In order to visit Cuba as a US citizen you must participate in an approved activity. We chose to take an all day tour to learn about Cuban history and culture under the auspices of an official tour guide. Ours was a Classic Cars Tour. Arleene arranged for the twenty-eight of us to ride in seven US muscle car convertibles from the 1950’s lovingly restored by entrepreneurial families. We got to ride in a 1955 Chevy – a bit of a trip down memory lane for Steve. In caravan we whizzed down the nearly empty highway to various important sites around Havana. One stop was the former home of Ernest Hemingway. It was seized by the government just after the revolution and has been preserved just as it was when he and his wife left. The only things they were able to take with them were his manuscripts – all other personal items were left behind. We saw his fishing boat, the Hemingway memorial, a 17th Century fort, El Christo, and so many interesting places on a great loop tour of Havana. We lunched at the original Sloppy Joe’s, a spot that was frequented by many American celebrities in the 1950’s and enjoyed the signature sandwich and the typical Cuban libations of Rum & Coca Cola and a Mojitó, What was fascinating was listening between the lines as our tour guide who was born just after the fall of the Soviet Union, during the Cuban Special Period, talked about Cuban society, education, and the economy. Our impression is that the Cubans are exceedingly well educated but find life economically challenging.
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