Cuba is the
largest island in the Caribbean—780 miles long.
To the North lie the Straits of Florida and to the South the
Caribbean. Eleven million people live
there, most of them in large cities.
Just a few
miles from Varadero is the city of Matanzas, often called the Venice of Cuba
due to the 17 bridges that cross the three rivers that transect the city. It has also been called the Athens of Cuba
because it has long been a center for the arts, literature and culture.
It derives its name from the Spanish word “mata”—killing. When the Spanish were fighting Indians, they enlisted the help of some fishermen to cross a river. When they got to the middle of the river, the fishermen capsized the boats and the Spaniards, weighed down by their armor, drowned. Thus, “Matanzas” or massacre.
It derives its name from the Spanish word “mata”—killing. When the Spanish were fighting Indians, they enlisted the help of some fishermen to cross a river. When they got to the middle of the river, the fishermen capsized the boats and the Spaniards, weighed down by their armor, drowned. Thus, “Matanzas” or massacre.
On the south
coast of Cuba is Cienfuegos which means 100 fires. From that, you might
conclude that there are hot springs and volcanoes nearby. Actually, the city is named for José
Cienfuegos who was Captain General of Cuba from 1816 to 1819. The city was originally settled by the French
and many streets still bear French names.
The central plaza is flanked by a beautiful cathedral and a lovely opera
house.
Also on the
south coast is the third oldest city in Cuba, Trinidad, named for the Holy
Trinity. Even though the city is on the
coast, it has the well earned reputation of being the hottest city in
Cuba. Trinidad is the 3rd
oldest city in Cuba and many of its buildings date from the 17th
century. A traditional Cuban drink was
invented there, the canchànchara. It is
made with ½ oz of honey, ¼ oz of lime juice, 11/2 oz WHITE rum and a splash of
water and served on the rocks in a special terra cotta cup. It is the Cuban version of the ‘Ti Punch served
in the French Islands.
Rum! The product of sugar cane. Cuba is home to several different
distilleries. Many of them produce fine
rum but the best rum is made by Santiago de Cuba in the city of the same
name. It is produced in the distillery
that was occupied by Bacardi before the Revolution. Fortunately Santiago de Cuba tastes nothing
at all like Bacardi. The most popular
rum is Havana Club which is used in mixed drinks like the Mojito and the Cuba
Libre. It is aged in used bourbon
barrels and like Bacardi is not in the same class as Santiago.
Regardless
of which city you visit, you will find crowded streets lined with colorful
houses. Balconies are lined with potted
plants and doorways sport bird cages.
Cubans love their dogs and you find them peacefully sleeping
everywhere. There are many foreign
students in the universities of Cuba, most of them from fellow socialist
countries. Apparently the Cambodian
students are not well received because they eat dogs. It was said that a student left his dog in
the care of friends while he went home for holiday break. When he returned he found that his dog had
been eaten! Yikes!
Santa Clara
is an important Cuban city. It was
founded in 1639 but its impact on Cuban history took place in 1958. The final battle of the Revolution took place
there and finalized the overthrow of US supported dictator Fulgencio Batista. Two groups of guerilla fighters , one led by
Camillo Cienfuegos and the other by Ernesto “Che” Guevara routed the government
defenders.
Che Guevara is revered by
modern Cubans. He was an Argentinean doctor
and was radicalized during a motorcycle trip through South America when he saw
the poverty, hunger and disease that resulted from American exploitation of Latin
America. He died in a CIA supported raid
on his encampment in Bolivia in 1967.
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