Cuba Day 8 - All Good Things Must Come to an End

I'm not sure I could have planned a more perfect last day in Cuba.  For the first time in our 12 years together Eric and I laid on a beach and sipped cocktails.  Even though the rain came in shortly thereafter, it only added to the experience.  And for our final evening Fiona and Ossiel hosted a delicious dinner and provided live music on their patio.

We shared a taxi with another couple to Playa Ancon

We walked south a bit to a beach that had a bar - duh

This little puppy loved the water but hated people! Yip yip!

Natural swimming pool formed by a circle of rocks

And then the clouds started rolling in

We started walking toward shelter

It was just the 2 of us for about 30 minutes but it soon filled up with people and pets

After the beach we went back to Casa Los Mangos and sat on the covered patio as the rain fell around us.  Ossiel entertained us with music while Fiona and her staff cooked an amazing dinner.

Ossiel has an amazing voice!!  And Eric's Fireball was a hit with everyone we met in Cuba!

Spending time with the other guests

Fresh cracklin - sooo good!

Pork leg slow cooked all day - delicious!

Tigre

Ossiel's musician friends came over to play for us as well

Fiona tasting her hard work

Pork and red beans & rice

Mmmmm...wish I had this food right now!

Bonding with Honey

The live music, the food, the company, the fur babies - it was a fantastic last night on this wonderfully fulfilling trip.  Eric and I made some life-long friends and we look forward to visiting Cuba again.  Hope you enjoyed the photos!


"For centuries, Cuba's greatest resource has been its people."  ~Pico Iyer

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Cuba Day 6 - First Full Day in Trinidad aka Count the Birdcages

We awoke Monday morning in our new home-away-from-home, Casa Los Mangos, to the chickens and roosters and hens (I don't really know the difference!) and all the little birds of Trinidad singing their morning music.  Eric had breakfast with Fiona while I got ready for the day (girly-girl!).  Then I walked around the tranquil property and took some photos.

Casa Los Mangos sits just outside of Trinidad proper - it's a 10 or 15 minute walk into the city area

The hen house

Our villa on the right

The dining patio and one of the hens

Flowers everywhere

Our back patio

Ossiel feeding the chickens

Ossiel's pet bird - and the beginning of the bird cage count!

Bananas - and someone was hopping the fence and stealing them   :0(

Tigre - my house gato!

Eric and I then started on our walk into Trinidad, which is a much slower-paced town than Havana.  It took us a bit to adjust to the pace but once we did it was great vacation-mode.

Farmers starting their day

Haircut anyone?!

Trinidad is even more colorful than Havana! So be ready for a COLOR EXPLOSION!

Birdcage! By the way - the men (including Ossiel) take their birds on walks...in the cage of course.

Fresh meat is hung out each morning and is gone before noon

Fiona told us it bothers some tourists - but told us to think about how fresh it is - no preservatives, no factories.

As you enter into the center of Trinidad the streets are cobblestone

Puppy in the doorway

Kitty in the window

Church of the Holy Trinity in Plaza Mayor

Palacio Brunet and Church of the Holy Trinity

Casa de la Musica - where musicians play nearly all day every day

It's one of the only places in Trinidad where you can get Wifi

2nd level

Los Conspiradores - cute ceramics shop and restaurant

We stopped and had a cocktail at Ruinas de Segarte

They had musicians setting up on the back patio

Weighing grains

Mailbox of Secrets

More musicians on the streets

Next we stopped for lunch at Bella Trinidad

They had "bodka"!

Delicious calamari and shrimp salad

 

This may be my favorite door/window photo

After lunch we began walking north through the city

Just a man walking his bird

Next we went into Restaurant La Ceiba which had a beautiful old baobab tree through the center of it

Inside

Beautiful old tree

Our colorful walk continues. These are 18th Century barrotes

Creepy (to me) Santeria

Next we went to the Museo Municipal de Trinidad to climb it's tower. This beautiful building was originally built in 1828 by Don Jose Mariano Borrell y Padron, one of the richest men in Trinidad.

It's a good thing they had it in English, too.  LOL!

Lovely courtyard

Former kitchen area

Lots of narrow spiral steps up to the top

 

Halfway up, looking down into the courtyard

Looking onto Plaza Mayor

Trinidad

Obligatory selfie!

By this time, I was hot and tired.  I asked Eric if we could walk back to Casa Los Mangos so I could take a nap...something I never do!  So we set out on the short walk 'home'.

Dominoes

Nothing is broken for good

So after a nice THREE hour nap, Eric and I headed back out to check out some live music and have a nice dinner. I wish I could share sounds and tastes with you!  Hopefully the photos give you a good idea of how musical Trinidad is, yet at a slower pace than Havana.

Church of the Holy Trinity at night

Cool door handle

Casa de la Musica

Loved the name!

Art shop

This was a cool place, you walk into a big courtyard and then go upstairs where we had cocktails on the terrace

There was great live music and 2 or 3 frisky kitties running around

View of the courtyard

Man making his own music

It wasn't, but I appreciated his confidence!

We finally ended up at dinner at a place that Fiona had suggested.  Cubita did not disappoint! 

Amouse bouche - fish in watermelon

Cuban salad

Eric's lamb dish

My shrimp dish

Thus ends our first full day in Trinidad. We did have a chance during the day to Facebook Messenger with friends and family so that was nice...it had been a while!  Two days remaining in our trip...stay tuned if you're not bored yet!

Oh!  Did you count 9 bird cages?!

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes