CUBA & MORE

There were two countries in this world that I never thought I would visit - India & Cuba. Earlier this year we toured India & we returned from a cruise to Cuba a couple days ago. Our Oceania Cruise Lines ten day excursion left Miami on November 30.

The Miami skyline at dusk just before the "Sirena" set sail. We heard it pronounced Sir-eh-nah, Serena (like the tennis player) & Si-rene-a. I have no idea which is correct.

It is one of our self-imposed rules to have a tropical drink as we sail off on another adventure!

The Oceania Sirena is the smallest ocean liner ship we have vacationed on with only 640 passengers. It is billed as a luxury ship & is the most upscale of our cruises this far. The service is amazing & the small crowds are far more civilized than the huge party ships - but both are fun!

The Grand Staircase. One of the things that impressed me most was there was not one photographer anywhere on the ship. That was refreshing! They have no formal nights either. Just good old-fashioned cruising.

We hit the ground running arriving in Havana the next day! Our first tour was titled "The Life of Hemingway."

As our ship approached the dock this was our first view of Old Havana.

Looking back at the entrance to the bay you can see the lighthouse at the tip of land on the right. That is one of the many fortresses protecting the city of Havana also on the right. You can click on any photo to enlarge it.

Our first stop was the home of U.S. author Ernest Hemingway. It was here that Hemingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls"& "The Old Man & the Sea". Built in 1886, the house was purchased by Hemingway in 1940 for $12,500.

You are not allowed to enter the house but doors & windows are opened allowing great photo ops of all the rooms in the home. They are probably even better pictures since there are no tourists inside.

The story says that this is a tower which Hemingway's third of four wives insisted be built on the property to house the dogs on the first floor & an office on the third floor where her husband could write & smoke to his heart's content - outside the house..

As with any tour celebrating Ernest Hemingway, there had to be lots of alcohol. Neither of us are huge fans but our travels have taken us to his birthplace in Oak Park, Illinois, his home in Key West, Florida, & now Havana, as well as his grave site in Idaho.

Enroute to a couple of famous bars we stopped to purchase rum & cigars. This man Jose is a celebrated cigar roller. He is in the Guinness Book of Records for rolling the world's largest cigar!

La Bodeguita del Medio is Havana's most celebrated bar - made famous by "the rum swilling exploits of Ernest Hemingway" according to our tour description. It is basically a hole-in-the-wall that serves mojitos to tourists all day long. 

Of course, here I am enjoying my mojito, sort of.

Another of Hemingway's favorite haunts was El Floridito - according to Cuban legend the daiquiri was invented here in this bar in Havana soon after World War I. But it was Hemingway who popularized the drink.

This is another tourist bar which serves daiquiris to the tour patrons on a daily basis.

Here is Lou enjoying his daiquiri. I liked the daiquiris much better than the mojitos.

Cuba is famous for its 1940s & 1950s era classic cars. I learned some fascinating information regarding the cars. They are there because after the 1959 revolution, the U.S. imposed an embargo & no later model cars were shipped to Cuba to this day. They had only Russian cars & other small imports.

Now that tourism has opened up a little, the classic cars are a huge draw for island tours. Few people own cars but those who do can make a lot of money taking visitors on tours of the cities. Often times the cars have Russian engines in them & some are painted with house paint since auto paint is difficult to come by.

We signed up for a walking tour of Old Havana that evening since our ship stayed overnight & the next day our excursion explored the "Highlights of Old & New Havana."

Our tour this evening began with a meal at Sloppy Joe's which we didn't know about. We had already eaten dinner but that was good since in my opinion the Sloppy Joes at the Key West restaurant were much better. The tour then visited four plazas or squares in Old Havana which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My night photos didn't come out that great.

The next day our bus tour included a visit to Christopher Columbus Cemetery. I can't remember the exact facts but this grave is supposed to bring good luck to anyone wishing for help. It started with women struggling to get pregnant. They would come walk around the grave & hopefully conceive. You can see women still circumventing the grave site in this photo although now the "wish" can include anything.

The view from a fortress guarding the entrance to the harbor across the water to Havana There are several forts surrounding Havana harbor, all with long names that are difficult to pronounce.

A few more tricked out old cars waiting to find a paying customer for a tour of the city.

Convertibles are really popular. They add a unique feel to the city.

This statue of Jesus Christ stands 65 feet tall, weighs 320 tons & is made of white Carrara marble. The monument was created by Jilma Madera & dedicated on Christmas Day 1958.

The view of Havana from the fortress across the bay.

The plaza across from our ship's pier. Our evening walk the day before ended here. 

This was the only cruise line I could find that stopped in three different cities in Cuba. I figured if we are going there I want to see as much as possible. Next up was Cienfuegos. While both Havana & Santiago were founded in the 1500s, it was 300 years later when Cienfuegos came into existence.

The Nuestra Senora De Jagua or Our Lady of Jagua, a limestone fortress about 45 minutes outside of the city center.

Me descending the treacherous spiral staircase with only a rope railing to the lower level of the fortress. My hip actually held up pretty good for most of the tours, step climbing & walking. It was sore a few times but not bad at all.

A statue of Jose Marti, the Cuban national hero, in a park named after him.

The Arch of Triumph is also in Jose Marti Park. The tree on the right is a Royal Palm, the national tree of Cuba. It is distinguished by the smooth bark on the trunk.

Cienfuegos has some of the fanciest homes in the country.There are only a handful of these mansions & most are restaurants or the Cuban equivalent of bed & breakfasts.

This beautiful former residence is now a restaurant where we were treated to lunch. Note the tennis court in front of the mansion. This is certainly different than most of Cuba.

The pool area adjacent to the restaurant where we ate lunch. These homes back up to the Caribbean Sea.

Our last port in Cuba was Santiago de Cuba on the island's southeast coast. Lou chose the "Birthplace of the Revolution" tour which included historical sites that shaped Cuba's history in the 1950s.

An average street in Santiago de Cuba taken from our bus window. Technically, according to the U.S. government we are only allowed on group tours from the cruise lines or tour companies. Going out on your own isn't allowed but we heard a ship's officer say, "The U.S. government doesn't allow their citizens to be on their own but Cuba isn't going to stop you & we aren't going to stop you." Pretty much everyone wandered around a bit.

I think this is the Santiago City Hall. The right of the middle three balconies with blue doors is where Fidel Castro declared that the reign of dictator, Fulgencio Batista, had ended & he was the new dictator. People seem to either love or hate Castro. From what I surmised he was at least a step up from the cruel, merciless Batista.

Not sure what this is but it was a beautiful building along the main square.

Yet another classic car waiting for a paying fare to explore the city.

San Juan Hill where a decisive battle was won during the Spanish-Cuban-American war. Cubans add "Cuban" to the title of the war we call the Spanish American War.

The Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, the final resting place of Marti & Castro among others important people. The graves are guarded by armed soldiers which are changed in a ceremony every half hour. The two cemeteries we visited were beautifully maintained & elaborate while most of the population live in shacks & rundown accommodations.

The grave of Fidel Castro is basically a big rock with simply "Fidel" written on it - no last name, date of birth or death. Notice the armed guard on the left of this photo. I mean, really, is that necessary? What are they going to steal?

Unfortunately, high seas prevented our tender boats from safely taking us to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Our crew scrambled to find a new location & substitute a few tours. We were on our way to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where we had already visited so we just walked around for a hour before returning to our ship.

The view from our ship's deck of a couple hotels in Ocho Rios. We did the Dunn's River Falls trek about 15 years ago & didn't feel the need to shop.

The colorful vendor stalls look nice but I sure would like to be able to walk down a street without saying "no thank you" a couple hundred times when asked if I want a tour or some trinket. And if you even slow down they swarm you.

My sweetie with our ship in the background.

The final stop on our itinerary was a relaxing day on Great Stirrup Cay, a private island in the Bahamas. Lou rode a jet ski years before he met me & wanted to try it again. We signed up for the Wave Runner tour with me riding behind him kind of like a motorcycle on the water. Suffice it to say, there will soon be an in depth "Everyday Musings" blog post titled, "Never, Again!" - not the most pleasurable experience in my life.

The white sand beaches & aqua waters are gorgeous!

This guy was waiting patiently to greet us as we exited the tender & headed to the beach.

A dip in the Atlantic Ocean was appreciated by all.

Being born & raised in Northern California where putting your toes in the ocean can cause frostbite this water was comfortably wonderful.

That's Lou in the middle returning on his Wave Runner - AFTER the guide brought me back to solid ground halfway through this "adventure". Details soon.

Of course I have to share a few of my flower photos from Cuba & Jamaica. No captions are necessary, just some lovely flowers.

THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

It had been 35 years since I viewed Disneyland through the eyes of a seven year old - my now 42 year old son, Darrin. This past weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing "The Happiest Place on Earth" through the eyes of another seven year old, my beautiful granddaughter, Charley Ellen.

The first day was spent exploring Disney California Adventure. It had been at least 20 years since I visited Disneyland & 40 years since Lou explored the Magic Kingdom. Neither of us had been to California Adventure since it wasn't yet built.

This is the view of Pixar Pier, The Incredicoaster & the Pixar Pal-A-Round. The Pal-A-Round has stationary gondolas & ones that swing back & forth while going around. Charley & I both requested the stationary one!

The old Minnie Mouse & the young Minnie Mouse ready for a full day of adventure. I bought our Minnie ears from Amazon for $$4.00 for two. Little did I know that Minnie ears were all the rage at the parks. There were fancy, sparkly ones, theme ones & probably 20 choices. But the cost ranged from $15 to $27 & the headbands were too tight. Our cheap ones were completely comfortable & didn't hurt our heads at all.

California Adventure was just being built the last time I was at Disneyland. "Cars Land" is one of the highlights. It recreates the sleepy town of Radiator Springs on Route 66. We all love the movie "Cars" which incorporates Route 66 into its story line.

Radiator Springs Racers is the most popular ride at California Adventure. Darrin suggested making a beeline to that ride first thing then we could get a Fast Pass to ride a second time. You scan your ticket & are given a time to return to the ride where you enter a separate line that should have no more than a 10-15 minute wait - something new since I was there last. Many rides in both parks can have wait times of 60 minutes or more. 

Darrin took a selfie of the four of us in our first Radiator Springs Racer. The ride reenacts much of the movie as you ride through the town inside. Finally you & a car on another track pull up to the starting line for a race. The cars take off really fast going up & down & around curves. Our car won the first race but lost the second. Lots of fun!

On many rides there are cameras situated to take action photos of each car. Of course they would like you to purchase the photos but they are displayed briefly at the end of the ride & don't care if you snap a photo with your phone or camera which is what we did on our second ride on Radiator Springs Racers. That's Lou in the middle front & me on the right. Charley is in the middle back with Darrin on the right.

There are lots of fun rides in California Adventure but I'm still a Disneyland purist. Starting when Darrin was three we made a pilgrimage south to Disneyland every other year until he was an adult. Darrin has been back many times since then.

The Little Mermaid is a super tame ride for smaller kids. You sit in a shell & slowly traverse the scenes from the story of Ariel, The Little Mermaid.

Charley & Darrin enjoying The Little Mermaid experience.

Charley & I saw "Incredibles 2" earlier this year. Elastigirl is one of the stars. She instructed Charley & Darrin on some super hero or heroine poses for this photo op.

We happened to be right there when Mickey showed up for a photo session. He grabbed Charley's hands & danced with her for a minute before they settled into the photo shoot.

The Incredicoaster comes around the corner, does a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown then shoots off to the first hill. If you click on this photo to enlarge it, that's Lou & Darrin in the next to last car. I decided if I was going to screw up my hip any worse, it would be the next day on Space Mountain at Disneyland so I elected to not ride (even though I love roller coasters.)

Charley getting ready for the Golden Zephyr, a spinning rocket ship ride. She got into raising her arms like most people do when something is fast or up & down. This ride was pretty mild but she was into it.

The Jumping JellyFish is a ride that goes up & down but doesn't drop fast. Again if you click on it enlarge the photo, that's Charley & me riding it.

Lou & I in the Pixar Pier Pal-A-Round.

The kids loved this big ball that spun around on a layer of water.

Day Two was our all day Disneyland adventure! Charley had been fighting a bad cold with a stuffy head, coughing, etc. but she was a real trooper. Darrin did decide to take her back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap before continuing. 

The train station at the entrance to Disneyland's Magic Kingdom.

Our first stop was the "Pirates of the Caribbean". That has always been Darrin's favorite ride. One year when he was maybe 15, the "Pirates of the Caribbean" was closed for refurbishing. He was heart broken & we had to go back a few months later when it was open. The first time Charley was a little scared. But we went on it a second time before it got crowded & she loved it. I'm sure Darrin was happy that it was her favorite ride, too!

The "Haunted Mansion" was our next attraction. Everything was decorated for the holidays but I think I liked it better without all the ribbons, wreaths & bows.

"The Jungle Cruise" has been the same for 60 years I'm guessing. It is fun but the guides are still telling the same cheesy jokes & puns from a long time ago.

I thought that the Mark Twain riverboat & the Columbia sailing ship were no longer operating but both of them were making treks around the river all day.

When Darrin & Charley went back to the hotel, Lou & I took the opportunity to ride "Space Mountain". This is the boarding area. My hip did fine but the girl who worked there had to help me out of the damn thing - couldn't get my leg lifted high enough. We also rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Monorail & the Columbia sailing ship.

Back when Darrin was about nine years old we visited Disneyland with a good friend, Carol, her daughter & their school teacher who was in her 30s & had never been to Disneyland! Carol turned us on to the Blue Bayou Restaurant. It is a sit down, table service restaurant with impeccable service & excellent food.

The Blue Bayou Restaurant is in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. From the boats you can see the restaurant & the restaurant patrons can see the boats float by. We either got lucky or Darrin greased someone's hand but we had a table right at the railing where the boats went by. Before & after dinner Charley stood at the railing waving to all the boat passengers. Many people yelled "hi" back to her. I heard one woman holler, "What's your name? You are adorable." I noticed at first she just waved, then later was saying, "Arrrgh!" with her fist pumping. Finally she was doing the pageant wave where you cup your hand & just rotate it back & forth.

Waiting for our table at the Blue Bayou we all had our Mickey & Minnie shirts, not to mention the ever present Minnie ears. Darrin made the reservation & treated us to a first class meal

After dinner Charley wanted to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean for the third time so Darrin took her while Lou & I tried to get on the Indiana Jones ride which had broken down earlier & was once again inoperable.

My hip held up pretty well but by about 9 - 9:30 PM my feet were killing me. I elected to find a bench on Main Street while Darrin & Charley headed to Fantasyland & Lou watched "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln", the animated figure that walks & talks.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle all lit up & decorated for the holidays. These photos are a combination of mine, Lou's & Darrin's. When I get to Disneyland I just want to enjoy the experience & often forget about taking lots of pictures.

Charley made it to the carousel in Fantasyland around 10 pm at night. We saw & did lots of stuff but there is still more to see. I can't wait for the next time! The plan is to take Charley every other year, too. She seems to be doing better with her cold BUT Gaga started feeling it the night we dropped them off in Hayward. The cold has set in big time for me which I expected. I mean, come on, how can I not hug, kiss, hold hands & just plain love this little sweetie?

The end of two long, wonderful days with my three favorite people in the whole world!

MASS ASCENSION

Yeah, it sounds like some Catholic ritual but in actuality "Mass Ascension" is the term used when over 500 hot air balloons rise into the sky at the annual International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

I just returned from another wonderful visit with my soon-to-be seven granddaughter. Charley, her dad & I spent four days during her fall break just hanging out, playing, watching movies & having fun! Friday morning we decided to take a ride out to the Balloon Fiesta site & see what was going on.

We found this balloon hovering really low over the street. I took this photo out the front window just before our car literally drove right under the balloon. We all opened our windows, yelled "hi" & waved at the pilot who waved back!

This balloon looked like it was landing just to the side of the road. You can just get a glimpse of these trees in the lower left corner of the above photo.

That was such fun that we checked out the schedule for the weekend where we discovered the "Mass Ascension" on Saturday morning at 7 AM. The three of us decided to go for it & Darrin bought us tickets. You can drive but they recommended one of the four bus transportation locations that bypass all the traffic into the field. These events usually attract over 80,000 spectators.

If you are not a morning person (like me), you have to really suck it up since they suggest arriving by 6 AM which we did after getting up at 4:30 AM. The place was packed with spectators as the early "dawn patrol" balloons go up first to check the wind speed & direction.

Since the burners are ignited every few seconds to keep the balloons rising these photos were really hard to get. I tried to anticipate when they would crank up the flames to get these photos. I also have about 20 that are pretty much black.

We were bundled up in the chilly New Mexico morning. Charley had the great idea to go over by this balloon that was using its burner to heat the inside air enough to ascend. She was right! It was really warm since we were just a few feet away.

Dawn was just beginning to light up the sky as the first balloons rose into the air as people yelled & cheered. These two are a little hard to see but I dubbed them "Breakfast of Champions" - the orange one is Krispy Kreme donuts & the black one is Dos Equis beer.

They say that around 500 balloons take part in the mass ascension from the huge field. It takes close to two hours for the several waves of balloons to go up since each has to be inflated with fans, then heated with burners & finally allowed to take off into the sky. I was amazed at how thousands & thousands of people just wander around engulfed by hot air balloons in various stages of inflation. The crews simply find a spot & constantly ask the spectators to move over while they spread out the cloth of each balloon. You are definitely up close & personal!

For about an hour we were literally surrounded by balloons. It was fascinating to watch the crews go through the steps to inflate & fly the balloons. But I came to the conclusion that it was a hell of a lot of work to ride this thing up into the air with no ability to steer it or control it other than to give it more heat to rise. Fun to watch but I think I'll pass on flying in one.

After the balloon is laid out on the ground, it is inflated with a giant fan before the burner is used to heat the air enough to stand the balloon upright. 

These are my favorite photos of the sunrise as hundreds of balloons continued to ascend into the New Mexico sky.

These Rainbow Ryder balloons apparently travel around giving balloon rides at various events. 

I am still amazed at how all these balloons with almost no ability to control them don't hit each other. I suppose that they are all at the mercy of the same wind. They all have chase crews in pick up trucks that follow them along roads & ultimately arrive to haul the pilot, basket & balloons back to the field.

Here we are thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. We had lots of snacks for Charley but that breakfast burrito tasted really, really good when we all sat on the grass to finally eat breakfast as we watched the final groups rise into the air. And my hip did pretty well - I only needed minimal help to get up off the ground!

This shows you just how close the spectators are to all the action.

There are all sorts of shapes, sizes & colors of balloons. Here are some of our favorites.

The elephant was a favorite of kids of all ages. There was also a cow, a zebra & Darth Vader but they were either blocked by other balloons or wouldn't cooperate turning around for my photo op.

I liked the shape of this one & wasn't sure if it was a carousel or something else.

Charley said that this was a princess elephant. It was really big & took forever to inflate.

All of us loved this Black Widow spider attached to the side of this balloon. Charley had watched the opening day on TV & had a great time seeing the balloons in person that she saw on TV.

There were several balloons such as this fish that were just on static display, too.

All but the static display balloons were finally airborne. Here is our sweetie with a full tummy, all warmed up & enjoying the balloon necklace & butterfly wand that Gaga bought for her - of course. She was a real trooper & we were so proud of her!