A honeymoon worth remembering

Cuba

It's 21:00 on a Monday evening 6 years ago. My husband and I are ready for our honeymoon the next day. We also are going to move out when we return, so our apartment is full of boxes. We are waiting for a phone call from the traveling agency, to give us information about the procedures. They had told us they would give us a call until 20:30. So -under my pressure, I always worry about this kind of staff- my husband called them again. No answer. We were worried to death. Called again...no luck. Finally, since we had booked the tickets through a rural agency, we managed to find the owner's home number (the second number under the same name on the catalogue was his cousin's home!) After a series of apologies and since we made clear it was actually a honeymoon trip, he informed us at 22:30 that we should be at the Athens' National Airport at 05:30, where we should look for mrs X, near the abroad check-ins. And yes, we made it! Took off from Athens and after a stop in Paris and a 10hour flight from there, we landed in La Havana, Cuba.

Cuba Libre!

We were thrilled! Our group: 5 newly-wed couples, two girlfriends around our age and two somewhat older gents. Surely the group's composition had it's participation in the phenomenal success of the trip, but it wasn't just that. Before we left, people were telling us about criminality, dirt, total poverty and misery. We left our wedding rings behind and never took our camera along, being afraid they might be stolen. Lies!

Cuba that we met had nothing to do with all that. We never felt threatened. There was poverty alright, but no misery. Roads of dirt, but no famished people. La Havana was clean, beautiful, exotic. In the squares, people were dancing, singing and playing music during the night. The people were hospitable, smiling, nice, dignified. We travelled through villages where the roads were made of dirt and there was mud everywhere (it was raining season), but every single one of them had staffed school and a doctor. Health in Cuba (which is famous for its health system and the medical services’ quality) is completely free. Im Che Guevara’s mausoleum, respect was the main felling. It wasn’t cannibalized, as it usually happens with all tourist attractions. It was prohibited to take photos and talk. We had to go in, in small groups and get out almost immediately. They made it clear “it’s a tomb”.

As it is obvious looking at the photos, Cuba except for its extraordinary culture, also has unbelievable natural beauty. It is a heaven on earth and I dream of re-visiting one day.

I left Cuba filled with a sweet melancholy. I was left with a couple of close friends, a couple of friends, an animal loving friend (far more active than me) to talk via facebook and some acquaintances. More importantly I was left with memories that will never go away, of a trip and a culture that affected my way of living. See how lovely Cuba is and try to smell its air full of freedom, cigar smoke, sugar cane juice (rum) and freshly grounded coffee.

The soundtrack of the trip, as our friends (Virginia and John) have created it, after we came back.


See more pictures here