I read Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana in 2018 and absolutely adored it. You can read my review of that book here. Somehow, I never got around to reading the sequel 2019. I rectified that situation in April this year! The author mentions that Next Year in Havana was meant to be a stand-alone […]
Latino Christmas Are you ready for your Christmas celebrations? I’m slowly but surely getting there. Today, I want to share with you some Christmas traditions in Latin America. I love the charm and crisp beauty of a white Christmas. Songs and poems and even movies pay homage to that imagery, after all. While the sentiments […]
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity–and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution… Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba’s high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country’s […]
The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 15, 1962 with the US discovery of the USSR’s building of medium-range missile sites in Cuba. The resulting stand-off between the world’s two opposing super powers would not end until November of the same year. On October 22, 1962, President John. F. Kennedy announced, in a televised speech […]
August 8, 1955 Fidel Castro forms the “26th of July Movement“, the Cuban revolutionary organization that would dominate the face of Cuban history for more than half a century. July 26, 1953 was the date on which a small group of revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro, attacked the military Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The […]
Happy Friday! Are you ready for some spicy Spanish music to get your feet moving? I’ve got a Friday Song for you… La canción de viernes: Baila Casanova by Paulina Rubio This song was released in both Spanish and English versions in 2002 by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio. The video was filmed in the National Palace of the Dominican Republic and […]
It’s almost the weekend again and I’ve got a Friday Song for you… La canción de viernes: Cuando Me Enamoro by Enrique Iglesias and featuring Juan Luis Guerra I must say I love me some Enrique. My husband also insists Enrique looks a lot like him. I say they both trace their roots back to the Iberian Peninsula… […]
Before heading back to Havana for one last taste of the city and our departure from the island, we will spend a day in Santa Clara. You can catch up with the tour here: Day 1 and Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Days 7 and 8 Visit Santa Clara […]
Today we will spend hours exploring the wonders of Trinidad, Cuba. This historical gem is a UNESCO world heritage site. You can catch up with the tour here: Day 1 and Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Visit the Valle de los Ingenios and Manaca Iznaga Explore the city with […]
We head towards central Cuba, passing through more beautiful beaches and historic towns. You can catch up with the tour here: Day 1 and Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Depart for Trinidad, enjoying the sites along the way. Drive towards the centre of the country along the legendary Bay of Pigs […]