Cuba Day Three

When I planned this trip nearly four years ago I was sharing it with my friends and three of them decided to join me. So on my third day I connected with Lina, Lori, and Donna who flew in from Minneapolis together. I met each of them through work at different points in my life and neither of them knew one another before going on this adventure. 

We started the day with an Airbnb tour led by Jose and Louis. We started at a cigar factory and learned how they rolled each one by hand. It was fascinating to watch them and learn about the quality control. It is all very simple but hard work. Each cigar is a special blend of the same plant, making different varieties (marketing). They gather leaves for the middle, leaving a chamber for air and then out in a press for an hour or so. Then they cover with a leaf dried and then hydrated to be smooth and flexible. 

We continued the tour driving around different areas of old Havana. 



This is the Capitola. 





We had lunch at La Bodequita Del Medio where Hemingway spent much of his time drinking and making the mojito known. 















Then we joined our official tour group for a driving tour around old Havana. During a fifteen minute break from the group Lori and I ran into The Floridita where Hemingway drank and made the Daiquiri Famius. 

Lina, Lori, Donna and I. 



We ended the evening at Fábrica de Arte Cubano a “club” that had a variety of artists in different rooms. We had dinner on the rooftop, listened to classical music, browsed through fabulous works of art, and danced with a DJ. My favorite piece of art was the one below, made of keys called “The Key to Cuba”. 

It was a great day.