Six Cities in Seven Days

Because we were lucky enough to have both the 1st and 2nd of November as holidays, we decided to take the other three days off and take a road trip to visit my sister in Stuttgart. During our week off we managed to visit six cities in Germany, France and Luxembourg covering about 2000km in the car.

Cologne

The main attraction of Cologne is of course the Cathedral. We parked at the main station which is conveniently right next to the Cathedral and the city centre. When you are standing at the front entrance and you look up at the looming spires you can’t help but be in awe. The inside is equally impressive – the length as well as the height.

Aside from the cathedral the boardwalk along the river is also quite nice, with typical German style architecture and great view of the Rhine. Here you can also catch boat trips to Dusseldorf. The city centre isn’t too large and you can definitely see it in a day (we only spent the afternoon). If you want to see some of the museums, the zoo etc. more days would be needed. Tourist information is right in front of the Cathedral .

Baden-Baden

Our next stop was a day trip to the small town of Baden-Baden on the edge of the Black Forest. The Forest itself is quite beautiful, especially in autumn, I would highly recommend  a longer car journey though the forest to truly appreciate its beauty. The route can be a bit trickier – we were struggling even with a GPS, but is totally worth it.

The town of Baden-Baden isn’t as small as I thought it was going to be – there were still plenty of streets for shopping, eating etc. However, most of the people who come/live here are older and the town is dead after about 8pm. For the same reason most of the shops are also quite expensive. There is also a casino, a church and several parks to check out.

The main attraction of the town is of course the Roman Baths based around the thermal water in the town. There are two spas in the town, Friedrichsbad, the more luxurious traditional nudist bath and the more modern half-nudist Caracalla spa. We opted for less nudity and less expense in the Caracalla Spa. Here you pay for a block of time (2,3, or 4 hours) and then are free to move around the facility. There are pools of various temperatures ranging from cold to quite hot. There is also hydro massage and special aroma stream rooms that are quite cool. Upstairs is the nudist part – the saunas. If you aren’t afraid to strut your stuff, this part comes highly recommended. Here there are also rooms of varying temperatures, some with special aromas and special lights. We spent about 2 1/2 hours inside and felt completely relaxed!

This brought us to the last part of our day trip – dinner. I had researched recommended restaurants before going and we decided to go to the Rathausglockel – only a few minutes away from the spas. Here they give quite a fancy experience for reasonable prices. The menu is also interesting because it features historical dishes from the middle ages in addition to modern German cuisine. Everything was super delicious, but be aware of the rather large portions! The service was also quite efficient and helpful. Definitely gets our recommendation!

Stuttgart

For most people Stuttgart is not on their list of cities to see, there’s not much of a historical centre compared to other European cities and there are no super famous art museums either, however I’d go anywhere for my sister. So, I spent two days checking out Stuttgart.

For me the best part of Stuttgart was the Mercedes Benz Museum. I’m no car fanatic, but this museum is cool whether you like cars or not and you could easily spend the whole day here. It is definitely worth the entrance price of 8 euros – you get a free audio guide (offered in several languages), interactive displays, lots of cool cars and of course a free Mercedes Museum lanyard.

We also visited two other museums during our stay – the State Gallery of Stuttgart and the Wurttemberg State Museum. The State Gallery, which is free on Wednesdays and Saturdays, has a surprisingly large collection of masterpieces for a small city. The Wurttemberg Museum is inside the Old Castle of Stuttgart, which is free all the time, has cool things to look at like the Wurttemberg crown jewels, a clock museum and a large pottery collection.

There is not much left of Stuttgart’s historic city centre, aside from a few churches and restored buildings, but it is still nice to walk around. Be sure to check out the Schlossplatz where the new castle and gardens are. Koenigstrasse is good if you want to get some shopping done. At the end of this street near the main train station is the really good tourist info place where you can get free maps, info on the city and the Wurttemberg region.

Munich

Because of an awesome contact in Munich we were able to squeeze in a overnight trip from Stuttgart. After discovering that parking is really expensive in the centre of Munich we used the Daytrips in Germany guidebook to do a walking tour of the city centre. We started near the Residenz – this massive old palace that had a nice park behind it. Then we wandered around Englischer Garten and took lots of pictures of the beautiful autumn weather – the park was massive, bigger than Central Park in NYC.

Next we headed to Königsplatz. This was cool for me because of the history of the square. This is where the 1938 Munich Agreement was signed and was one of the main squares used for large gatherings of National Socialists during the reign of the Nazi Party. The buildings still remain today, but their purposes have changed – mostly museums. There are a lot of museums in Munich, like the large science and technology museum – the Deutsches Museum – which apparently one of the best in Germany, but because we were short on time we didn’t any museums while we were there.

By the time we got to Marienplatz (the main square) it was already dark and we decided to go for dinner at the nearby Paulaner im Tal to have traditional German food and beers. Then we went for more beer at famous Hofbräuhaus this massive beer hall that seats 1000+ and serves beer in 1 liter beer steins (which are available for purchase in the gift store). Very touristy with traditional German music and pretzels and everything, but after this I feel like I don’t need to to Oktoberfest anymore!

On our second day were saw three very cool, very different churches. The first was the cathedral of the city and was very plain, but large. The second was a church in the Italian style with lots of white marble and gold trim. The last church is not to be missed – it’s an overkill of the rococo style – absolute must see!

Then we hit up a couple of markets including the large outdoor market Viktualienmarkt. Here there is a good combination of cheap eats and expensive delicacies and of course a few beer gardens! On our way back to our car in the evening we passed through the botanical gardens which looked worthwhile to visit in detail again during the day. I would definitely like to go back to Munich again, as there is so many things to see and do!

Strasbourg

After spending the day here I wanted to move here! It was such a nice town to eat, to drink, to walk around and with lots of things to do for the day. One first stop was the main square and the cathedral, which wasn’t as big as Cologne, but was impressive nonetheless. There was a service going on, so we didn’t spend much too much time inside. Instead we wandered down to the riverside to have a sandwich lunch- the historic centre is nicely surrounded by a river on all sides.

After that we went to Palais Rohan, a small palace from the 18th century, and luckily entrance to the three museums were free! On the ground floor there is the Museum of decorative arts, which had a few rooms set out with period furniture and a few rooms full of display cases with porcelain plates, glassware, cookware etc. On the first floor, the was a separate museum housing art. From religious frescos to European masters to sculpture this museum covered quite a lot in only a few rooms. The last museum, which was by far the biggest, was the archaeological museum in the basement. This covered all of human history in Strasbourg, beginning during the Roman times. It was quite interesting to learn about the development of people in this region, but we didn’t have time to see all of the exhibits.

We decided we had to try the local cuisine, so we headed to Flam’s a small eatery recommended by a friend that served the local speciality flans. Flans look similar to a pizza, but the crust is thinner and has a different taste. They serve these flans with a variety of toppings we tried the traditional one with mushrooms, ham and cheese and also one of the dessert one with apples flambéed in Calvados. Mmmmm! Once our bellies were full we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take a cruise around Strasbourg on a river boat.

The boat trip was quite a nice introduction to the town, a bit of history and it even takes you to places away from the historic city centre. Prices aren’t bad either. The only disadvantage was that we were in a glass-covered boat and so the quality of the picture we took wasn’t that great.

After we got of the boat we decided to eat – again! This time we went to a local brasserie where they brew their own beer on location and have a massive vat in the middle of the bar to prove it. Here they also served flans but they weren’t as good as Flam’s and the service was pretty bad. But you can’t beat their happy hour prices!

We concluded our day in Strasbourg with a walk the town at night (it was still beautiful) and then we were off to our last stop – Luxembourg.

Luxembourg

After spending most of the day in Strasbourg, we only arrived in Luxembourg at about 10pm. After filling up the car with really cheap diesel (in comparison to France), we decided to have whirlwind tour of the town centre at night. From what we could tell it is a very beautiful city with a big cathedral, a nice main square and what looked like a big castle. What we really noticed was how hilly the city was with the city centre on one of the hills and some sort of wall around it . It was also a very quiet town centre – all the streets were deserted and only a few establishments were open. Our first impression was certainly a good one and we definitely want to come back during the daytime to see what Luxembourg is really like! Needless to say after our intense travelling we arrived back in Brussels a little tired, but it was definitely worth it! A very successful first road trip!

Nod to Nottingham

After spending almost a year in Nottingham, it was already time to go. With my thesis handed in and my train ticket to Brussels, I left Nottingham for the last time in early September. Overall, I enjoyed my year there. It’s a big enough city that there is always something to do or see. However,  if you do get bored with the city itself, the distances in the UK are so small that fun is never far away. I’ll comment here on some of the cool things I did in the second half of my year here. For my comments on the first part of the year see my previous post.

Beginning in January I had several friends come and visit me – which is an excellent excuse to be a tourist! One of the places that I really enjoyed taking people (winter or summer) was Wollaton Park. This municipal park and deer reserve is very large and is great to walk/cycle around, have a picnic in summer or visit the manor house – which has free entry. One thing to keep in mind is the opening times. Since the park is surrounded on all sides by a large brick wall, make sure you leave before it closes and beware that during the winter this can be quite early.

For most tourists, and I agree, seeing Nottingham castle is a must (and not just during the beer festival!). If you go on a sunny day you are also treated to a great view of the city. The inside of the castle has a couple of sections, one contains rotating art exhibits and a permanent military museum and the other part (the more interesting part) contains a history of the city and of the legend of Robin Hood. There is also an optional cave tour for a couple of pounds more.

If you get a ticket to see the castle, a visit to the Museum of Nottingham Life is also included. This small museum is located just a few minutes away from the Castle near the pub Ye Olde Trip Jerusalem. This museum only takes about an hour to see. It covers the history of society in Nottingham from the early 20th century until modern times. What is cool about this museum is that they let you touch almost everything – old toys, washing machines, a barber’s chair amongst many other things!

Another combination ticket that is worth getting if you want to see something off the beaten track is the Galleries of Justice and City of Caves. The Galleries of Justice was particularly interesting to me because of my legal studies, however it can be appreciated by anyone – young or old. For the first part of the experience you are led by a variety of guides representing various parts of the justice system in the 19th century. You get to see what a court room, prison cells and an exercise yard looked like a century ago. Then towards the end you are left to your own devices to learn about criminals who were sent to Australia, the current criminal justice system and a special section on youth justice.

You also visit the City of Caves museum on a discounted combined ticket with the Galleries of Justice or a separate ticket. The entrance is located in the Broadmarsh shopping centre not far away from the Galleried of Justice. This museum shows you a small section of the underground caves of Nottingham and their various uses throughout history. This doesn’t take too long and if you’ve done the cave tour at the castle, this may be repeating a lot.

If you want to stop for a cool lunch in between I can recommend a few places. There is a cool Spanish tapas place next to the Galleries of Justice – not entirely authentic, but reasonably priced and tasty nonetheless. If you are looking for atmosphere and willing to pay a bit more, why not check out Pitcher and Piano and have a pint in a church. While this is in fact a chain of bars, this location is particularly cool because it is an old church building.

Another stop in the same area is the Nottingham Contemporary. This modern art museum is free and has a few room which house temporary modern art exhibits. It doesn’t  take very long to see it all, but if you have nothing better to do it is worth checking out.

The last aspect of Nottingham I explored was where the best place was to go for a traditional British Afternoon Tea. I looked at various suggestions from a list, but many were several kilometers away from the city. In the end we tried two: Lee Rosy’s and The Walk Cafe. Our favourite was definitely the The Walk Cafe. While Lee Rosy’s had a good selection of loose teas, it didn’t serve the traditional afternoon tea with the scones and sandwiches. The Walk Cafe is reasonably priced and there you can order everything from a simple pot of tea up to a Champagne afternoon tea with all the trimmings. It has a bit of a modern spin, but is enjoyable nonetheless.

There are still many places in and around Nottingham that I didn’t have time to see, but I believe I got a good feeling for the place in a year. My top three picks for ‘must sees’ while in Nottingham are 1. Nottingham Castle 2. Ye Olde Trip Jerusalem 3. Wollaton Park. Everything else is icing on the cake!

Vacationing in Varadero

I’ll begin my last post on Cuba with some comments on Varadero and then conclude with some overall comments on Cuba.The last part of our vacation was very different from the previous 12 days of our holiday. We stayed in the four star all-inclusive resort Paradisus Princesa del Mar in Varadero. This was the first time both of us had ever stayed in an all-inclusive. For some people this is the only part of Cuba they ever see. For us it was a nice relaxing end to a holiday, after sleeping on buses, recovering from jellyfish stings and a lot of walking.

We were cordially welcomed and given a map of the resort as well as an overview of the facilities. Then we were told to book our dinners in the various restaurants. As we were staying 5 nights, we were entitled to have 3 meals in the nationality themed restaurants.  We chose Japanese, French and Italian. The rest of the meals were served in the large buffet room or if you wanted there was also a beachside lunch place and a 24 hour snack bar (which we fell in love with). After doing this we were whisked away in a golf cart to our building. The resort was made up of several small buildings along the beach and around the pool area. While we didn’t have a beach view, we did have a nice terrace because we were on the ground floor.

Our first order of business was to get something to eat, since we hadn’t eaten since early that morning in Trinidad. We tried the lunch place close to the beach – this was the first and last time we ate there. The service was bad, the salad bar was sparse and the other food wasn’t spectacular. After a disappointing lunch we rushed to the beach to enjoy the last few hours of sun before going for dinner.

The beach was fantastic! Very few people, clear blue water and nice warm sun. Except for a few days with strong winds, the weather and beach remained fantastic the whole time we were here. Even during peak hours there were always beach loungers free and space in the water. We didn’t try any of the aqua sports or activities offered, we needed all the time we could get for fixing our tan lines!

We also booked a mani-pedi, which was not included in the price of the resort, but it wasn’t outrageous. The beautician did an ok job, but unfortunately there was only one of her and so we had to go at different times which wasn’t as fun. The sunscreen also affected the nail polish and  so it ruined the quality of the manicure a little. Personally, I wouldn’t do it again. It’s better to get one done for less when you get home!

As in the rest of Cuba the food wasn’t spectacular. The buffet food was ok. There was a lot of choice, but not everything tasted that good. For vegetarians there was even less choice. Towards the end of our stay we skipped the buffet and went to the snack bar instead. Here the sandwiches and meals were much better and the service was good too. We also worked our way through the menu of cocktails, our favourite being the Coco Loco (banana, chocolate, milk and rum shake!)

The themed restaurants were a bit better. Our favourite was the Japanese. Here we got treated not only to good food, but also a show. Even though all the waiters, chefs were Cuban etc the food was quite good. All of the food was prepared right in front of us on a large hot plate – they even flambéed the pineapple in rum. The French and Italian restaurant both failed to live up to the Japanese standard, there was no real vegetarian option at the French restaurant and I’ve had much better Italian food.

We also thought the swim-up bar was cool as well as the fact that the rooms got Canadian TV! We definitely liked our first resort experience, but you don’t have to go to Cuba to do that! For us the resort was just to lie on the beach for a few days and relax.

Here are a few final comments on Cuba in general before I finally finish blogging about our trip:

1. Transportation wasn’t so efficient
2. The variety of food and products (including souvenirs) available isn’t so great
3. Cubans are friendly, even more so after you pay them
4. Customer service is almost non-existent, unless you are paying them see #3
5. It is very difficult to use anything but cash here – even in tourist places
6. You feel quite safe, as there is practically no gun violence here
7. Cuba is beautiful and diverse, both in culture and in nature
8. The coffee, rum and music is great!

Trinidad: Trains and Trinkets

The two days we spent in Trinidad were both very different and very enjoyable. The first day we spent in the town itself and the second day we ventured out on a train tour of the old sugar plantations from colonial times. This was recommended to us by some other travellers and also gets our full endorsement.

The town of Trinidad is a UNESCO world heritage site which is very small and packed with tourists. It was certainly the most touristy place we went (aside from the resort) in Cuba. On the positive side, it was well maintained and quite picturesque with beautifully painted buildings and a pedestrian-only centre. It only takes an hour or so to walk around the centre.

There are a few museums on various topics that are open to tourists. We went to the municipal museum which was in a large old colonial house. This museum had information on the history of the area, the rise and fall of the sugar industry and the rise of communism. However, the main attraction of this museum is the lookout. Part of the museum is an old lookout tower, and after you have climbed several flights of twisty, rickety stairs you are rewarded with a beautiful view. From here you can see the whole town, the mountains and the coast!

Because there are so many bus tours that do day trips here and tourists in general there are also a lot of places that sell (tacky) souvenirs. Near the main square there is a collection of outdoor stalls selling just about everything from magnets to wooden handicraft to jewellery. If you do in fact want some souvenirs this is probably the best place on the island to get it. First of all there is lots of choice. Secondly, you can get the best prices here as bargaining is allowed. We got a metal necklace, bracelet, earrings and two bead necklaces all for 10CUC down from 10CUC just for the metal necklace.

If you are a bigger spender, Trinidad is also a great place to buy art. There are tons of little shops selling all kinds and sizes of paintings at reasonable prices (shipping often included). While we weren’t in the market for any big canvases, just visiting some of the galleries was cool and felt like being in an open-air art museum!

At night there are several options – the easiest and most touristy is the live outdoor concert (and sort of cabaret) near the main square. Make sure you get there early to get a seat at one of the tables -  otherwise you will be drinking your mojitos on the cement steps. The music wasn’t bad, but it was geared more to tourists. We were also recommended this club in a cave on the hill– but we never quite made it there!

The second day was dedicated to our train trip into the country. We walked down to this old train station and waited for our steam train to arrive. This is definitely the coolest way to travel in Cuba! The open air carriages were great for taking photos and enjoying the breeze. After about an hour on the train we had our first stop to fill up the water tank from a water pump on the tracks. It was pretty cool to watch! Shortly thereafter we had our first official stop in Iznaga. A small town from the colonial times, whose only real claim to fame is a huge tower that was used by the colonial guards to watch the slaves in the sugar plantations. There was also a governor’s house that had been turned into a restaurant.

After spending about an hour there we got back on the train and headed for our lunch stop. The landscape in this part of Cuba is very similar to Alberta with both prairies and mountains. Apparently this is also the cowboy country of Cuba as we saw lots of livestock and cowboy hats from the train. When we got off the train this dude name Umberto was offering horse rides. We decided we could spare a few bucks to take a horse ride around the area.

We spent most of the ride just walking and sometimes trotting. Nothing too difficult, but I’m glad I wasn’t a complete beginner as Umberto pretty much just told us to jump on and go! We went through some palm trees, crossed a river or two and through a before getting back to the lunch stop about an hour later.

We had some time to quickly have some homemade lemonade before getting back on the train and heading back to Trinidad. The ride back was along the same way we came, so the only thing that caused excitement was the downpour of rain we experienced just before pulling into Trinidad. The excursion takes most of the day, but is quite reasonably priced and is something unique.

I would definitely recommend visiting Trinidad, it’s very small and quaint and can be seen in two or three days. Just keep in mind that most of Trinidad is geared towards tourists and that it is nothing like the ‘real Cuba’ we had seen in Havana and Santiago.

Broken, Bitten, Burned and Blistered in Baracoa

Before I get to covering our stay in Baracoa, it is important to mention a little about our private car from Santiago to Baracoa. Leaving at 6AM was pretty early, but I’m glad we did. First of all it wasn’t too hot and we got to watch the sun rise over the misty jungle – beautiful! Our drivers were really nice they let us stop to take photos and also bought us some coffee along the way. The only ‘Cuban’ aspect to the trip was that because the car was so old they had to MacGyver it along the way. The radiator was leaking so after the first few hours they had to stop every 20 minutes or so to refill the radiator with water. After a beautiful costal drive, a trip through the mountains and then down through the jungle we arrived just before lunch time in Baracoa.

The owner of the casa particular where we were staying told us that people always come to Baracoa and then want to stay longer. The natural scenery and the relaxed pace of life is amazing, however given our series of unfortunate incidents we were ready to leave after 2 1/2 days there.

Burned

The first thing my sister wanted to do when we got to Baracoa was go to the beach. We had been in Cuba for six days and we hadn’t gone to the beach yet. So since the beach was about 10 minutes walking away from where we were staying it was the first thing we wanted to do. However we made the fatal mistake of leaving without putting sunscreen on.  A local was giving us directions and pointing out various points on the landscape so we didn’t realise how hot it was on the walk. By the time we got to the beach our shoulders were already pink. We applied sunscreen but it was too late and we only stayed for an hour before having to head back! The beach itself was quite nice – dark clean sand, clear water. This was the free beach, called the ‘black beach’ which locals use, but when we were there it was almost completely empty. There was also a tourist ‘white beach’ with white sand, but we didn’t feel like paying the money and walking further to see it.

 Blistered

On our second day in Baracoa, we decided to stay out of the sun to let our burns heal. It was my idea to go on a hike up El Yunque (the Anvil) – my sister blames me, as she told me later a five hour hike is not her idea of a vacation! We paid in Baracoa for a driver out to the base of the mountain and a guide for the hike (only in Spanish unfortunately). The hike was a about 2 1/2 hours up and 2 1/2 hours down. We saw lots of cool things along the way – pineapples, cacao seeds, coconuts, pigs, chickens and a variety of birds and insects. Our guide was quite good at talking about what we were seeing and answering all of our questions. The only detractor was the pace a which we were hiking – it was definitely quicker than a leisurely walk. It became quite demanding in the second part of the ascent, as the inclination was quite steep. There were parts of the trail where stairs were carved out of the mud.

After abandoning my sister at the halfway point because of her severely blistered feet (where she still had a great view), I finally made it all the way to the top. I thought it was definitely worth all the effort and sweat – especially for the view. There is no road or other way to access the top, so the hike is the only way. However, this hike didn’t seem so popular, we didn’t see any other groups the whole time we were climbing.

After an intense morning we chilled a bit at a big hotel on the hill (a car accessible alternative to have a panoramic view of the town. Here we had cocktails and lunch before continuing the cycle of pain in the afternoon.

Bitten

By bitten I mean more like stung. In order to cool off from the hike we decided to go back to the beach for an evening swim before dinner. The beach had a few more people, but was still pretty empty. We had been in and out of the water for about an hour when my sister said “Ow, what’s that?!?” I wasn’t sure what she was referring to, but after she started screaming and doing a crazy dance in the water I knew. A jellyfish. I told her to get out of the water ASAP, but by the time she got out the whole area from her hips to her knees were covered in jellyfish stings.

She made so much commotion that some locals came over and asked what was wrong – luckily I remembered the word in Spanish. They reassured us that as long as the stings weren’t on her face she’d be fine. They recommended hot sand and Benadryl. I recommended urine – as I had seen on the super-reliable-source-of-all-knowledge TV show Friends.

It took quite a few days for the stings to go away, some even blistered, but no lasting damage done. Except for the fact that  for the rest of the trip every time we got into open water we were paranoid about jellyfish!

Broken

We were so exhausted both days that we didn’t see much of the nightlife of Baracoa. The first night we went to a weekly street party, but there were only locals and we felt a little out of place, so we ended up going home early. The second night we couldn’t even muster up the energy to go out. I had to be up early the next day to secure tickets back to Santiago (to make sure were didn’t pay another 120 CUC!) Baracoa was definitely beautiful and is a must for anyone who likes outdoor activities and we probably could have stayed longer, but we were looking forward to going back to somewhere where nature wouldn’t by biting us in the butt!

Second Chance for Santiago

The first thing I noticed after I woke up on our 15.5 hour overnight bus ride from Havana was the change in landscape. This area around Santiago was in some parts like grasslands and then it became more like a tropical jungle. The city itself when we first arrived seemed similar to Havana in architecture and upkeep. It was also about 5°C hotter and more humid.

Our first order of business was to buy tickets for our next trip. This is when perhaps the worst disaster of our trip struck – there were no more tickets for tomorrow’s bus! What to do – buy tickets for the next day and rearrange our travel plans or find some other way to get to Baracoa. We chose option number two. We asked around at some tourist places and realised the only way to get there was by hiring a private car which would set us back 150 CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos – the money that foreigners use in Cuba). Luckily we found someone who would do it for 120CUC – still way more than taking the bus, but we didn’t have much choice at this point.

Our casa particular didn’t really improve out mood. The hosts while nice, were a bit strange and their English wasn’t the best. The food was also the worst we had eaten in a casa particular. The only redeeming factor was our nice private balcony overlooking the courtyard.

After having a mediocre lunch at the hotel in the main square we walked around a bit to get a feel for the city. The main square is quite well-kept and touristy with a big hotel, church and the town hall. However not too far away Santiago becomes a bit of a slum. We were walking around in this area that was supposed to be artsy (Tivoli district)– but in reality was just run-down. We got some good panoramic pictures from the Velazquez balcony and these really long steps that cut through the district.

On the other side of the main square the streets are much better kept and the area seemed less residential and more commercial with shops and restaurants etc. This improved our initial impression of Santiago that it was just a sweltering slum. Our impression of Santiago would only get better from this point.

Because of the weird scheduling of the buses we had planned to do 1 day in Santiago and then 2 days in Baracoa and then then come back to Santiago before going to Trinidad. After getting back from Baracoa, we went out to dinner at this restaurant recommended by the guide book that was trying to be fancy (chandeliers, grand piano + pianist, waiter in tuxedos) but the menu and the upkeep of the place wasn’t the best. After an impromptu salsa lesson from the doorman we went to listen to some local music.

This was definitely our best music experience in Cuba. We headed to the local Casa de Trova and listened to group of older gentlemen playing some catchy Cuban music. They were really good and the audience was into the music as well which created an awesome atmosphere. We chatted with the musicians after the show and bought their CD because they were so good.

The next morning we headed out to El Morro, a fort at the entrance to the bay of Santiago. We were so early we were the first ones there and the lady had to give us change at the end of our visit! Inside the fort there was information about the early fortifications of Cuba and the early colonial period (all in Spanish). There were great views walking around outside as well as a bunch of cute lizards that entertained us for awhile.

After spending the morning at the fort we stopped at Cafe Matamoros for a hearty lunch before the overnight bus to Trinidad. This was by far the best meal we had the whole time in Cuba. My meal was delicious and the chef did a special meal for my vegetarian sister which was better than any other veggie meal she had so far. We had cocktails, dessert and coffee too all for 15CUC for both of us. The amazing interior decor and excellent service only added to our fantastic experience. Definitely recommend the place for lunch, dinner and/or cocktails for anyone passing through Santiago!

This final meal, the musical night out and the fort definitely changed our overall opinion of Santiago. I wouldn’t recommend staying more than a few days, because there isn’t really that much to see, especially compared to Havana. However, checking out the music scene is a must! Baracoa, despite being smaller offers a lot more to do especially for the outdoorsy type! Check out Baracoa in my next post!

From Valleys to Viewpoints in Viñales

While staying in Havana we spent one day on a bus tour of the Viñales Valley. While I am not usually a fan of organised bus tours, this was the only way we could see some of the western region of Cuba in the time we had. Furthermore, the highlights of the region are quite spread out and are hard to access by public transit, if you have a car it is more feasible…although I don’t know whether I’d want to drive in Cuba!

We had a very early start at 7:30 because there was so much crammed into the day. There were lots of these bus tours going to Viñales and other places so we had to wait in front of one of the big hotels in Central Park for the correct bus.  Luckily, the guide we had gave the tour both in English and Spanish and another bonus was that my Spanish seems to be doing ok.

As we were driving out of Havana we got to glimpse some of the more distant neighbourhoods such as Miramar with all the big fancy diplomatic houses followed by a slum full of Brezhnev Block buildings reminiscent of architecture in the 1970s in the Soviet Union – quite a contrast. After having a quick breakfast stop on the highway our first major stop was in the city of Pinar del Rio. We piled off the bus in to the cigar factory (unfortunately no cameras allowed). The first thing you notice when you go in is the smell. Definitely a strong tobacco smell, but surprisingly pleasant – although I don’t know whether I’d want to work all the time in that smell. There were dozens of people employed here – rolling the cigars by hand, checking, sorting and packaging them. It was quite amazing to watch – it clearly took a lot of repeated practice to do it as fast as them.

Next we went to a rum factory. Here we could take pictures of the casks ageing and the bottling process. Afterwards we even got a free taster! We were pleasantly surprised it tasted quite different from regular rum because they put a guava seed in the bottle to flavour it. At three dollars a bottle we thought it was a pretty good deal!

After leaving the city of Pinar del Rio we travelled into the Viñales Valley to see this massive mural of evolution – depicting dinosaurs, the ice age and humans. We also tried ‘the best piña colada’ in Cuba – to which there is no doubt. This stop was quite short, but it was quickly followed by our lunch stop not too far away at La Cueva de los Indios. Here as an aperitif we had what our guide called ‘natural Viagra’ which was freshly squeezed sugar cane juice – to me it seemed very sweet and lemony. The caves themselves weren’t too different from normal caves except for the cool boat ride to take us out of the cave.

Lunch was full of good food and entertainment – better than usual Cuban fare. After lunch we made two more stops. First at a great viewpoint where you could see all the cool shaped mountains and the green valleys full of plantations. The last place we stopped was a small tobacco farm. When we visited they had already harvested the tobacco earlier in the year and so we were able to see all the leaves drying in a Cuban style barn.

It wasn’t until 7pm that we got back to Havana a little tired and a lot hungry. The day trip was definitely worth it – the Viñales Valley is quite different from the rest of Cuba geographically. It was also interesting to be able to see how different Cuban products are made.

Highlights of Havana

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My sister and I had been talking about going to Cuba together for several years and through fortunate timing it finally materialised this May! Over 18 days we were able to cover the main points over the island and well as some some time to relax at an all-inclusive resort. Overall the trip exceeded expectations, however as with any trip there were ups and downs. My next six posts will be dedicated to covering the all the trials and tribulations of our trip. Here is our story:

At first glance Cuba seemed to be a cross between Russia and Morocco. The cars, propaganda signs and the infrastructure in need of repair reminded me of Russia, while the dusty climate and the antiquated modes of transport such as horse and cart reminded me of Morocco. However once you arrive in the centre of Havana it is more reminiscent of Europe in the style of architecture.

At our casa particular (like a Cuban B&B and super cheap!) we had a very warm reception from Rolando the owner. He gave us an overview of Havana and of Cuba, explained how the two currencies worked and told us there are four rules you must follow in Cuba to enjoy your vacation.

1. Don’t change money on the street
2. Don’t bring handbags at night
3. Ask for the price before paying
4. Don’t believe what people on the street say

We found to large extent these rules to be true and when we forgot to follow them we got scammed.  Casa Rolando and Magaly turned out to be probably the best casa we stayed at in Cuba. The family was friendly, helpful, spoke English and always made us huge delicious meals at a reasonable price. Eating at your casa in Cuba is often better value (and quite often taste) than eating out.

Being a vegetarian is Cuba is almost impossible. While some places did in fact offer vegetarian items like salads, in most places it was difficult to get away from the meat. In some places even when you specify ‘sin carne’ (without meat) they think that means without red meat and still bring you a ham sandwich. Or they consider the fish option the vegetarian option – at least eating in you can make special requests.

We had three pretty jammed-packed days in Havana in which we saw a lot of different neighbourhoods and points of interest. On the first few days we saw lots of parks and squares. While the Central Park is beautiful and elegant with amazing architecture, we preferred La Plaza de las Armas. There you could actually sit down and take a break without being disturbed by offending smells. Aside from the occasional busker it was pretty quiet and great for enjoying the sunshine.

Most of the areas in Havana would be considered slums by Western standards especially in regard to the state of disrepair of the infrastructure. The best examples was when we enjoyed an hour’s long walk along the boardwalk from Old Havana to Central Havana. In any other place properties along the boardwalk would be expensive hotels and houses. In Havana many of the buildings had seen better days and others were condemned. The bad smell that frequently pervaded Havana also didn’t help with its slum image.

It wasn’t until out last day in Havana that we really saw the tourist part of Old Havana. This part of town has been well maintained, brightly painted and is loaded with tourist restaurants and shops. Our favourite was this perfume shop that used natural scents to make perfumes and colognes. Prices were incredibly cheap compared to international brands of perfume. My only warning is that we bought the porous clay containers which ended up leaking a lot, so make sure you buy the glass bottles.

Other daytime highlights included seeing the University of Havana, which has a beautiful campus (even when it’s raining). After walking around the campus and resisting locals who try to give your a tour, stopping in at the nearby Coppelia for ice cream is also worth it. While you are in the area you should definitely visit the Callejon de Hamel, a beautiful alley full of modern art installations, which is a little off the beaten track but definitely worth it. Finally, one of my favourite things to do in Havana is go for a ride in a Coco taxi. We went to see John Lennon Park out in the direction of Vedado. Riding in these motorcycle taxis is similar to being on an amusement park ride because of the way they weave in and out of traffic and especially in our case because it had just rained and it was similar to riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland.

Our evening activities were fairly touristy. First we hit up a tourist jazz club. The prices were quite reasonable and included two free drinks. The band was also fairly decent, but my sister’s highlight of the night was when we got pulled over by the police for being in an unmarked taxi – in the end everything was fine and the driver managed to talk his way out of it. My sister told me at least you’ll have something to write about!

Our other big evening adventure was to see a cabaret. The guide book had insisted that a cabaret in Cuba is a must. We opted for the one at the Hotel Nacional (one of the big tourist hotels). You can get tickets for just the show or dinner too. The show was pretty fantastic, lots of dancing and singing all in bright colours. There is so much going on at one time that you never know where you should be looking! It was nice to get all dressed up after being tourist bums most of the time.

Havana is definitely a great city to visit and you need at least a few days here, but you could easily spend a leisurely week here. It’s important to see ALL of Havana not just Old Havana, because otherwise you will miss out on what REAL Cuba is like.

Double take on Dublin

Way back in February I had the pleasure of a quick weekend in Dublin with my Russian friends. Now while I had been to Dublin before, this time I had a bit more time. After getting over the initial bizarreness of speaking Russian in an English-speaking country, it was a great weekend.

Out first stop was a pub that one of the Russian girls had visited before and loved. Messrs Maguire is on the River Liffey just outside the Temple Bar area so the prices are quite reasonable. The pub also has several floors so your chances of getting seats are quite high. The food is good, but you have to try their own brand of beer. They have several varieties – so whether you like it dark or light, there’s a brew for you!

After the pub we did a small walkabout around Trinity College (Dublin) and the centre of town. I had seen most of these buildings on my first trip here, but the centre of Dublin is quite pretty (and compact) so I didn’t mind exploring again – especially when it was sunny! Being in a group this time, it gave me a different perspective than when I was here by myself.

The next day began early with a free walking tour run by the same company as the walking tour I did in Berlin. Again the tour was fantastic! It was about 3 hours and ended in a pub with a discounted lunch. It covered the history of Ireland and Dublin as well as covering all the major tourist sites south of the River Liffey. It showed me some parts of Dublin I had never been to before, like the Irish Parliament and the colourful architecture behind Dublin Castle (above).

After the tour and a hearty lunch we went to see the inside of St Patrick’s Church. We also had fun taking some pictures outside on the green before going in. Meandering back to our hostel we did some quick souvenir shopping and stopped in for one last drink at Messrs Maguire.

Early the next morning I had to head back to England for classes, but just like the previous time, Dublin was a great place for a quick city getaway!

Investigating Ironbridge

Dear readers, I’m back from my hiatus from writing my blog. I am no longer a student and so my free time is once again my own! I have the next month off before I start work so watch this space for updates on my travels over the last few months! Now on with the blog….

While visiting my grandparents for Easter, we had the pleasure of staying two nights in Coalbrookdale, home to the famous Ironbridge. We stayed in one of the quaint B&Bs called The Swan. This very charming B&B had a pub downstairs and a few rooms upstairs. Our room was massive, for what we paid, with a double bed, a single bed, huge bathtub, TV, coffee maker etc.

Each morning we were also treated to a full English breakfast –which generally consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, toasts, cooked tomatoes and mushrooms and black pudding. We couldn’t manage one each so we shared one between the two of us and even that was quite filling! I definitely liked the black pudding (made from pork blood and filler) it was very rich, but I liked the taste.

The only drawback about these quaint little types of inns is that on the weekend the pub stays open until 1AM or so. The Saturday night we stayed there was a ‘hen night’ (bachelorette party) so it was quite full and loud. We stayed in the pub for a while but when we called it a night you could still hear all the noise in our room (especially from the outdoor patio).

The town of Coalbrookdale itself is very quite and pretty. There are several little museums to visit, small shops and boats to rent or ferries to ride. Because we were only staying for two days we only got a taste of what was on offer. If you live in the area or are staying longer the Passport Ticket gets you into all museums for one year as many times as you want and saves you quite a bit of  money. We visited the Museum of the Gorge, a small museum about the history of the area  with a small video presentation at the end.

We were also able to squeeze in a ferry ride. We were the only passengers and the guides were quite happy to chat and answer our questions about the area and of course about the landmark of the area – the Ironbridge. It was the first bridge made from iron in the whole world. Just one example of why the region is nicknamed the birthplace of industry. It also has this moniker a because it was a key area in the industrial revolution mostly due to the coal mining here and the river Severn which provided a link to markets for the coal.

However, even if history doesn’t interest you too much, the town alone is beautiful to walk around especially along the river. Perhaps my positive review was influenced by the fact we had gorgeous weather for April (bright blue sky and sunny), but even still the Ironbridge Gorge is still a quaint, ‘un-touristy’ part of England that you should see for yourself!