ship pier so we would have to go ashore using tenders. Unfortunately, a few days before we were to go there, the forecast was for five to seven foot swells in Punta Cana. This would make it too dangerous for passengers to get on and off tenders so the captain made the decision to skip Punta Cana and go to Ocho Rios, Jamaica instead.

This trip report focuses on Cuba but I wanted to mention that the ship food, service, shows, activities, etc. were all excellent. This was our 23rd cruise and Oceania is a cut above all the other cruise lines we’ve been on (at a considerably higher price). We really liked the fact that Oceania doesn’t do formal dining nights, doesn’t have set dining times, doesn’t have ship’s photographers taking photos everywhere, doesn’t do gala midnight buffets (a real waste of food) and doesn’t leave towel animals in your state room. Those were all OK on previous cruises but we are done with them now. They also had an excellent lecturer named Sandy Cares who gave several lectures on Cuban history and the ports we were going to see.

Regarding the other ports on this cruise, since Kathy and I have been to Jamaica several times, we did not sign up for any shore excursions there and just walked around Ocho Rios for about an hour. On Great Stirrup Cay, we swam in the ocean, had a BBQ lunch provided by Oceania and took a wild ride on a Yamaha WaveRunner.

History:

Since I’m a history buff and a significant event happened in Cuba that affected me as a child, I’m including a brief overview of Cuban history. If history is not your cup of tea, scroll down to “Havana”.

Cuba was first settled by the Guanahatabey and Taino Native Americans. They were farmers, hunters, and fishers. Christopher Columbus landed at Cuba in 1492 and claimed the land for Spain. Columbus named the land Isla Juana, but later it would be called Cuba, which comes from the local Native American name of coabana.

The first Spanish settlement on Cuba was Baracoa which was founded by Diego Velazquez de Cuellar in 1511. As Cuba became more settled by the Spanish they developed industries of sugarcane, tobacco, and cattle. In 1526 slaves are imported from Africa to work the tobacco fields. Eventually sugar would become an important crop. Slavery was abolished in Cuba in 1886.

Cuba first started to fight for its independence from Spain in 1868 in the Ten Years War. Led by national hero José Martí, the war for independence again became heated in 1895. In 1898 the United States became involved in the war when one of its battleships, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor. The US gained control of Cuba with the Treaty of Paris and in 1902, gave Cuba independence.

In 1903, the new Republic of Cuba leased 45 square miles of land in Guantánamo Bay to the United States for construction of a naval station. In 1934, Cuba and the United States signed a perpetual lease that rents the 45 square miles of Cuba to the United States for $4,085.00 a year. The base, sometimes referred to as “Gitmo” is still active today and up until a few years ago, Cuban nationals were allowed to work on the base.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Havana, Cuba was the Riviera of the Caribbean with several luxury hotels and casinos, mostly controlled by the mafia. One of them, was the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. In 1946, it hosted the "Havana Conference" run by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky. That meeting was recreated in the movie "Godfather II".

In 1952, a former president of Cuba named Fulgencio Batista took control of the country and made himself dictator. I’m not sure why the United States backed such a corrupt despot with no regard for human rights but that is happening even today in other parts of the world – Saudi Arabia comes to mind.

Many of the people of Cuba were not happy with Batista’s ruthless and corrupt ways and rebel leader Fidel Castro organized a revolution to overthrow Batista. In 1959, Fidel Castro was able to overthrow Batista's government and gain control of the country. In some ways, Castro was just as bad as Batista because he had people who were suspected of supporting Batista tortured and executed. He declared Cuba a socialist country and allied Cuba with the Soviet Union after unsuccessfully seeking aid from the United States. In 1960, Castro instituted communism and nationalized all businesses in Cuba, including U.S. businesses.

Cuba became a major player in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1961, the United States unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Castro through the Bay of Pigs invasion. Then in 1962, the Soviet Union tried to establish a nuclear missile base at Cuba causing the Cuban Missile Crisis. At one point during the crisis, Castro suggested to Soviet Premier Khrushchev a first nuclear strike against the United States if Cuba was invaded. According to Sandy, our shipboard lecturer, Khrushchev thought Castro was crazy for suggesting that and excluded him from further negotiations with President Kennedy.

I think most people today don’t realize how close we came several times to the “end of the world as we know it” during this time. I remember the Cuban Missile crisis because my dad was a navigator on KC-135 tankers with the Strategic Air Command of the U.S. Air Force. He flew to Spain to refuel B-52 bombers carrying nuclear weapons that were circling the Mediterranean Sea 24 hours a day (we didn’t know where he was at the time). I also remember practicing “duck and cover” drills where hiding under our school desks would save us from nuclear holocaust.

In 1991, the Soviet Union, Cuba's primary ally, collapsed and eventually stopped all aid to Cuba. In 1996, the United States established a permanent trade embargo against Cuba further impacting Cuba’s economy.

Fidel Castro remained in power for 50 years and then in 2010 handed over the government to his younger brother Raul and died in 2016. Raul Castro was president until April 19, 2018 when Miguel Díaz-Canel became president. Castro is now First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba which is the top position in the government having more power than the president. In 2011, Cuba passed some economic reforms including the right of individuals to own property. Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015.

Havana:

After sailing overnight from Miami, we entered Havana Harbor in the morning. We passed the narrow entrance and two old Spanish forts on each side. From the ship, we had a great view of the city and many landmarks.

After docking, we were ready for our first shore excursion but first we had to go through immigration. An immigration officer checked and stamped our passports and visas and then we went through a metal detector. The officers who staffed the metal detectors were mostly teenage or 20-something women who wore mini-skirt uniforms with fishnet stockings. I guess that’s a good way to stay cool in the hot and humid Cuban climate?

After clearing immigration, I exchanged some U.S. dollars into Cuban convertible pesos (CUC). Because of the trade embargo, U.S. bank-issued credit and debit cards will not work in Cuba and U.S. dollar bills are officially not accepted as payment. Cuba has two types of currency: The Cuban Peso which only Cubans use and the CUC which only foreigners use. When U.S. banknotes are exchanged for CUC’s, a 10% tax is applied, plus an exchange commission of about 3%. This is the “official” currency exchange policy but as in most countries, there is also a “black market” currency exchange and a few cigar and rum shops we were taken to accept U.S. dollars. Our guide said that in actuality, CUCs were the only real hard currency in Cuba – all very confusing but I’m sure our guides were happy to be tipped in U.S. dollars.

We went on three shore excursions booked through Oceania over two days in Havana and one each in Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. The government-run Havanatur does a good job. The buses were all fairly new Chinese models with air conditioning and toilets that had toilet paper and toilet seats, something Cuban public toilets don’t seem to have.

The guides all seemed to be highly educated and speak several languages. We learned that doctors only make about $40 U.S. a month “so they are doctors because they really want to help people and not for the money”. But in actuality, even with the free housing and health care, many doctors, lawyers, college professors, etc. are quitting and becoming tour guides, taxi drivers or waiters because they can make 10 to 20 times more in tips from tourists.

A few of the guides were serious and would mention “the triumph of the revolution” and some were less serious. One guide named Israel actually criticized “the bearded one” or “FC” although after he did, he jokingly said his name was José. Israel wore a Tampa Bay baseball cap and told us there are 44 Cubans playing in the American major and minor leagues. A week after our trip, I read that the American and Cuban baseball organizations have agreed to a deal that lets Cubans play in the United States without retribution. Maybe this baseball diplomacy with help to further thaw relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

One guide pointed out the 55 gallon drums sitting on top of apartment roofs. He said these were originally used to collect rain water but now many are used to hide illegal TV antennas that are used to pick up forbidden broadcasts as Cuba only has two government regulated TV networks.

Our first shore excursion in Havana was called “The Life of Hemingway in Havana” which included Ernest Hemingway’s house and fishing boat as well as two of his favorite bars.

After we were on our way, the guide introduced the driver and himself and looked at some of our shoes. He mentioned that some of us may not be wearing the proper shoes to see cows being milked on the farm. I’m sure many on the tour including myself were silently thinking “Farm? I thought this tour was all about Hemingway”. After giving us all a minute to figure out if we were on the right tour, the guide admitted that we weren’t really going to see a farm.

Papa Hemingway, as the Cubans call him, lived in a very nice house in Finca Vigia, a suburb located about 15 miles outside of Havana. He first rented the house in 1939 and then bought it and lived there until he was forced to leave in 1960 due to Castro’s revolution. The government seized the house and preserved it as a museum.

You can’t go in the house but can see all the rooms through completely open (no glass) windows. On very humid days, they close it up to help preserve the house contents, most of which belonged to Hemingway and his wife. We also saw Hemingway’s fishing boat called Pilar and the tower where he wrote "The Old Man and the Sea" and much of "For Whom the Bell Tolls".

Kathy and I have seen Ernest Hemingway's boyhood home in Oak Park, Illinois, his home in Key West, Florida and his grave in Idaho and now his home in Cuba. I’m not really a fan of his writing as I don’t usually read fiction but I think he led a really interesting life.

Next on the tour was a stop at one of Hemingway’s favorite Havana bars called La Bodeguita del Medio. The tour included a mojito which was the preferred drink of Hemingway there. It was tiny and packed so we drank our mojitos and listened to the band while standing in the ally just outside.

Then it was on to another bar called Floridita where the daiquiri was invented just after World War I. Of course we had a daiquiri there in honor of Hemingway who was standing at the bar (no, I didn’t have one too many daiquiris - it was a statue of him).

Our final stop on the tour was at Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña (Fort of Saint Charles) an 18th-century fortress complex which was the third-largest in the Americas. It’s located on the elevated eastern side of the harbor entrance in Havana on the 200’ (60 m) hilltop, along with Morro Castle.

After Castro took power, Ernesto "Che" Guevara used the fortress as a headquarters and military prison for several months. During his five-month tenure in that post in 1959, Guevara oversaw the revolutionary tribunals and executions of war criminals, traitors, and former members of Batista's secret police.

Unfortunately, instead of touring the fort, we were taken to a tourist store inside the fort where only two items were for sale: cigars and rum. One of our friends asked us to buy three cigars for them so I got them three of the best Cuban cigars including the most famous brand, Cohiba. I also got a Cohiba for myself but I don’t know if I’ll ever smoke it.

Kathy got a bottle of Havana Club rum for her son. Bacardi Rum started in Santiago de Cuba in 1852 but left after the revolution so Havana Club is the number one brand of Cuban rum.

Sitting in the shop hand rolling cigars was Jose Castelar Cairo who holds the Guinness Book of Records for creating the world’s longest cigar (90 meters). That cigar was enclosed in a case hanging from the ceiling.

As our bus was passing a grassy area near the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, I just barely caught a glimpse of an aircraft wing, a surface-to-air missile (SAM) and several small billboards with photos and writing on them. “USAF” was clearly visible on the wing so I knew instantly this was the wing of the U-2 that was shot down over Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis. A portion of the tail assembly and front landing gear are also on display at this site while other U-2 wreckage is on display in Cuban museums in Trinidad and Havana. The U-2 pilot, U.S. Air Force Major Rudolf Anderson posthumously became the first-ever recipient of the Air Force Cross, the service’s highest designation short of the Medal of Honor. The missile on display was the type that hit the U-2, a Soviet S-75 Dvina.

That night we passed on the famous Tropicana nightclub cabaret show and did the “Evening stroll through Havana” shore excursion. The first stop was at the original Sloppy Joe’s Bar where we were served sloppy joes and a Rum Collins. This was another bar where Hemingway hung out and our guide emphasized that this was the original Sloppy Joe’s established in 1917 even though Hemingway also hung out at a Sloppy Joe’s in Key West, Florida (we’ve been there too). There were photos on the walls of famous patrons at the bar including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Alice Faye and John Barrymore.

After Sloppy Joe’s, we walked around Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to see many of the squares and historic colonial buildings. Our guide pointed out a store that had nice expensive luggage in the window. He called it the “Luggage Museum” as no Cuban could afford to shop there and they couldn’t travel outside the country anyway. Somehow, we ended up at La Bodeguita del Medio for another mojito but Kathy and I had enough of Hemingway’s drinks by then.

For our second day in Havana, we took a shore excursion of both old and new Havana including the José Martí Memorial Tower, the University of Havana, a predominantly residential area called Miramar where many of the embassies and consulates are located as well as some of the most beautiful mansions in Havana. The tree-lined Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) has many mansions including one the guide described as her “dream house”. Another stop was at the Colon (Christopher Columbus) Cemetery. Some interesting grave/tombs in the huge cemetery were pointed out including a memorial to firefighters and an art deco Jewish mausoleum.

Our tour route took us along the famous Malecón (officially Avenida de Maceo), a broad esplanade, roadway and seawall which stretches for 5 miles (8 km) along the coast in Havana. Construction of the Malecón began in 1901, during temporary U.S. military rule. I believe our guide stated it was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As well as many buildings in ruins, many of the former “mob” hotels and monuments are located along the Malecón.

One of the monuments is the Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine, built in 1925 to honor of the American sailors who died in the explosion of USS Maine in 1898. While there is strong evidence that the explosion of the Maine was caused by an internal coal fire which ignited the magazines instead of an external mine as originally thought, its sinking served as the pretext for the United States to declare war on Spain thus starting the Spanish-American War.

The monument originally had an eagle at the top and three busts of Americans: President William McKinley, who declared war on Spain, Leonard Wood, first military governor in Cuba and President Theodore Roosevelt. On January 18, 1961, the eagle and busts of the Americans were removed by a mob, because it was considered a "symbol of imperialism". The following inscription was later added in Spanish:

“To the victims of the Maine who were sacrificed by the imperialist voracity and their desire to gain control of the island of Cuba. February 1898 - February 1961”.

The eagle's head was later given to Swiss diplomats. It is now located in the U.S. Embassy building in Havana. The body and the wings are stored in the Havana City History Museum. The museum's curator believes that good relations with the U.S. will be symbolized by the eventual reunification of the parts of the eagle.

Speaking of the U.S. Embassy, our guide pointed it out as we drove by on the Malecón. She didn’t mention the "Anti-Imperialism Park" where 138 flag poles were erected across from the embassy (then the U.S. Interests building operated by Switzerland). These were erected in 2006 in order to block the electronic scrolling billboard used to direct messages to the Cuban people. There were no flags flying so I’m guessing the “Imperialist” messages have stopped.

Toward the end of 2016, American diplomats in Havana started hearing strange noises and some had symptoms including vertigo, nausea and tinnitus. Over time, at least 26 Americans and one Canadian came down with symptoms with several having to return to the United States. Theories ranged from sonic attacks using microwaves by either the Cubans, Russians or Chinese (a similar incident happened to Americans in China) to mass hysteria.

A subsequent report states that some of the victims actually now have physical damage to their ears and possible brain damage. The U.S. expelled two Cuban diplomats from their embassy in Washington, D.C. over the incident but the Cuban government denies responsibility. So far, I haven’t noticed any ill effects from driving by the U.S. Embassy but then I’ve had mild tinnitus for most of my life.

Another stop on the tour was the Christ of Havana Statue. It sits on a hill 167’ (51 m) above sea level allowing the statue to be seen from all over Havana and as well as affording a panoramic view of Havana. The statue was carved out of white Carrara marble, the same material used for many of the monuments of the Colon Cemetery. The 67 blocks of marble were brought from Italy after being personally blessed by Pope Pius XII. The statue is about 66’ (20 m) high including a 10’ (3 m) base and weighs approximately 320 tons. It was dedicated on December 24, 1958. Just 15 days later, Castro entered Havana during the revolution.

The figure of Christ is standing with the right hand held near the chin and the left hand near his chest. Locals suggest that the statue was sculpted to depict a cigar in the right hand and a mojito in the left hand, honoring popular Cuban culture.

Our final stop was at the 18th century Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro (Morro Castle). Once again, instead of touring this old Spanish fortress, we were led to a tourist cigar and rum shop inside. Kathy and I didn’t even go in the shop this time but we were able to walk through a long passageway inside one of the walls and get some good views of Havana, so the stop wasn’t a complete waste of time.

The tour ended around 1:00 p.m. near the cruise ship. I decided I wanted to walk around on my own without a guide (something I did in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War). Kathy decided to go back to the ship so I walked all over Old Havana without a map. I was able to retrace some of the streets we saw on the walking tour the night before and saw many other streets and buildings. Supposedly, the U.S. State Department rules forbid going out on your own as well as shopping at certain stores, staying at certain hotels, etc., but the cruise ship personnel allowed us off on our own and the Cuban guides said the Cuban government didn’t care.

During this walk, I saw locals dancing to the live music at an outdoor restaurant, some carnival costumed performers dancing and walking down the street on stilts (for tips of course), and many different styles of architecture.

While walking down one fairly narrow pedestrian street, I passed a woman standing in a doorway. She called me “sweetie” and mentioned something about a “two for one special”. I politely said “no gracias” and continued on.

In San Francisco de Asis Square, a guy noticed my San Francisco Giants baseball cap. He invited me to come in to his restaurant where it was air conditioned but I just wanted to walk around. I saw some interesting art including a large history mural on the side of a building depicting famous Cuban heroes, etc., a restored very old steam engine on display (Cuba had one of the first railroads in all of the Americas) and a statue of Chopin sitting on a bench.

Just outside the San Francisco de Asis cathedral is a statue of Father Junípero Serra with a Juaneño boy - the same Father Serra who built the 21 Spanish missions in California. I also saw a 20th-century eclectic building that housed the former US embassy before the revolution and now houses the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural.

Throughout our time in Cuba, we saw dozens of classic American cars. Almost all are used as taxis or they can be rented by the hour. About 128,000 Detroit-made cars were imported to Cuba in the 1950’s. Shortly after coming to power in 1959, Castro banned imports of foreign cars and car parts. I asked our guide how they have been able to keep these cars running all these years and he said Cuban mechanics use any parts they can find and most engines have been replaced with Russian diesel engines. So while many of the cars look really nice, most are very different than their original incarnations.

While we saw and did a lot in Havana, it’s impossible to see everything in two days. Had I known I could walk around on my own, I would have researched the locations of other landmarks like the Bacardi Building, the “finest art deco” building in all of Latin America according to one source. I would have also liked to have seen the capitol building, modeled after the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., some of the former “mob” hotels and the Museum of the Revolution which we drove by.

Next to the Museum of the Revolution, we could see the through the glass enclosure the yacht named “Granma”. That was the yacht that in 1956 brought 82 revolutionaries including leader, Fidel Castro, his brother, Raúl Castro, Che Guevara, and Camilo Cienfuegos from Mexico to Cuba for their first (and failed) attempt to overthrow Batista.

Cienfuegos:

After departing Havana, we had a relaxing full day at sea before arriving at Cienfuegos, located on the south coast of Cuba. Cienfuegos is 300 years younger and has a much smaller population than Havana making it quite different. The area was originally settled by Taino indigenous people and later French immigrants from Bordeaux and Louisiana led by Don Louis de Clouet on April 22, 1819. The settlers named the city Fernandina de Jagua in honor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain and Chief Jagua. The settlement successively became a town (villa) in 1829, renamed for José Cienfuegos, Captain General of Cuba (1816 - 19), and a city in 1880.

Our shore excursion first took us about 37 miles (60 km) around Cienfuegos Bay to Nuestra Senora de Jagua (Our Lady of Jagua) Spanish fortress built in the 18th century. Though strategically located in the channel of the entrance of the Bay to protect Cienfuegos from pirates or other invaders, its cannon were never fired in combat. Our guide Yabira told us the U.S. military once occupied the fortress and pointed out the American cannons. Also original Spanish cannons were retrieved out of the bay and set back in place in the fortress.

Yabira told us the story of the “Lady in Blue” ghost seen over the years in the fortress. She also demonstrated the still-working drawbridge. Utilizing the counterweight, she was able to close and open the drawbridge by herself.

On the way to and from the fortress, we passed the Juraguá nuclear power plant. This plant was built by the Soviet Union but was abandoned in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. One reactor was 90 - 97% complete and the other was only 20 – 30% complete. Castro stated that more than 1.1 billion dollars had been invested but without further funding, he decided to abandon the project. We also passed “Nuclear City”, a town built for the builders and future workers of the plant.

From the fortress, we drove back to town and got a walking tour of Plaza José Marti in the center of town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The plaza is surrounded by historic buildings including the Town Hall, the Casa del Fundador (city founder Louis D'Clouet's house), Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and the Tomas Terry Theatre. In the plaza is a gazebo, four fountains donated by the people of New York City, and the only Arch de Triumph in Cuba. There are also several flowering trees and a few Royal Palms, the national tree of Cuba.

We saw a choir performance by a group called Contoros de Cienfuegos. They had a unique sound (at least I hadn’t heard a choir like it) and the leader said they once performed in Montana which is “really different than Cuba”, but they liked it.

After the choir performance, we stopped at a yacht club complete with a big swimming pool and a tennis court for lunch. The yacht club was located in a neighborhood with several beautiful mansions.

Santiago de Cuba:

Santiago de Cuba is located on the south coast of Cuba toward the east end of the island. It’s situated in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountain range and was founded by the Spanish in 1515. It's known for its colonial architecture and revolutionary history.

After taking a tender to go ashore, we went on “The Birthplace of the Revolution” shore excursion. Our guide said we could ask him any question including political questions so one idiot on our bus jokingly asked him where the red light district was. Fortunately, there were more serious questions about health care, schools, etc. from others on the tour.

The first place we were taken on this tour was the tourism headquarters where we watched a slide show while a woman told us about the city through an interpreter. Even though they had fans, it was very hot in this buildings and we had already attended a shipboard lecture about the history and sites of Santiago de Cuba, so we could have skipped this but I applaud the effort anyway.

From the slide show, we walked a half block to Céspedes Park in the center of town. Historic buildings surrounding this park include, the Hotel Casa Granda, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption and the Banco de Nacional de Cuba.

One notable building stands out from the rest – the Casa de Diego Velázquez. Built between 1516 and 1530, this mansion owned by Diego Velazquez (Spanish conqueror, first Governor from Cuba and founder of the first seven villages in the country). Now a museum, it’s considered the oldest building in Cuba still standing and is known for its ornamental elements of notable Moorish influences such as the window lattices on the balconies and the roof made of carved cedar.

Another building has special significance: the Municipal Building. It was from the balcony of this building that Fidel Castro spoke to a crowd on January 1, 1959 and declared the “triumph of the revolution”. There is a plaque on the wall next to the balcony commemorating the event.

Our next stop was San Juan Hill, site of the famous charge by Col. Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders during the pivotal battle of the Spanish-American War on July 1, 1898. Our guide did a good job of describing the battle and pointing out many monuments erected on the hill.

There is one monument for the American soldiers who fought and died there, one or two for the Cuban Soldiers and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I didn’t notice any monuments for the Spanish soldiers but then we didn’t have time to look at all of the plaques or monuments. Our guide said Castro liked the U.S. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. so much that he ordered one be constructed on San Juan Hill.

About six months before this trip, we stayed at the historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, and that hotel is where Roosevelt recruited many of the Rough Riders. Sometimes our trips tie in to each other.

After San Juan Hill, we visited Moncada Barracks. The building’s architecture is definitely art deco but I don’t know if I agree with our guide’s statement that it is the finest example of art deco architecture in Cuba.

The building is now a school but on July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by 135 rebels led by Fidel Castro and included his brother Raúl. Fifteen soldiers and three policemen were killed and 23 soldiers and five policemen wounded during the attack. Nine rebels were killed in combat and 11 wounded, four of them by friendly fire. According to Fidel Castro five were killed in the fighting, and 56 were executed later by the Batista regime. Eighteen rebels captured in the Civil Hospital were immediately executed in the Moncada small-arms target range within two hours after the attack. Their corpses were strewn throughout the garrison to simulate death in combat. Thirty-four fleeing rebels captured during the next three days were murdered after admitting their participation.

A handful of rebels, including Fidel Castro, escaped into the nearby countryside but were apprehended shortly thereafter. Fidel and Raúl Castro and about 28 other rebels received 10-13 year prison sentences but all were released after 22 months. This was due to pressure from the prisoners’ mothers and later after popular support for the rebels and opposition to Batista's rule mounted, a group of political leaders, editors, and intellectuals signed a public appeal demanding liberty for the political prisoners. That year, the Cuban Congress passed a bill granting general amnesty to political prisoners. After being signed by Batista, the thirty imprisoned rebels were freed. While a failure for the rebels, this armed attack is widely accepted as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.

Besides the school, about half the building houses the July 26 museum which includes artifacts and photos of the attack. The entrance of the museum is riddled with bullet holes. The guide didn’t mention this and the more I thought about it, the more I thought these weren’t from the attack as Batista would have had the damage repaired in the years before he was overthrown. I later read online that the bullet holes aren’t original.

We next visited the Ifigenia Cemetery which includes the tombs of several notable Cubans, four of which have honor guards guarding them: Mariana Grajales Cuello, Manuel de Céspedes, Fidel Castro, and in the most elaborate mausoleum, José Martí. Castro is buried under a larger boulder (not sure why). They have a “changing of the guard” ceremony every 30 minutes. The guards need to work on their precision marching skills but then I don’t think any of these ceremonies can compare to the “changing of the guard” at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

I was curious why Che Guevara wasn’t buried there but I later learned he was buried in the Cuban city of Santa Clara where he had commanded over the decisive military victory of the Cuban Revolution. His remains were discovered and retrieved from Bolivia in 1997. He was executed in Bolivia in 1967 for leading a band of anti-government guerrillas there. The CIA may have played a part in his capture.

Our last stop was, you guessed it, a shopping stop at a cigar and rum shop located at the site of the former Bacardi Rum distillery. Kathy and I stayed on the bus.

I visit foreign countries to see different cultures, architecture, flora, fauna, etc., and to sample different food and folk entertainment. I wanted to see Cuba before the first McDonald’s opens there and am glad I got the opportunity. Actually, there is a McDonald’s as well as a Baskin-Robbins, a Subway, a combined KFC & A&W, a Pizza Hut Express, a Taco Bell and a Triple C shop that sells both Starbucks coffee and Breyers ice cream, but they’re all located on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

One woman on our tour bought and wore a Che Guevara beret. I’m thinking Che probably is turning over in his grave knowing that his image is being exploited in such a capitalistic manor, but I firmly believe that socialism and communism in Cuba will eventually fail as it did in the Soviet Union. This will happen not due to the embargo which hasn’t worked for over 50 years but though interaction with people from other countries. It may still take a long time (it took 65 years in Russia), but hopefully, when this happens, Cuba won’t end up with another corrupt government as Russia has.

I still have a few friends who enjoy receiving post cards from my travels. I mailed several post cards from an official mail drop at the cruise port in Havana. Our ship lecturer Sandy said post cards may take several months to be delivered or they may never be delivered. It's been about a month since I mailed mine…I’m not holding my breath!

Click or tap here to see an album of 100 photos from this cruise, then "Go to Photos" (in upper right), then "Slide Show": Cruise Photos

Short videos of scenes from all three cities visited:

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