A layover in Miami seemed like a sensible idea since our connecting flight to Cuba is from here. Plus, a short stay marries up well with a Cuba adventure because Florida is home to the largest communities of Cuban Americans in the U.S. with the Miami community far larger than all the rest.

Our cab ride to the hotel was a total hoot. The driver (and his wife, for that matter) hails originally from the Dominican Republic and made his way here via New York City. He told us he’s semi-retired and loves travel and dancing. How can one marry up those two interests? Take cruises! Easy peasy. Europe is their favorite destination. We shared travel tips and recommendations all the way to the hotel. He sprinkled “Oh my gawd,” “Forget about it,” and “Are you kidding me?” throughout which made us laugh harder. His wife called and he said, “I better take this or she’ll kill me.” More chuckles.

Walter and Cleone, two of our travel buddies, met us in the lobby of our downtown hotel. We had a light dinner of fabulous beef empanadas and wings in the very unassuming hotel bar and enjoyed the cheerful energy of our fun waiter Franky who talked us into sharing a chocolate fondant dessert. He delighted in telling us we were the very first customers to enjoy this treat.

We spent two relaxing days exploring. Highlights include having a fabulous dinner with our cruise broker of many years, Annie, and her husband, Alex, both of Cuban descent; enjoying a city tour from the top deck of a hop on hop off bus; learning just enough about the free center city tram to get from place to place; cruising around the private islands in the bay at sunset; enjoying Wynwood’s street art; and relaxing before our next big adventure. A visit to the History Museum was enhanced by the knowledgeable guides leading school groups around. Among other things we picked up the gem that the development of the area was based on four Gs: gold, glory, God, and the Gulf Stream. Not exactly a highlight, but we did share sidewalk space with a delivery robot about the size of a picnic cooler.

Trivia buffs will surely appreciate these few random facts. Juan Ponce de Leon arrived in 1513 and promptly claimed the area for Spain and named it Florida. Few cities have been founded by women, so it was fun to learn that Cleveland, Ohio’s own Julia Tuttle founded Miami in the late 1800s. Port Miami is the busiest cruise port in the world with over 5 million passengers annually. Sand was dredged from the ocean floor to create many of Florida’s man-made beaches, including Miami beach. I could go on but enough already.

Although our tour group is 14 strong, we have a little contingent of eight in our friend circle. Cyd flew in from Arkansas and Barb from North Carolina last night and Sandy and Alan came down from Virginia this afternoon. Our whole group will unite in Havava.

… Come Prepared …

Other than at hotels and some restaurants, toilet paper is not provided. We’re coming prepared.

Debit, credit, and ATM cards from U.S. banks do not work in Cuba.

No need to change money, the dollar is accepted everywhere and much preferred to Cuban pesos.

Wi-Fi is available at major hotels but might not be relivable. No other service is available to Americans.

Our boarding passes are proof of the mandatory health insurance.
It is included in the price of the airline ticket.