A Week in Cuba - 2014-2015 Sample Biennial Itinerary
This trip is a people to people exchange program sanctioned and established between U.S.-based groups and individuals and some of Cuba's leading representatives of art and cultural institutions. This is made possible through our long lasting relationship with the people of Cuba, its artists, and its art and educational institutions. These exchanges highlight the full breadth of Cuban life.
U.S. law requires that all persons who participate in this program adhere to the full time schedule of activities described below and imposes on Global Gallop LLC, holder of the U.S.-issued people to people license, the obligation to ensure such adherence. Our Cuban guide/translator will lead the group and Batia Plotch, a representative of Global Gallop will also accompany the group.
Our six day encounter with Cuba and its people will begin with our arrival in Havana following a flight from Miami. Throughout our stay in Havana we will have the opportunity to meet with Cuban VIPs, intellectuals, artists, architects and craftsmen along with the people of Cuba whom we will meet in the crafts markets, galleries, plazas, cafes and many other places. These encounters - both planned and spontaneous - will promote an exchange of ideas that will educate Cubans and Americans and promote the growth of understanding between them. Evenings will be spent at various private homes with Cuban and foreign guests including one planned so far at the home of Actor Jorge Perugeria (AKA Pichi), well known for his role as Diego in the film Strawberry and Chocolate. His home is in the beautiful Santa Fe neighborhood on the outskirts of Havana next to the Marina Hemingway. The visit will feature traditional home made dishes, live music and informal engagement with an amazing group of artists. Gatherings including one at the residence of the Norwegian Ambassador in Cubanacan and at other unique Havana homes will depict the rich life of Havana’s past. Prepare yourself for an exciting encounter with this evolving country.
Wednesday
Please be at Miami Airport’s Concourse D at 9 am near the Nathan’s Hot Dog Stand for flight AA 9426 departing at 11 am. You will have a VIP check in and arrive at Jose Marti Airport at 12 Noon.
o Drive to Revolution Square
Revolution Square is one of the biggest city squares in the world and every May 1 - International Workers’ Day - over one million Cubans gather here to be addressed by Fidel Castro and other influential political figures. The large sculpture of Che Guevara covers a whole side of the Ministry of the Interior and includes the phrase, ”Hasta la Victoria Siempre.” This sort of propaganda is found everywhere in Havana from large scale bill boards to street graffiti.
o Enjoy lunch at the iconic National Hotel that opened in1930, designed by famed the architectural duo, Schultze & Weaver, best known for designing The Breakers in Palm Beach and have time to roam around the big front yard filled with film festival luminaries since the hotel is the official Festival headquarters.
o Arrive at Hotel Parque Central and check in.
Hotel Parque Central dating from Cuba’s Spanish colonial days and now beautifully restored, is located in the historic heart of Havana. After a busy day, it will be the perfect place to either relax by the pool or take in the outstanding roof top views of bustling city life.
o Dinner at a paladar with an English speaking Cuban guest (Former President of the Cuban National Assembly and former Cuban Ambassador to the UN.)
o Jazz Concert
o Return to Hotel Parque Central
Thursday
o Breakfast at your leisure at Hotel Parque Central.
o 9:00 am: Pre program for first timers: Tour a Factory and mingle with workers.
o 10:30 am: Walk through the Old Colonial City Havana is one of the oldest cities founded by Europeans in the Western Hemisphere and it is in the Old Colonial City where that is most evident; it was designated a World Heritage Site in 1982.
o Today we explore CENESEX (Run by Raul Castro’s daughter) Mariela Castro is Cuba’s leading advocate for equal rights, including the rights of women and sexual minorities. We plan to spend time experiencing the special world that she has created at Cenesex, Cuba’s leading sexual rights project.
Meet the leaders of Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (National Center for Sex Education, CENESEX). The Center advocates tolerance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transgender issues on the island. CENESEX’s mission is to contribute to “the development of a culture of sexuality that is full, pleasurable and responsible, as well as to promote the full exercise of sexual rights.” The center plays a primary role in education concerning contraception and AIDS and participants will have the opportunity to meet with leadership of the organization. This will be a rare opportunity to discuss the Center’s evolving work with philanthropists and activists.
o Late Lunch at Templete This upscale restaurant is located just 100 meters from its namesake where the city of Havana was founded in 1519. Known for its seafood menu this is one of Havana’s most exclusive reservations.
o Pre program for first timers: Visit the Museum of Revolution with Oscar Oramas, a retired diplomat
Located in the former Presidential Palace, this building now houses a museum focused almost exclusively on the country’s post-1959 history,
o 6:00pm- Cocktail at a private home with Cuban guests.
o 7:30pm – Dinner at a paladar with Cuban guests or at a private residence (to be confirmed)
o Cuban Jazz at Jazz Café This café feels a little too slick and modern to be a jazz club, with chrome-trimmed tables and chairs, a curving wall of windows, and fairly bright lighting. But a jazz club it is, and this is the top spot to search out Cuba's best and brightest jazz talents
Or Tropicana: One of Havana’s oldest night clubs, the Tropicana Club is synonymous with Cuban culture world-wide.
o Return to Hotel Parque Central
Friday
o Breakfast at leisure at Hotel Parque Central.
o Pre program for first timers: Meet the Director of International affairs, as she takes us through ISA Superior school of Arts, located at the former Golf Course of Havana which is the subject of the remarkable documentary Unfinished Spaces. Here you will have a chance to meet the future Cuban artists, musicians and actors as they practice and hone their talents. Visit them in their classroom and studios and discuss their work with them.
o Today we visit En Plein Air some of the most beautiful green patches popping up in Havana’s residential neighborhoods. These communal gardens, based on Sustainable Agriculture. was Cuba's response to the food crisis created by the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989. At one time Cuba's agrarian culture was as conventional as the rest of the world. It experienced its first "Green Revolution" when Russia was supplying Cuba with chemical and mechanical "inputs." However, the collapse of the Soviet Union ended all of that, and almost overnight threw Cuba's whole economic system into crisis. Factories closed, food supplies plummeted. Within a year the country had lost over 80% of its foreign trade. With the loss of their export markets and the foreign exchange to pay for imports, Cuba was unable to feed its population and the country was thrown into a crisis. The average daily caloric intake of Cubans dropped by a third. Without fertilizer and pesticides, Cubans turned to organic methods. Without fuel and machinery parts, Cubans turned to oxen. Without fuel to transport food, Cubans started to grow food in the cities where it is consumed. Urban gardens were established in vacant lots, school playgrounds, patios and back yards. As a result Cuba created the largest program in sustainable agriculture ever undertaken. By 1999 Cuba's agricultural production had recovered and in some cases reached historic levels. Speak to workers volunteers and visionaries who made their dreams come true, feeding the people and making and making a difference in the neighborhood and in the country
o Enjoy lunch at Aljibe Restaurant Famous for its secret chicken recipe, a meal here costs half of an average Cuban’s monthly salary, but most would say the food is worth it and then some.
o Pre-program for first timers: Visit Jose Fuster’s Home (optional) Artist Jose Fuster has created an island of make believe in an otherwise downtrodden section of Cuba known as Jaimanitas. Using brightly colored ceramic tile, the world-famous artist has covered all the homes within a two-block radius of his own with Picasso-like paintings and playful figures of the palm trees, roosters, and crocodiles so frequent in his work.
o Meet Adela Dworin, the President of the Jewish Community followed by Friday night services at the Patronato synagogue.
o Dinner at a paladar with guests or a party in a private home with guests.
o Return to Hotel Parque Central
Saturday
o Breakfast at leisure at Hotel Parque Central
o Pre program for first timers: Visit Morro Castle
The Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro, built in 1589 by an Italian engineer when Cuba was under the control of Spain, is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana Bay.
o Visit Ernest Hemingway’s Villa, Finca Vigia Hemingway lived just outside Havana from 1939–1960 and wrote some of his most famous works, including For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. Nothing has been changed since Hemingway left the island, just a year before his suicide in Idaho.
o Lunch at Café de Oriente This elegant little restaurant sits just off the Plaza San Francisco and when weather permits it has a few outdoor tables. Inside you'll find a cool, large room with a beautiful patterned marble floor, high ceilings, and dark wainscoting. In the center of the restaurant is a large, U-shaped bar and the menu is one of the more extravagant in Havana. This is where the government hosts official guests.
o Educating special needs children in a way that honors their human dignity is a challenge in any culture and society. We’ll have the opportunity to experience a remarkable program that has gone countrywide in Cuba and beyond that focuses on the children’s unique gifts and talents while fully integrating them into society through theater, music and dance.
o We meet the children and parents of La Colmenita, an after school program that uses performances, acting, singing and dancing a social developmental tool, mainstreaming children with special needs. A very beautiful, cheerful program that requires the participation of parents and children. Enjoy a short performance followed by a discussion with creators and English speaking parents about the effect of the program on the lives of their children and family lives.
o Pre-program for first timers: Visit the Museum of Fine Arts Housed in two buildings, the Museum includes the Palace of Fine Arts that is dedicated exclusively to displaying Cuban works and the Palace of the Asturian Center, housing European and ancient works and a world class program. We will invite a curator to talk about the art.
o 7:30pm – Dinner at The elegant, softly lit outdoor garden seating here would be enough to recommend this family-run paladar, but the food is excellent as well. Lilliam Domínguez has a deft touch.
o 10:00pm – Buena Vista Social Club Show Originally a members club that held dances and musical activities this club became a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s. Some people still think today’s Cuban music scene can be summed up in four words: Buena Vista Social Club.
o Return to Hotel Parque Central
Sunday
o Breakfast at leisure at Hotel Parque Central
o Walk the Malecon, the beautiful and engaging waterfront promenade of Havana and the Prado, filled today with people trying their hands at the new “Real Estate business in Cuba” - selling and buying apartments. These activities reflect the newly permissible activity of private business in Cuba.
o Lunch at a paladar
o Visit Callejon de Hammel, a community initiative by artist Salvator Gonzalez in Centro Havana (poor neighborhood) to involve children and their parents in mural painting, music and dance . Every Sunday afternoon, it’s time for Rhumba
o Enjoy visits to artists’ homes and studios.
o Dinner in a paladar with a Cuban economist, to shed light on the “NEW Cuba economy”, a very complicated subject that hopefully will be clearer at the end of your trip. Time for questions and private discussion with the experts.
Monday
o Breakfast at leisure; we will invite guests for breakfast for our last day of questions
o Depart Havana at 1:30 pm (approximate time)
o Arrive Miami 2:30 pm (approximate time)
o Program and times guaranteed to change.
Our program will include numerous people to people, experiences and behind the scenes access to our friends including important intellectuals and artists and some possible visits to artists’ homes and studios.