She Loved Our Adventures So Much...She Did It Twice!
HER FIRST TRIP
I would like to thank everyone - Nathalie my guide and Alejandro my driver, and the U.S. team — Manny, Cary, Alpi, Monica, and Val — and the Cuba team - for coping so admirably with the unexpected postponement of the Havana Carnival ( I’m sure the Cuban government knew I was coming :-) — how could they do that ??!! ). You all found - at, I imagine, very short notice - other enjoyable activities for me — Bravo!
HER SECOND TRIP
August 1, 2024
How to recount the pleasures of my second trip to Cuba?
First and foremost, there was the pleasure of being reunited with Nathalie as guide and Alejandro as driver. I have sung their praises in my previous letter, and I can only continue to do so now. Attentive, solicitous, gracious, and inventive! They remembered my previous trip, and drove me thru parts of the city I hadn’t previously seen. Nathalie was at her tip-top best when we confronted the closure of Hemingway’s estate — she TALKED OUR WAY onto the estate and, with her vast knowledge of all things Hemingway, acted as venue guide to the house, the boat, and the baseball field for the neighborhood kids. What an amazing woman!
I am pleased to report that impromptu, intermittent singing broke out frequently in our car — Cuban music and the Beatles. A welcome addition to my musical adventures!
My favorite day — and I think Nathalie’s, too — was the one in which we were able to combine a visit to the National Theater (professional and student singers who brought the Spanish zarzuela songs to vibrant life) AND a special performance at the Fangio Habana (a.k.a. Claxon) restaurant (singer/songwriter “troubadors”) which included audience dancing!
It was a pleasure to see old acquaintances- Camillo and Annabel - and a pleasure to make new ones - the “Nawes” proprietor Clara and the music teacher Angel.
I was particularly glad to see the bust and memorial dedicated to Hemingway by his fishing buddies - fashioned out of their own boat propellers! So good to know that their relationship was a warm, mutually-beneficial one.
I enclose the following messages:
@Cary - many thanks for fielding my nervous phone calls, dealing with my delayed flight, and editing my Customs document. Smart AND patient - what a winning combination!
@Accommodations (Alexis) - many thanks to you and your wonderful staff for your service and for my large, light, and airy room — with air conditioning — in a house filled with contemporary Cuban art and equipped with a delicious, fountain-filled garden courtyard and pool!
@Restaurants (various) - ALL the restaurants we visited were excellent, but my favorites were Claxon — for the food, the Al fresco dining, and the varied, high-quality, live music — and La Cocina Lilliam — for the food and the wonderful sensation of dining in the midst of a tropical garden.
@Camillo - so good to see you again! And to hear of your adventures as a film producer and prospective bagel shop owner. Good luck with the neighborhood gossips!
@Clara - how encouraging to tour Nawes, your graphic art business, and to learn of your life as an entrepreneur. How brave you are! I wish you all success, and urge you to believe that furniture-making awaits you in your future. Thank you so much for your gift of prints - the animals and the trademark.
@Annabel - another sumptuous breakfast! So interesting to hear a mom’s-eye view of family; so glad Nathalie was able to point you to an online kids’ activities/moms group.
@Leonardo - many thanks for guiding me around La Terraces eco-community. The history of mountain deforestation and reforestation is fascinating, and your knowledge of the area’s flora and fauna is superb.
@Angel - thank you for my music lesson - I use this term loosely, as I was much more interested in hearing about your life as a teacher/composer/pianist/percussionist than I was in expanding my percussion skills :-(. Other visitors, I am sure, will be more diligent than me. Good luck to you in your musical ventures.
@my long-suffering salsa teacher - thank you for your efforts and patience; I will practice at home, return, and surprise you!
@Alejandro - (please can someone convey this information to Alejandro in Spanish, as I don’t think he reads English) - I am so, so sorry that I was so distracted at the airport that I did not acknowledge your farewell. It was in English, very gracefully phrased - you may have spent time preparing it. I too have enjoyed working with you on my two trips to Cuba; I too hope we may work together in future. Always remember you have a friend in Chicago who wishes you well and hopes to return.
@Nathalie - thank you for all your work on my behalf. Thank you for sharing with me your life with your son, your husband, and your terrace — which will now receive its custom awning :-). I am so, so sorry I was so distracted at the airport that I did not acknowledge your parting comment - yes, you, Alejandro, and I are our own “dream team”…. Always remember that you have a friend in Chicago who wishes you well and hopes to return. May we be reunited again.
Sincerely,
Barbara Harrison
http://www.CTAGCUBA.com cubatravelgroup@gmail.com | 415-789-9398
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