Tag Archives: Fidel Castro
My Top Ten Big Cities Outside Europe #2 – Havana
Havana – Population 2.2 Million Havana is like all the best Spanish cities moulded into one – the edgy old town of Cadiz, the oceanside promenade and Art Deco of Barcelona, the majestic buildings of Madrid, the music & dance of Seville, the cuisine of Valencia, the bars of Bilbao, the fortifications of Malaga, the […]
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s Second City? Santiago is Cuba’s second city, but refuses to take little brother syndrome in its rivalry with Havana. Indeed Santiago claims that it is rightfully the capital of the ‘new’ post Revolution Cuba. After all it was here that the first skirmishes of revolution took place in 1956 on that fateful […]
Hasta La Vista Havana – Part Two
From the moment we received an unexpected mojito welcome at the ace Casavana, our time in Havana had been brilliant. Would day two keep up the enjoyment? You bet. First port of call was the iconic Hotel Nacional, where we would be staying that evening as the first part of out organised tour with G […]
Viva Fidel – You Cannot Bury Ideas
Everybody in Cuba proudly knows the story of how lawyer turned general Fidel Castro swept to power in 1959 following the revolution that ousted the corrupt dictator and U.S. ally President Batista. The revolution’s success was pronounced during a two-hour long speech by the new leader from the balcony of a municipal building in Santiago […]
Hey You – A World Icon
Before I visited Cuba I had of course heard of Che Guevara. Now I feel I know him. Che was born in Rosario in 1928, Argentinian but part Irish through his paternal grandparents. All his life he struggled with asthma, but this did not stop him loving and playing rugby and qualifying as a doctor. Ernesto […]
Cuba – A Series Of Fortunate Events
Unless you are a voluntary resident of Guantanamo Bay you will not see a Starbucks or a McDonald’s in Cuba (yet)! As you will soon become very aware, I had a fabulous trip to the largest island in the Caribbean very recently, accompanied by Mrs Wilbur and best travel buddy Hamish. We spent a few […]
