Alton, Illinois and Saint Louis, Missouri (June 20, 2025)

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Alton’s location at the confluence of three navigable rivers (the Illinois, the Mississippi, and the Missouri) pretty much guaranteed its eventually becoming a river trading town. The railroad and grain silos of the 19th and 20th centuries established it as an influential commercial center for a large agricultural area. The city rises steeply from the waterfront affording residents of the old Victorian Queen Ann style homes sweeping views of the Mississippi. Several stone churches and an impressive city hall are testament to a prosperous period in the city’s history.

It has a few other claims to fame as well.
1) Alton, in the then free state of Illinois, is just across the river from Missouri, a former slave state. It became a stop on the Underground Railroad popular with abolitionist, pro-slavery activists, and slave catchers. 
2) It was the site of the last Abraham Lincoln/Stephen Douglas debate for the 1858 senate race.
3) Speaking of Abe, his only duel was here.
4) Alton native Robert Wadlow, listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest man (8 feet 11.1 inches) is buried here.
5) Jazz musician Miles Davis was born here.
6) It was one of three finalists for the location of the Air Force Academy.  

We had the afternoon to check things out and spent it visiting the site where the members of Lewis and Clark’s expedition spent the winter of 1803 before beginning their grand adventure by heading up the Missouri River in the spring of 1804. There is a small fortification built to the design of the original, a washer woman’s shack, a settler’s cabin, and a small museum with a replica of the keelboat used to head West. This state historic site is well worth a visit. We stopped at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi before heading back to our riverboat for a tour of the wheelhouse where all the steering and navigating take place.

After a fabulous crab-stuffed lobster dinner we headed downstream to our port of disembarkation, Saint Louis. It took all of three hours to go the 22 miles. We enjoyed a final lecture by our resident lecturer and professional musician JoAnn Funk. She spoke about the people past and present who live on the river: families affectionately known at river rats who spent their entire lives on motorless shanty boats; kayakers and canoers who still paddle the 2,340 miles from the headwaters of the Mississippi to New Orleans; the 30,000 tow boat employees working on western rivers; and Loopers, those hearty folks who complete the 6,000 mile continuous waterway that circumnavigates the eastern U.S.

Tomorrow Cyd and Rick will head to their respective homes, and Dan and I will stay on for one night with our pal of 50 years, Pat. We all agreed that the 611-mile trip through 24 locks and five states was thoroughly enjoyable and worth our time and money.

Hannibal, Missouri (June 19, 2025)

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The historic town of Hannibal is celebrated around the world as the boyhood home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain (1835–1910). He drew from his childhood settings for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The numerous historical sites associated with him and places depicted in his writings attract both American and international tourists who continue to contribute significantly to the Hannibal economy.

This area dropped onto the national consciousness after its acquisition as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Hannibal was laid out in 1819 but was not much of a boomtown as evidenced by the fact that it had attracted all of 30 residents by 1830. Just like so many of these river cities, it took increased steamboat traffic and construction of railroads to stimulate growth. By 1850 (Sam Clemens was 15 by then) Hannibal boasted 2,020 residents and grew from there.

We were met on the pier by a cute, dressed-in-period-clothing Tom Sawyer and his crush, Becky. These two are at the end of their year-long tenure and will be replaced by a new couple being selected right now actually. They encouraged pictures and chatted with us like the PR vets that they are. After their warm greeting we strolled the few blocks to Main Street and started exploring the historic, charming, manicured downtown. We shopped, went to Becky’s house, Mark Twin’s house, and to the museum which proudly houses a collection of Norman Rockwell originals based on the nation’s love of a good tale by Mark Twain.

Hannibal is also the birthplace of Margaret Brown (1867-1932), posthumously known as the “Unsinkable Molly Brown” of Titanic fame. The cottage where she was born is now the Molly Brown Birthplace and Museum. A costumed Molly B. came aboard and spoke about her life and times. We were spellbound for an hour. Mark Twin himself dropped by this evening to entertain us with recollections of his life, times, and guiding philosophies. He looked the part in his white three-piece suit and jaunty mustache. He, like Molly, were among our favorite emtertainers.

We’re all heading to bed amazed that tomorrow will be our last day on the water.

... Fun Facts …

Cement for the Empire State Building and the Panama Canal
was manufactured down the road form here.

Cyd, Dan, and I have visited Molly B.’s Denver home.

In 1971, on our way to Dan’s first Army assignment, he and I spent a fun day here.

Davenport, Iowa (June 18, 2025)

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We had to hit the ground running in order to take a peek at this fine city known for being the home of chiropractic care in the U.S. (1895), the largest roller dam in the world, and the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi. Since we were docked a quick four hours only, there was no time to sample their famous cut-in-strips-with-scissors pizza or to stop at United Service Motors, the antique shop owned by American Pickers’ Robbie Wolfe.

My sidekicks chose to visit the John Deere Pavilion where they had the opportunity to climb in and out of huge pieces of farm equipment, some worth in excess of $1,000,000! This would surely not have been allowed had management known how shiftless my pals are known to be.

I decided to visit the Mississippi Spoon Museum. That’s right, there is such a thing! The inheritance of her great grandmother’s spoon collection inspired the owner of the museum to add to the collection. 38,162 spoons later and you have a Guinness World Record holder. We were shown spoons designed to be used, others designed for display, others to honor those living and dead, and others that were used to promote newspaper subscriptions and tourist destinations. They come from all over the world and highlight the artistry and historical relevance depicted in the spoons. Of particular fascination to me were the plique-a-jour spoons which look like stained glass, the ones with petite pointe at the end of the handle, and the Egypt collection. This last collection has three spoons with mummy coffins at the end of the handle. Each coffin houses a removable mini-mummy. Two others have little reed baskets at the end of the handle with a removable baby (Moses?) inside.

We all could have stayed longer at our chosen activity, but not wanting to be left behind, we returned to the boat and headed south right on time. Lunch, cookie time (3:00 pm), a lecture on freshwater mussels and the pearl button industry, cocktails, dinner, and the evening’s entertainment (Music of the Mississippi) flushed out another lovely day.

… Sidebars …

The river runs east and west here … for 14 miles.

Rock Island Arsenal and John Deere are the largest employers here.

Palmer College of Chiropractic remains one of the most prestigious chiropractic schools globally.

The first steamboat was put in the river in 1811.
4,000 steamboats were on the river at the height of that era.

The first railway bridge across the river lasted all of two weeks thanks to a steamboat running into it. Accident? Intentional? Foul play? Practical joke?
Trains being seen as steamboats’ main competition, it was assumed it was not an accident.
The railroads needed legal counsel to press for their rights.
Abraham Lincoln was hired to represent them.

At the height of the pearl button era (pre-plastic), half of the world’s buttons
came from the Mississippi and its tributaries!
It was the most profitable inland fisheries business in the country at one time.

Dubuque, Iowa (June 17, 2025)

~ scheleandtell ~ 1 Comment

This fair city, the oldest in Iowa, is situated at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region locally known as the Tri-State Area. It is home to the world’s shortest, steepest scenic railway, known as the Fenelon Place Elevator, as well as the fifth largest collection of Tiffany glass in the world. With the Field of Dreams movie site just 26 miles west, Dubuque is also a great jumping off point for baseball fans planning a visit.

With our first sunny day as motivation, the four of us were up, fed, and on the 9:00 o’clock bus ready to explore downtown Dubuque. We were particularly intrigued by the Tiffany glass, so our first stop was at Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church, famous for being Iowa’s earliest congregation. In 1834 the faithful built a 20 by 26 log structure at the cost of $255. The large limestone church we visited today replaced the original church in 1897.

A fabulous docent was waiting to share her enthusiasm for the church, its windows, and its Corvette gold pipe organ. She explained that members of the church attended the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 looking for innovative ideas for the church they were planning to build to replace the log structure. They were smitten by the Tiffany display and decided on the spot that the new church windows should be Tiffany. When the new church was finished it included five large and 90 small Tiffany windows. Two were added in 1916 and two more in the 1930s. The fun docent explained how innovative Tiffany was in terms of layering glass for certain effects (to create shadows, for example), creating a couple thousand colors of glass, and using small pieces.

As a complete change of pace we headed to the Fenelon funicular. Sure enough it is not only short at 296 feet and steep with a rise of 189 feet, it has a fun story. Most of what is now downtown Dubuque is in the flood plain. Anyone who could afford to do so worked in town but lived at the top of a bluff out of harm’s way. Mr. Graves was one of the fortunate ones. Dubuque was what was known as an hour and a half town meaning everything shut down at noon for an hour and half so folks could go home for their midday meal. Mr. Graves’ buggy ride up the hill was 30 minutes and another 30 to get back down the hill which hardly allowed time for a meal and a short nap. Why not build a one-car cable like those in the Alps? In July of 1882, Mr. Grave’s gardner let him down the hill in the morning for his two and a half block walk to work and back up at noon and back down after his short nap and back up at the end of the day. Problem solved.

This private shortcut slowly morphed into a neighborhood shortcut at $0.05 a pop to a community lift at $0.10 a pop. We rode up and back for $2.00 each way in what was remodeled in 1977 and enjoyed nice views and a chat with the fun, overall-clad station master.

Determined to cram in two more stops before lunch, we headed first to the Julian Hotel, named in honor of the French Canadian fur trapper for whom the city is named, Julian Dubuque. Beautifully restored and decorated, it has been a luxury landmark in town since the 1930s famous for hosting the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Buffalo Bill, Mark Twain, and Al Capone.

No time to doddle, so off we went to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium where we enjoyed two videos and saw interesting displays about the history, science, and wildlife of the Mississippi.

Lunch, like all of our other meals, was delicious. My three wingmen went back downtown to shop after wiping out their bread pudding and ice cream and I stayed behind to read and relax before the 4:00 o’clock presentation on the golden era of the steamboat.

Our day ended with dinner, a preview of tomorrow, and entertainment.

… Fun Facts about Dubuque …

One of the two casinos in town is a nonprofit. Really.
Annual profits are split equally between the city, the casino, and local outreach programs.

Some of the windows in the White House were made here back in the day.

The courthouse has a gold dome visible from all over town.

There is no record of what St. Lukes’s paid for its famous windows less the last one.
The bill of sale for it said $3,000 less 10% if paid in cash.

All Day on the Water (June 16, 2025)

~ scheleandtell ~ 2 Comments

Nothing like a lazy day on the river. It demands sleeping late and easing into the day, so that’s exactly what we did.

I joined Cyd and Rick this morning for a poignant celebration of those among us who are or were first responders, served in the military, and supported on the sidelines as steadfast family members. After the formal part of the program (please stand if you …. ), the floor was open to anyone who wanted to speak. Quite a few heeded the call and gave moving tributes to family members past and present. One man spoke of an uncle at Iwo Jima and another on the beaches of Normandy. Another spoke in recognition of the walking wounded whose traumas are not visible but nonetheless real and debilitating. A woman spoke on behalf of the thousands of unrecognized women whose service and sacrifice were at times denied by our own government. A nurse gave a brief tribute to Vietnam era medics, 90% of whom were killed in action, and yet another recognized the human loss when the Pentagon was hit on September 11. A man shared the story of his grandmother who sent five sons to war, all of whom returned. The whole celebration was beautifully done and moving. Had Dan chosen to attend he would have been the one who served the longest, 34 years. His closest contender was 29 years.

The day was overcast and warm, so I enjoyed relaxing on the top deck before an al fresco turkey wrap lunch. The ride was smooth and quiet all day. A well used train track runs along the west side of the river. We passed quite a few grain barges being pushed up river, saw lots of birds, and passed an enterprise where grain was being loaded onto barges. From what I could tell, today it was corn. The shoreline is a brilliant green smothered in trees and the water a muddy brown.

A presentation on wildlife along the river took us to happy hour followed by dinner, a stroll along the riverwalk at our next dock, and finally the evening’s entertainment, Travis Turpin. All in all a nice down day that’s left us rested and ready to explore tomorrow.

La Crosse, Wisconsin (June 15, 2025)

~ scheleandtell ~ 1 Comment

Who wouldn’t want to explore the city that got in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the Most Bars on a Single Street? With an even greater number of brothels back in the day, you can image what a lively river town this had to have been. Just like most of the towns along the river that were negatively impacted by the popularity of rail transport, La Crosse faded into the background for quite a while. Riverboat and Great River Road travelers, tourism, eco-tourism, and forward-thinking civic leaders have breathed new life into this quaint, ultra-tidy small city with a population of 50,000.

We were docked at a lovely and welcoming waterside park before sunrise and had all day and half the night to explore. Dan and I chose a city tour for our morning activity. Our guide looked just like a page out of a Huck Finn book. He told us to be prepared for beautiful, old, well designed architecture as well as what he called prison chic or Soviet Block atrocities which are high on concrete and right angles and low on windows and anything that resembles inspired design. Sure enough, as soon as we passed the post office and a few other public buildings we were on the same page. Thankfully these uglies are outnumbered by new and old homes and buildings that we all agreed were far more attractive.

We made two stops on the tour, the first at the Hixon House, home to La Crosse’s first power couple. Mr. Hixon was a very successful businessman (think lumber) and politician and Mrs. Hixon was a philanthropist who made La Crosse the center of her good works. Their home, built in 1858, was lived in by family for 100 years. Ninety percent of the contents are original to the home. The Hixons traveled the world and decorated in a way that showed off the lovely things they treasured from their travels. Having nothing to do with travel, we were particular intrigued by the huge built-in, walk-in refrigerator cooled with ice blocks that were loaded from the outside and a large cast iron stove that could be fueled by gas, coal, or wood.

Our second stop was on Granddad Bluff which was destined to be quarried for its limestone but purchased by Mrs. Hixon and made into a bluff-top park. From the top we had a nice view of the inner city marsh, half man made and half preexisting, as well as views of the city and river below.

This city that Money Magazine lists among the top 50 cities in the country was a white pine forest when under the stewardship of First Nations people. Beer, lumber, railroads, and sawmills turned it into what we see today. We drove past the impressive homes of the enterprising few who lead the charge and were made wealthy by their industriousness.

Today La Crosse is known for being home to a satellite Mayo Clinic and Gundersen Clinic as well as two universities, and …wait for it Cleone… Kwik Trip.

By the time we digested all this information we were ready for a relaxing lunch on board before heading back out to take advantage of a hop on/hop off bus. First was a quick stop to see a statue of the patron saint of beer, King Gambrinus. Seriously! Then off we went to a small, beautifully maintained car museum owned by the Dahl family which has been in the car biz here since 1911. The original Mr. Dahl received Model T car parts by rail. It was his responsibility to assemble the cars, sell them, and offer driving lessons. Today the Dahls have 14 stores that represent eight brands.

La Crosse has a small Heritage Center which has displays highlighting the city’s past. Three things were of particular interest to me. First was the button industry that harvested freshwater mussels for their shells. For 33 years there was a button factory here that produced, at its height, 3,000 shell buttons an hour! The second thing I was fascinated with was the Leona. A woman-owned business designed and produced an undergarment, the Leona, that was worn next to the skin under a corset. And lastly, the Center displayed intricate story cloths that tell the story of the Hmong people over the centuries. La Crosse first welcomed Hmong refugees in 1976. They now represent 60% of the Asian population in the county.

We strolled slowly through the downtown area back to the dock. I went ahead and Dan stayed behind to shop and explore the side streets.

Cyd and Rick did exactly the same as we but the hop on/hop off in the morning and the city tour in the afternoon. One thing we all missed was a garden complex near the dock. It has a small section installed by each of La Crosse’s sister cities around the world. After dinner we decided to stroll down and check it out.

We all agreed it was a great second day on the water. It wetted our appetites for what’s ahead.

… Cheese …

Much to our amazement we learned that Wisconsin is the third largest producer of cheese
in the world behind Germany and France and just ahead of Italy.

90% for Wisconsin’s dairy is used to make cheese.

80-90% of the labor in this industry is documented and undocumented immigrants.

Cruising the Upper Mississippi (June 14-20, 2025)

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We cruisers were bused one hour south to Red Wing where our vessel, American Cruise Lines’ American Melody, and crew were waiting for us. Our arrival coincided beautifully with lunch. We pulled away from the dock at 2:00 and spent the afternoon connecting to the cruise portal, getting on Wi-Fi, unpacking, and attending an orientation.

Before we knew it, it was time to strap on the ole feed back again. In honor of Flag Day, the Army’s 250th birthday, and Rick’s service during the Vietnam War, Dan brought table decorations, treats, and a small gift for Cyd and Rick. Had we known there’d be a WWII vet (97 years old) and his Korean War vet neighbor (93) on board, Dan would have brought a few more flags and gifts.

Dan and I cruised the Lower Mississippi a few years back and are excited to see this section of the second longest river in North America. In most ways I anticipate it to be a total contrast. Where the Upper is forested with rolling hills, bluffs, and clear water, the Southern is flat with bayous, floodplains, swamps, deltas, and consistently murky water. The Upper has four distinct seasons with snowy winters and cool springs while the Southern is hot and humid with mild winters. The Upper was influenced largely by Scandinavians and German-Americans while the Southern has strong African American, Creole, and Cajum cultural influences. The alligators, herons, and catfish of the south will be replaced by river otters, bald eagles, and deer in the north.

The guest lecturer confirmed some of my suspicions during her fabulous lecture this afternoon plus had a load of fun facts about the Mighty Mississippi. For example, we now know folks were here as long as 12,000 years ago. The headwaters of the river are in Minnesota, 230+ miles north of our starting point. There is only one natural fall in the river. Nature spent thousands of years creating the Lower Mississippi. The presenter explained the underwater walls called wingdams that were installed in certain places to self-dredge the river. On and On she went with explanations of all sorts of things from locks to fuel charges to the tributaries feeding this river.

Before calling it a day we had a delicious red snapper dinner, took advantage of an overview of tomorrow’s port, and tapped along to a lively Do-Whopping Along the River performance by a young local duo. Popcorn and ice cream sundaes were offered to tide us all over until breakfast tomorrow.

We headed to bed excited to explore a few stops along our 611-mile journey that will take us past five states and through 24 dams.

... The Mississippi Dams …

The purpose of the dams and locks is to hold back water to maintain a nine foot channel.

There are no locks and dams south of Saint Louis.

Saint Paul, Minnesota (June 12-13, 2025)

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If you’re going to go all this way to hop on a riverboat, why not come a day early and rest up for the big event? Our thought exactly!

Besides the chicken and wild rice soup at lunch and the nap after, the highlights of yesterday revolved around three fun people. The first two were our flight attendants who were friendly, hard working, well meaning, and funny. The lead attendant started the flight by suggestion we embrace her word for the day: kindness. She said it spreads easily … just like peanut butter and jelly. The other flight attendant did not have a word for the day but she was bubbling over with good humor and enthusiasm for her job.

The other fun guy was our Somali cab driver. Dressed in a grey dishdasha and speaking Way Too Loud for the size of the cab, he started in on how he has lived the American Dream the last 28 years, raised four children, college educated professionals one and all, and lives in a sate of gratitude. He explained that Saint Paul/Minneapolis has the largest Somali community in the country, and a vibrant and supportive one it is. He turned the conversation from him to us by asking where our trip began. When we said Virginia the floodgates opened! In summary and to put it mildly, President Trump is Not His Guy! Oh boy, has the president not heard of the “balances and checks” intentionally designed into our system of government? We had a lot of laughs during the short ride and assured him we’d do what we could when we got home. As we parted he left us with a loud, “Vote! Share the message to VOTE!”

We rounded out the day with a short walk in the rain, a stop at Walgreens, and a shared meal in the hotel. A relaxing start to the trip.

Today, cruisers continued to arrive at our downtown hotel, The Saint Paul Hotel. It was built in 1910, has been beautifully maintained, and is famous for having hosted the likes of five US presidents, royalty, gangsters, movie stars, and athletes. Mother would give it her personal seal of approval knowing Lawrence Welk played here back in the day. Gene Autry’s week-long stay would have Cleone’s stamp, and Dan has given it his stamp of approval because of the chicken pot pie he had for lunch today. He followed that with a wedge of carrot cake the size of Minnesota.

The day was cool, wet, and windy, not the kinda day that inspires much exploring. Dan did venture to the cathedral a mile and a half away, one might say to work off the humongous pot pie and cake. I on the other hand chose to relax in the beautiful hotel with my book and iPad.

Two of the new arrivals this afternoon were Cyd and Rick, our travel buddies this trip. They arrived in time to settle in before we met for a fun dinner in the hotel bar. We made it an early night, so we’d have ample time to organize our bags for a 7:00 AM pickup tomorrow.

Back to Havana (March 23, 2025)

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One final day in Havana, and a full one it was! It was cultural immersion from start to finish.

We started by exploring San Jose Handicraft Market, a huge two-story marketplace. Upstairs was dedicated to paintings and downstairs to handicrafts. From there we went to Callejon de Hamel, an impressive community project aimed at promoting Afro-Cuban pride through traditional music, dance, crafts, and entrepreneurship. Three enthusiastic drummers and two spirited dancers in traditional costumes performed lively numbers for us.

It was interesting to visit Hotel National, THE place to be pre-embargo. It was designed by a New York architect; built in the 1930s; is on the list of national monuments; was favored by the American mafia as well as the who’s who in politics, entertainment, and sports; and blacklisted by the U.S. (meaning Americans cannot stay there). The hotel and grounds are gorgeous.

Today’s noon meal was a little different in that we had a charming guest speaker: 84-year-old Rolando Macias, reputed to be Cuba’s best pitcher ever. When not selling charcoal or peanuts as a child he was playing baseball. When he was 16, scouts came from the United States, and the Cincinnati Reds offered him a contract. He declined for four reasons: he was illiterate; he did not want to leave his mom and grandmother who had raised him; his skin color; and contracts then are not what they have morphed into. He had a second chance in 1967 when the New York Giants offered him a contract and in 1969 when the Brooklyn Dodgers did the same. Although Macias was literate by then (thanks to Castro’s literacy program), Castro’s regime forbade Cuban players from signing major league baseball contracts, and Macias did not want to defect. He continued to play at home and led Cuba to gold medals in the Pan American Games in 1963, 1971, and 1975. Did I mention his 21-game winning streak? He retired in 1978 and devoted the next 22 years to coaching youth teams that earned four world championships.

After lunch we popped by Floridita, a bar and restaurant favored by Hemmingway, and took turns having our picture taken with a life-size bronze Hemmingway situated in a corner of the bar.

One of our favorite activities of the whole trip was a lecture and discussion with charismatic Camilo Garcia Lopez-Trigo, a 20-year diplomat who served in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Nations. He is currently a political science professor with a few side hustles including meeting with groups like ours. He discussed the current political policies between the U.S. and Cuba, the history behind those policies, and the devastating impact they have had and continue to have on Cuba. He explained that the embargo of 1962 was bad enough, but two other acts were devastating. 1992’s Cuban Democracy Act prohibits vessels visiting Cuba from entering a U.S. harbor for six months and 1996’s Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act lays out consequences for countries that do business with Cuba. The net result of all this is that the ordinary citizen lacks things as run of the mill as soap, food, and basic medications. Fuel shortages limit mobility and antiquated utilities’ infrastructure necessitates blackouts.

Our final activity of the trip was a little more uplifting: touring around town in classic American cars. Our little parade of six vehicles drove through iconic neighborhoods, through former Chinatown (all the Chinese left in the early 1960s), and past the fort, gorgeous capitol building, monuments, Bacardi Rum headquarters, and streets in dire need of a major facelift. Dan, Cyd, and I shared a 1958 Buick that had been converted from an automatic on the column to a standard transmission on the floor. Our driver, the owner, has a couple other oldies-but-goodies at home to include a 1948 Dodge that his wife drives. Our tour ended at a lovely restaurant for our farewell dinner.

Most nationalities have been able to travel freely in Cuba, but Americans have had to read the shifting sands over the years. Between 1962 and 2015 travel was mostly limited to Cuban Americans visiting family. Commercial flights to and from the U.S. resumed in 2015-2016. Cruise travel was banned in 2019. In 2021 group educational travel was sanctioned as were flights beyond Havana. All said and done we are grateful to have had the chance to visit this beautiful, historic, struggling island republic. We leave confused by the U.S. sanctions against Cuba and fearful that the current administration will tighten the screws even more.

Everyone will scatterer in different directions tomorrow morning, happy to have had this unique opportunity. Sandy and Alan are off to Charleston for a week; Walter, Cleone, and Barb are headed home; and Cyd, Dan, and I are off to Tampa to impose on Cyd’s daughter and her family for a few days.

Cienfuegos and the Bay of Pigs, Cuba (March 22, 2025)

~ scheleandtell ~ 1 Comment

And we’re off again, this time to Cienfuegos. But not before I had given away three bars of soap, two shampoos, two granola bars, and breakfast leftovers. One lady gave me a hug!

During the drive we saw in the distance the mountains used by counter-government groups in the early 1960s. The landscape was incredibly rocky in places. We drove past small farms, horses tethered along side the road, forested areas, small farms, areas overrun with scrub brush, and very modest single-story stucco homes. Fence lines integrated wooden posts with existing trees, sometimes with cactus planted between the posts and trees. The ocean was often visible on the left side of the bus.

Cienfuegos differs from the other cities that we have visited in that it was not colonized by the Spanish, in fact it was not colonized at all. Spain recruited the French of Louisiana and France to settle the area in the 1800s. The town square is gorgeous with large, impressive buildings, a bandstand, statues, and green space. One of the impressive buildings is the Teatro Tomas Terry built in the Italian style and adorned with Carrara marble. It is still in use today. We were able to go inside the beautiful theater to enjoy the frescoes on the ceiling, peek into the private boxes, and visit the intermission rooms.

We also visited the Palacio Municipal across the square from the theatre. A classically trained five-piece ensemble known as Concerto Sur gave us a wonderful private concert before inviting us to dance with them and ask questions. The men wore black slacks and matching maroon guayabera, and the women wore black heals and matching black dresses. I mention their outfits because they were in total contrast to the other ensemble that we loved so much who were dressed super casual in whatever suited their fancy; three men performed wearing baseball caps (CrossFit, Police, LA).

Once back on the bus, we enjoyed the ride to Playa Larga at the head of the historic Bay of Pigs where the disastrous invasion, referred to by some as a perfect failure, took place in April 1961. We had a delicious family style lunch (octopus, chicken, beans and rice, custard) at a family-run privately-owned business. While we enjoyed lunch a naturalist spoke about the wildlife at nearby Cienaga de Zapata National Park. He explained that while the entire population of Cuba has suffered during the American embargo, most especially the poor, wildlife has rebounded and in some cases flourished. Cuba has healthy coral beds, the largest wetlands in the Caribbean, gorgeous snails known for their colorful shells, and 400 species of birds, 299 of which pass through the Bay of Pigs area.

By the way, this is how the Bay of Pigs came by this strange name: Feral pigs had the run of the place back in the day, so the bay with all the pigs became the Bay of Pigs. Fun fact: Bacon-centered businesses sprang up due to the abundance of pigs.

After a short walk on the beach we continued to Havana and checked into our hotel for the final two nights.

… Worth Mentioning … 

All toilet tissue, no matter how soiled, goes into a receptacle near the toilet, not in the toilet itself.

Some toilets flushed and others had to be flushed with a bucket of water
provided by an attendant (tip please) at the public restrooms.

There are two state-owned bus companies.
All buses are imported from China.
We used the number painted on the side of the bus to tell ours apart
from the others that looked identical.

The first car arrived in country from France in 1898. Two more came in 1899.
American cars dominated the market from the time they arrived in 1900 until the embargo in 1960.
100,000 cars were imported a year during Cuba’s boom days.
No spare parts for American models were allowed in country after 1960 with the exception of a very short period during the Obama administration. The fact that so many old cars are still running is a testament to the ingenuity of their very proud owners.

We have used tap water to bathe and wash hands only, never for drinking or brushing our teeth.
We only requested ice at restaurants when Pebbles gave us the OK.

Tourist hotels and some private establishments have generators in order to guarantee power during blackouts. Often they are not turned on until the hotel has confirmation that a group is on its way.

All young men in Cuba must do two years of public service.
Young women can volunteer to serve.

American and Russian vaccines for Covid 19 were not available here, so Cuba created their own.

Cuba is home to the cha cha cha.