Cuba has the most diverse traffic of any place that I have travelled. There are cars, of course, more than there were 20 years ago, but still far fewer than in most countries. The ‘50s classic cars, a stereotype of the country, still do in fact constitute a large percentage of the cars on the road. These cars look better than they did when we ...
Without a headwind we had a pleasant 83 km ride over rolling hills to Remedios yesterday. The heat (30 to 32 degrees every day) is always an issue, but as long as we are off the road by early afternoon we aren’t too dehydrated when we arrive.Remedios is a pretty colonial town near the north coast. It is lightly visited by tourists, though tour buses ...
[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text] I feel that Ruth’s blog about looking for lunch in Topes glossed over some aspects of that area, like long walks in the jungle. We spent four nights in Topes, the longest we have been in any one place. This was due in part to our desire to spend more time with our Catalan friends Albert and Marina, but also because we were ...
We finally found the Cuban music and the other foreign tourists: they’re both in Trinidad. We were a little concerned about Trinidad, as it has a reputation for aggressive touts. (The slang expression for them is jineteros or “riders”. Our host in Trinidad was surprised and amused that we knew this term.) Although there are indeed more touts here, they continue to be low key and pleasant. ...
As in so many other respects, Cuba is an unusual destination in regards to money. When we were last here, 20 years ago, there were two currencies. The convertible peso, or CUC, equivalent to a U.S. dollar, was the currency used by foreigners for most purchases. The national peso, or CUP, was worth much less, but could only be used by foreigners for minor purchases, ...
Gordon: In April, 1961, a group of mostly Cuban-Americans attempted an invasion of Cuba with the goal of regime change. I was always of the impression that this was the ill conceived and poorly executed effort of a ragtag group. However, we have been staying in communities on the Bay of Pigs for the past few days, and it has been startling to learn that ...
Gordon: Yesterday we completed our bike ride across Cuba, arriving in Playa Larga at the head of the Bay of Pigs. (That name may be familiar to some, but more about that in another blog.) Crossing Cuba from north to south isn’t much of an achievement; our route was about 135 kms spread over two days. Playa Larga is located in the Cienaga de Zapata, ...
Plaza Mayor Madrid was having a very unusual heatwave in June, with temperatures up to 40 degrees. Geraldine picking out some shorts for Gord Madrid is a wonderful place to overdose on art After two nights in Santiago we took the fast train to Madrid. The speed of the train and the outside temperature were displayed and they both mounted as we made our way from ...
Detail of The Cathedral at Mondoñedo Simplicity is one of the appealing aspects of a pilgrimage. Our days principally involve walking or cycling, sleeping, and eating. After walking 25 or 30 kms the last of these is one of the great pleasures of a pilgrimage. Spanish daily life is on a somewhat different schedule than we are accustomed to in Canada. Both lunch and dinner ...
We haven’t written much about the nuts and bolts of food and accommodation on our two Caminos. If only for my own memory, I would like to make a few general comments, first about our lodging and later about dining. I know I’m going to cause some head-shaking among our more frugal friends, but we have become unapologetic Gucci-rinos. Many pilgrims on the Camino stay ...