While I loved each day of our trip to Cuba, if I were forced to pick my favorite day this would probably be it. Visits to Regla, an organic farm, the town of Cojimar, Hemingway’s house in Cuba, Fusterlandia, a Hemingway bar, and dinner in Old Havana made for a truly fantastic day of learning, culture, beauty and fun.

We started our morning by heading to the ferry terminal for a short ferry ride to the other side of the bay. Regla, a settlement south of the bay, was the site of the famous Virgin of Regla Church, where we learned about an interesting blend of Afrocuban creeds and the Catholic faith. There were also some nice views of the bay and the city.

Our next adventure was in the district of Alamar on the outskirts of Havana. This area started as an expansive social housing project in the 1970’s, and the Soviet-style pre-fabricated concrete apartment blocks are now home to roughly a hundred thousand Cubans. Among the buildings in Alamar are community gardens, called “Organopónicos,” where residents grow fruit, vegetables and herbs for their own consumption and local sale. We took a tour of one of these gardens and it was one of the best parts of the entire trip. Our local guide, Ises, was vibrant and funny, and shared with us her passion for food and farming. She also gave us insight into food as part of the Cuban economy, along with some of her opinions which I will keep private.

One of the main things we learned, in addition to very specific details on how they treat the soil and lack pesticides and chemicals because they have no funds for them, was that they use completely outdated tools not because the tools are too expensive – but because they can’t get them! Ises said many times over that they needed a Home Depot – they had plenty of funds to buy equipment. Coming from the land of everything, this was truly something that made me think.

Ises and her father are really into various kinds of superfoods and one she told us about is a fruit called noni that smells and tastes like blue cheese. It was…pretty weird!

The oregano grew so much larger there than what I see here. Cubans use lots of oregano – especially for flavoring the black bean dishes. Yum!

Ises and her father. 

This old cart was overflowing with bunches of herbs – at one point, a local woman came by to buy a bunch of fresh basil from one of the farmers. 

As one must do in an tropical country, I had a fresh coconut! This one was extra special because I got to watch this nice elder gentleman whack away at it with a machete until he got to the juice. It was so, so delicious. 

I don’t know that I could ever be a farmer but I love to garden, want to know where my food comes, and appreciate the hard work and dedication of those that do this for a living. It was an absolutely incredible experience to see this farm in Cuba, the variety of things they can grow, and how they can do so much with so (seemingly) little. Impressive only begins to get at it.

For lunch, we went to the little fishing village of Cojimar – also the site for Hemingway’s book “The Old Man and the Sea.” The restaurant was very cute and our welcome drink was a delicious daiquiri. We also had fried taro and fish soup to start, then I had grilled swordfish (again) and a Presidente cerveza.

After lunch, we had some free time to stroll around Cojimar. It was so small that at first I wondered what we were going to do there but it ended up being so relaxing just wandering along the water. The salty air and humidity along with general neglect had left the sea walls, docks and buildings rough for the wear, and gave everything a “lost in time” feel. Almost like an abandoned amusement park. 

Finca Vigia – “lookout house” – was Ernest Hemingway’s home in Cuba. It was beautiful in every way, including his library of over 9,000 books!! There was also a tower that housed his writing office (although he apparently rarely used it, preferring to write in the house), an empty swimming pool, and his boat Pilar parked where the tennis courts used to be. The home and grounds were wonderfully preserved – what a piece of history. 

If you go to Havana and don’t get out to Jaimanitas to see Fusterlandia, you’re missing out. Jose Fuster is a Cuban artist specializing in ceramics, painting, drawing, engraving, and graphic design. Over the years, he’s transformed his home and neighborhood in “Fusterlandia” by covering walls, fences, buildings, floors, ceilings and roofs with mosaic tiles, as well as creating whimsical structures on his own property. While no subject was off-limits, his primary focus is on hearts, the third eye, and roosters.

The entire area is bright, colorful, and completely surreal. I’ve never seen anything like it – so inspiring, creative, beautiful and wonderful. You can’t help but feel happy here! We splurged a little on a small painting of his to bring home. Happy to support this fantastic place and his beautiful work.

After the art explosion, it was back to our casa paricular where we rested a bit then headed downstairs with some rum for an impromptu happy-hour and to see who we might meet. A man and woman from Spain who were working in Peru as engineers joined us for awhile and they were lovely. Then we met a woman and her father from Holland who were finishing up a 2-week long cruise and spending extra time in Havana. We love meeting new people from all over the world when we travel – it adds so much to our experiences.

We then decided we wanted to have a night out in Old Havana so we got a taxi and headed over to Cathedral Square where we’d been told there was a bar where Hemingway had gone to drink daiquiris (y’all, he drank daiquiris all over this city). 

We got a standard touristy pic in front of the cathedral then headed to the Hemingway bar.

It was nondescript, tiny, didn’t serve daiquiris, had people spilling out into the street and had a band playing loud, lively Cuban music – complete with flute player.

We had mojitos out on the sidewalk and ended up talking to a solo traveler from Australia who was planning to rent a car and drive all over the island (jealous), and a small group of folks from Mexico. It was so, so fun. 

We decided to wander a bit and find a random place for dinner. All the paladares were beautiful, and the one we ended up in was no exception. The food, however, was not that good. Ceviche made with parsley (which is my cryptonite so I couldn’t eat it), a side of plantains and potatoes that came with no potatoes, and really chewy meat left us feeling a little dissatisfied. Our limited Spanish couldn’t quite convey the problems and we were all left feeling a little frustrated. Lesson learned, though – visit a place that comes recommended by guides, friends, other travelers, etc. 

The nights, while by no means able to be described as “cool,” were not nearly as hot and humid as the days, with the sea breeze moving into all parts of city. We decided to walk all the way back to our casa along the Malecon. We passed by the Spanish Embassy and other sites before really getting into the people-watching. Groups of young Cubans hanging out, drinking beer and rum, playing music – guitars, trumpets, even a saxophone – this promenade is truly a special place.

I hadn’t even left Cuba yet and I already wanted to come back. This was really and truly a most epic day and probably one of the most special of any trip I’ve been on. <3