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| Day 1: left Miami by chartered plane early, arr Havana 9 am. 11 am local guide took us walking around Old City: |
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Plaza Viega, oldest plaza. Buildings date from 16th century  |
Plaza de San Francisco, cobbled plaza. Buildings date from 18th century  |
Iglesia and Convento de San Francisco  |
Plaza de la Catedral  |
Catedral de San Cristolbal de La Habana  |
Plaza de Armas, scenic tree-lined plaza formerly center of influence in Cuba. Surrounded by many of the most historic structures in Havana & monuments  |
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Lunch at Paladar San Cristolbal, 1940s and 1950s décor and excellent food.
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| TripAdvisor named on top 10 Cuban restaurant list: San Cristobal Paladar |
“A taste of colonial Cuba, from the surrounding decor to the yucca, malanga and shrimp dishes, this eccentric and friendly paladar exudes retro charm. Start with a mixed entrée platter, before moving onto the main house specialties—the lobster, or the lamb—which you will savour on 19th century china, surrounded by stacks of books, old antiques and nostalgic black and white photographs. You can ask owner Carlos Cristóbal Márquez Valdés all about it, since he will be happy to stop by your table for a short introduction” |
Bus to central Havana, most densely populated neighborhood. Lots of rebuilding. |
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Hotel Capri for first 3 nights. One of first casinos built by Mafia in Cuba. Mobsters owned and ran it. One can walk to University of Havana & to the seawall in minutes. |
| Walk downhill to Hotel Nacional for traditional Cuban dinner. Views of Havana sea wall and old Spanish fortress. 1950s grandeur. Mafia held annual meetings here. 31st: Giulio Ricco Sanchez, renowned Cuban economist. Taught at Harvard, Columbia and more. Shared his views on Cuban gov’t “updating” their economic model. Many reasons to believe Cuba wants to model economic development NOT like China or Russia at all, but Vietnam. They have studied this for years. See this article. |
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| Museum of Cuban Art. Our tour was guided by brilliant art historian who gave overview of last 4 centuries. Cuba’s New Unacknowledged Architecture In the “Country Without Internet” the Bytes Find Their Voice |
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2 days in Viñales: General info |
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| San Miguel Caves 2 days in Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Zapata National Park Bay of Pigs Casa Otto (Casa Particular Playa Larga) in Matanzas, near Bay of Pigs Hostal Maria y Eddy (Casa Particular in Trinidad) |
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Discussion: Let's compare Cuba's likely future with other erstwhile Communist regimes. 1. China: Xi is Chairman of Everything, micromanaging, and pushing his cult of personality. Yet another book on why China must adapt or die. 2. Russia: See The Economist March 19-25, 2016 "Hollow Superpower". "Don't be fooled by Syria. Vladimir Putin's foreign policy is born of weakness and made for television". 3. Vietnam: Article from Granma, the official newspaper of Communist Cuba Now, about the question of who benefits most from ending embargo Please read last paragraph of this article thoughtfully: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/02/22/cuba-lung-cancer-vaccine_n_7267518.html |
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