Cuba, Travel Guide

- To get into the tropical atmosphere of Cuba at itsDedicated to the enthusiasts of North American
fiftieth. Among the American automobiles, the smokywriter who lived in this building from 1939 to 1961. It
bars of Havana, the effect is assured.was here where Hemingway wrote "Whom sound
- For its fantastic sea. Cuba offers about sixthe bells for" and the "Old man and the sea".
thousand kilometers of splendid Caribbean coast, withMusic National Museum
beaches and cliffs for all likes.Address: Calle Cárcel, Havana
- For the people's hospitality, not always interestedSchedule: 9-17; Sundays 8-12; Closed on Mondays
as it is wanted to make you believe. The Cubans areEntrance is paid
people full of happiness and eager to leave, peopleThere are exposed numerous Afro-Cuban musical
who love to find the foreigner, just to exchangeinstruments, besides the Fernando Ortiz
ideas.anthropologist's private collection. Disks, scores and
- To smoke the best tobaccos in the world, made byinstruments are sold, also some concerts are
hand with the leaves of Vuelta Abajo. You can alsopresented in the museum saloon.
attend to the making of the tobacco in a factory orCUBAN CUISINE
maybe inside of a big hotel, where there areThe traditional cuisine in Cuba is excellente and it
exhibited in parties, authenticate preparations for thewould be a sin to get lost looking for other
tobacco's artists.inetrnational plates, proposed in other local. The
- To travel through out the town of Hemingway, aCuban culinary art is born from the encounter of the
North American writer that lived in the island fromprecolumbian cuisine with the African, French, Spanish,
the 1939 to the 1961 and where he wrote some ofEnglish, and the Hindu and indonesa. The result of this
his romances.is a miracle of the balance. There are fruits very
GEOGRAPHICAL DATAoften so as (mango, papaya, avocado,) mainly to
Located in the Caribbean Sea, Cuba, with a longitudeaccompany salted plates and to form part of the
of about 1.200 kms and a surface of 110.860 Km., isbase of cocktails and drinks.It is used a lot the pig
the biggest island in the biggest Antilla. It is at aboutmeat, lots of chicken, mainly in the inside of the
200 Km. from the island of Keys and it is close tocountry, while in the coastal restaurants are intend
The Mexican peninsula of Yucatan in and the island ofexquisite sea plates: fish, crustaceans cooked in
Hispaniola. More than the main island, The Cubanseveral ways. The national plate is the "ajiaco" a soup
Republic gathers all the isles and islands that surroundwith the help of potato, banana, corn, calf meat,
it. Great part of the Cuban coast is low and sandy,Chicken, and dry meat. Another typical food is the
with numerous bays and areas of lagoons and"congri", made with black beans and rice cooked all
paludose. Its interior is of plains, interrupted by thetogether , accompanied by "pig pork cracklings". The
Sierra de los Organos to the west, the Sierra del"fufú" is on the other hand a banana puree
Escambray to the center and the Sierra Maestra toseasoned with "mojo", a fried lightly of oil garlic and
the east. Its population is of about 11 millioncumin. Do not loose teh oportunity to taste the
inhabitants."Creole lobster" that is nothing else but a fried lobster
Time Zone: -6.0 (summer); -6.0 (winter)with tomato, onions, peppers, spicy pepper and sour
Duration of the days 13.5 hours (June); minimum 11.0orange juice. Among the candies the "boniatillo", made
hours (December)of sweet potato and sugar and the "coquito
WHEN TO GOacaramelado" also "la mala rabia" also made of sweet
Period better: February, Marchpotato sugra cane sirope, cinnamon and sweet
Good period: January, April, Decemberorange shell. The diffused drink is the coffee, served
Worse Period: September, Octoberto the American way, that is to say not few, and
WEATHERthe rum is pure that serve as base to any prepared
The dry station which is naturally the best period toswig or the numerous cocktails so as Cuba Libre, the
go, begins at the end of October and finishes in April.Rum punk or Piña Colada. Cuba also produces
The rains station is from April to October, but inan excellent beer. The diffused national marks are
these months precipitations, although are abundantthe Mayabe and The Lagarto.
always occurs in the half-day and for a short period.FUN/SHOPPING
What to takeWho doesn't know the Cuban rum and tobacco,
Without doubts the bathing suit. And then summerknown for everyone as best in the world? In the
clothes, shirts and cotton pullouvers, short and longisland there are lots of opportunities to return home
pants. And do not forget besides, the shoes forwith some good music, revolutionary souvenir and
walking in the afternoons, to take also a pair ofwhy not an automobile of the fifty years.
sandals.Tobaccos
CULTURE/MUSEUMSThe tobaccos or cigarettes are of different sizes,
City Museumthey are sold loose or in elegant wooden boxes. Just
Address: Plaza de Armas, Havanato see them makes yoy buy them although you are
Schedule: 9.30-18.30not a smoker, maybe for a beautiful gift. The prices
Entrance is paidare almost half of the prices in Italy. For example a
One of the main museums of histoty and culture ofbox with three Montecristo Sigars N.4 costs at about
the isle. It offers a rich exposition ofartistic10 American dollars. They can be bought in the
testimonies bengining from the colonial period up tostores. At Havana in the House of 5a and 16 (5a Ave
firts years of the republic.y 16). In Santiago in Casa del Tabaco (Ave. Jesus
Revolution MuseumMenéndez 730). Pay attention to the
Address: Palacio Presidencial, Calle Refugio, Havanaconservation of the tobacco. An adequate humidity is
Schedule: 10-17; Saturday up to 18needed for them.
Entrance is paidCraft
All that is wanted to know about the myth of theCuban craft reflex the influence of diverse cultures,
Cuban revolution is exposed in this place, in themainly the African. Many objects are related with the
ex-presidential building that housed as last tenant, thesantería, the Afro-Cuban religion diffused per
dictator Batista up to 1959,documents, registrationsexcellency in the island. There can be dolls of pieces
and movies on the revolutionary epic poem.and ceramic, masks made of paper maché and
National Museumwooden sculptures. Puppets of tamarind seeds are
Address: Calle Trocadero, Havanaalso made. Pretty hats palm feathers fibers or of
Schedule: 10-17; closed Tuesday and Wednesdayknitted coconut. Baskets and bags are also made. In
Entrance is paidold Havana there is the Craft Palace (Calle Cuba 64).
The exhibition is divided in several sections. TheIn Santiago in the Craft House (Cathedral Plaza).
pinacoteca, with linens from Spanish, Englishmen,Foods
Danish teachers, among them stand outThe rum is bought obligatorily and the most famous
Velásquez, Murillo, Goya and Turner; the Egyptianmark is The Havana Club in several versions: Liquor,
old art collection, grecian and Roman, considered thethe most economic; Carta Blanca 3 years and
most important in Latin America, the gallery dedicatedparticularly used for the cocktails. Carta Oro, 5 years,
to the Cuban painting from the XVII century to ourand the most refined matured during 7 years. The
days, the ceramic collection, and a space for theprecise goes from 4 to 7 American dollars each
contemporary exhibitions.bottle. For adventurers the most valuable rum in
Hemingway MuseumCuba is the retained Matusalem, product from
Address: San Francisco de Paula, San Miguel delSantiago de Cuba matured during 25 years, it can be
Padrón, 12 km from Havanaaround the 15 dollars the bottle in Casa del Ron de
Schedule: 9-16; Sundays 9-12.30Obispo y Bernaza in Old Havana.
Entrance is paidEuropelowcost.