CUBA CRUISE

This cruise to Cuba was a last minute decision because our friends, Kurt & Diane, invited us to join them and their friends, Frank & Sharon.  Cuba is not a place we dreamed about visiting but the history was interesting.  Holland America has not been there since 1961 so this was a pioneering experience for them and for us.  Being US citizens we needed to do what they call a person-to-person tour booked through Holland America.  We did two tours "The Best of Havana" and Cienfuegos.  The best of Havana is dirty, dilapidated and hasn't changed in 50 years.  However, the people were friendly and musically talented.  Cienfuegos wasn't much better and we never did visit the beautiful beaches that the Canadians come down to visit which was a disappointment.

Havana from the cruise ship

Christ of Havana  stands on a hilltop overlooking the bay of Havana - Carved by Cuban sculptor
Jilma Madera in 1953 - White Carrara Marble - 66 feet high and 10 feet base - Weighs
approximately 320 tons

Vintage cars everywhere - mostly used as taxis

Colon Cemetery (Cementerio de Cristobal Colon) was founded in 1876 - Named after Christopher Columbus -
Holds 800,000 graves - 140 acres - They do not embalm the bodies because they believe it is disrespectful but after two years bones are dug up and cremated then put in another part of the grave to make room for the body of another
family member's body

Music and dancing during our lunch - Some of us were skeptical about eating the food but no one got sick

Longest rolled cigar - Guinness World Record

Plaza de la Catedral La Habana - Building was finished in 1777 - Boroque facade with
asymmetrical bell towers

Beautiful statues and murals inside

San Carlos de la Cabana Fortress - After the capture by British forces in 1762, an exchange was soon made to return Havana to the Spanish, the controlling power of Cuba, in exchange for Florida. King Carlos III of Spain began the construction of this fortress in 1763.  Over the next 200 years, the fortress served as a base for both Spain and later independent Cuba.  It has been used as a prison by the government of the dictators Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul.

Revolution Square is the political & administrative center of Cuba - Image of the revolutionary guerrilla
fighter Camilo Cienfuegos on the building of the Ministry of Informatics and Communications

Jose Marti Memorial - Star shaped obelisk is 109 meters tall and has an observation deck on top floor

Revolution Square boasts an area of 72,000 square meters making it one of the largest city squares in the world.  This square is where Fidel Castro delivered his fiery speeches typically lasting several hours and Pope John Paul II offered masses in January of 1998, Pope Benedict XVI in March 2012.

New friends Frank & Sharon Gambino

Serenaded in Cienfuegos Province Botanical Gardens - officially known as Jardin Botanico de Cienfuegos

Cubas National Tree - The royal palm

Our last port of call was the Cayman Islands. Thank goodness we ended the trip in a beautiful place.  The sand, sun and water was wonderful.

I wonder who those people are

Denis testing the waters and snorkeled a bit to see a few fish

The 8-night cruise went by quickly.  Denis' sister Lorraine happened to be staying at their condo in Ft. Lauderdale and we stayed one night with them. . We went out for wings and broccoli rabe that night and the next morning they drove us to the airport.
Thank you Eddie & Lorraine for your hospitality

BACK TO MORRO BAY

We decided to take a sub sea tour at Morro Bay this afternoon.  Thankfully, we only paid $12 each because it was pretty silly.  Our captain was funny and informative.  We did see lots of otters and some California sea lions.  However, going below board to look through a window at fish was a joke.  The captain was chumming the waters and we saw some blurry smelt.  Too funny.

Denis, Kurt and I tried steering the boat and it's not as easy as it looks.  I went around in circles before sort of getting the boat to go straight.

After our boat ride we went for lunch at The Galley Seafood Grill & Bar which came highly recommended by the captain.  After lunch we strolled for a bit before heading back to the beach house.

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Thanks for stopping in to say hi and God Bless.

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

Our travels and explorations continued yesterday with a drive to Hearst Castle. We purchased tickets for the 1PM tour allowing us plenty of time to stop along the way.  Kurt suggested we stop to visit the little village of Cambria where he and Diane stayed at a bed and breakfast years ago.  They call Cambria "Pines by the Sea" for a reason with it's rugged beaches, forested knolls and quaint village brimming with bistros, wine tastings, art galleries and specialty shops.

Next stop for lunch at Sebastian's for Hearst Ranch grass-fed free range burgers.  Thankfully, Diane and I were able to split the one-half pound burger but Kurt ate the whole thing with a side of chili (after all he's a growing boy, haha).  When Kurt and Diane last visited the Hearst Ranch Winery wasn't attached to Sebastian's but it makes for a nice addition.

Lunch at Sebastian's

After lunch, we had enough time to view "Building the Dream" a 45-minute movie about William Randolph Hearst.  He and his family have some very interesting history and we all enjoyed the movie. The hour long tour was fabulous and I'd highly recommend it if you're ever in the area.

Hearst Castle - Kurt contemplating

Entrance to the Castle

Indoor Roman Pool

January is a perfect time to view the elephant seals that come to the rookery on the shores of Piedras Blancas to give birth and nurse their pups.  I went there expecting to see a few seals and was overjoyed to see thousands on the beach.  You can visit their e-sealcam at Elephant Seals Cam
I learned that the seals have been coming to Piedras Blancas since 1990 and in the 18th and 19th centuries the population of the seals was reduced to fewer than 50.  They were protected by Mexico and the US in the 20th century and their numbers have grown to over 250,000.  Amazing, isn't it?

Mom and her pup

Isn't this amazing?

Before heading back to the beach house, we decided to stop for a bite to eat at a fun little place called Schooners.

Looks like the inside of a ship

The movie Denis selected for last nights viewing was Blade Runner 2.  Diane and I couldn't bear to watch it, although we tried.  The guys stayed up to watch it and when I asked Kurt in the morning if he liked the move, his answer was not really.

Thanks for stopping in to say hi and God Bless.