I have had many exciting and fun vacations over the years and one of those was taking a cruise to Cuba. I traveled to Cuba last summer with my family and a few other close relatives. Even before we got there it was exciting as Cuba just recently open back up to American tourists in 2015. From the start it was unclear if our trip would end up getting canceled until a few weeks before which added anticipation. This was because President Trump was expected to make a decision on whether or not to keep Cuba open to the U.S. Luckily for us Cuba stayed open for the time being.
We took the cruise through the Norwegian cruise line and it turned out to be half of the fun. The day and a half trip there was full of onboard entertainment from seeing a comedian at a show to playing games like shuffleboard and swimming in one of the many pools. As we sailed towards Cuba in the early morning it was cool to see the Cuban coast line off in the distance as we approached Havana. I wasn’t really sure what to expect as we docked in Port Havana. Right away I noticed it was like a glimpse into the past as cars from the 1940s and 50s lined the streets. The city itself looked historic as the majority of the buildings appeared to be crumbling with age.
The day started out with a tour of Havana in the old historic cars. First our tour guide drove us through the city and told us more about Havana and what it was like living there. The first full stop was the Christopher Columbus cemetery as it was the largest in Cuba and an important part of their culture after one passes away. It sounds like a cemetery would be an unusual spot to visit but it was popular among tourists to learn more about Cuban culture and to see all of the architecture within the cemetery. The next stop was Revolutionary square where Fidel Castro gave his famous speeches to the public. All around Cuba you could see propaganda about the Cuban Revolution with posters at shops to large sculptures of political figures on the sides of buildings. Havana seemed like it was a safe city to be in but at the same time there was evidence that it was still a communist country. It was a very unique experience to hear what the local people thought about the Revolution and how it was different from my prospective coming from the U.S. Overall Cuba was one of my most exciting places that I have been fortunate enough to travel to and I have viewed it as a once in a lifetime experience. I recommend visiting Havana if you ever get presented with the opportunity.