Cienfuegos

Thursday, January 28, 2016
Cienfuegos, Cuba
Our last stop is the beautiful and modern city of Cienfuegos. It's been nicknamed the "Pearl of the South", and it's easy to see why.

Our first stop this morning is at the Sociedad Grafica de Cienfuegos, where artists work with special needs children . It's great to see such a program since art is such a great source of expression for these kids. Our tourbus then takes us to the Punta Gorda area where we stop at a beautiful mansion, Palacio de Valle, that has now been converted to a hotel/restaurant. We nickname it the "Hearst Castle of Cuba". It's location and view of the bay are magnificent.

After this, the tour turned back to art. We went to an area called Trazos Libres, a community art project that was created by a famous Cuban artist, Santiago Hermes Martínez. The street was closed to cars and consisted of a band playing, dancers in the street, and a tour of Santiago's studio. He converted his home into an art collective in order to support and collaborate with artists who don't have the space or funds to pursue their craft. He was strolling about painting faces and there were artworks for sale, even for us Americans.

We then went to the Plaza de Armas area, the main town square . By this time Roxanne seemed to be getting a little touch of Castrozumas Revenge.... aka, "I feel like shit". She ended up sitting in the bus while the rest of our tour group went to a few more art studios, the playhouse, and the town square. She didn't know it then, but she was in for a long night visiting the Porcelain God.... aka the toilet. Now this is bad enough at home, but with a bathroom the size of our broom closet and coupled with the rough seas, it was not the highlight of her trip. I made the mistake of asking, "Do you think it was the Lobster Bisque"? I almost got bowled over as she rushed to the bathroom..... again.

All in all it was a good trip. Would we go back, probably not. Did we expand our horizons and learn a lot about another country and see how others live.... yes, for sure, but visiting Cuba is not for everyone. It was not unlike many other countries we have seen to date and suspect the allure has more to do with a curiosity for the past, as well as travel being forbidden for US citizens (and others) for over 50 years.

So long for now, and thanks for taking the time to read about our travels.

Mark & Roxanne

Comments

Phyllis S
2016-02-08

Oh no. I'm so sorry Roxanne ! That really stinks. Hope your cruise home improves greatly. xo

Lynne & Keith
2016-02-09

Loved every word and wish you safe travel home.

Bonnie & Wayne
2016-02-09

Wow - what a trip. Thanks for sharing. So sorry you got sick Roxanne.

Randy & Suzanne
2016-02-15

Enjoyed the posts and pictures. So sorry, Roxanne. Randy can certainly sympathize, as he lays here in Ft. Lauderdale hotel after getting off Seranade of the Seas this morning! We should be over on the Gulf Coast right now, but will hope for tomorrow. At least he waited til the last night of the cruise! So glad you had a good cruise!

2025-02-13

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