Photos and narration of Key West and Havana

After consulting with a young person at the front desk, I was able to take my photos from my iPhone and put them in my iPad without using the internet. How? Air Drop. I never really knew what Air Drop was all about but now I understand its purpose. Let’s see if I can make it work now. The internet service on the ship only allows me to use one device at a time..

Enough talk..here are the photos.  Because  I had to share one photo at a time via Air Drop, I’m only taking the best of the best.  This operation is very time- consuming

Key West:

The Hemingway House contained his house, gardens and cats who wandered everywhere  throughout the premises.  Several of his typewriters were scattered throughout the rooms, with examples of his written word. The guide gave us a narrative about his life, works, wives, and engaged us with funny stories about his exploits. His wife Pauline built a pool in his absence on the property after she discovered his infidelities, which prompted him to bring in his urinal from the bar he most frequented.  He said that she cost him his last red cent. She took it and put it in the cement at the  pool and later had the urinal made into a fountain and planter.

And now on to the “little White House”

The Truman Annex was originally a government base but is now part of the state parks of Florida. The area has charming, immaculately kept bungalows with flowers festooned throughout the streets. The Truman White House is a modest two story home that holds many secrets, even to this day.  We were unable to take pictures of the interior, but the lower level contained the living room, dining room and den and the upstairs contained bedrooms, study and a sun porch that enveloped the upstairs and gave visitors a panoramic view.  It is used to this day by visiting presidents and other important government  dignitaries.

Havana:

Thanks to our view off our balcony, we were able to experience sailing in to Havana as the sun rose.

We visited many places and participated in many activities on our Best of Havana tour.  Our first visit was to a community service center providing help to seniors and those with serious mental and physical issues, such as HIV-AIDS.

After that we took a driving tour of the city, stopping at the Christopher Columbus cemetery to visit the graves of important events and people. It’s a popular place.  We saw the grave of Hemingway’s favorite bartender and the grave of a woman who died with her child during childbirth.  It’s now a grave where pregnant women come to offer flowers in hopes of a healthy baby.  We saw women come in the red car to give offerings when we were there.

On our shopping expedition, we watched a man making a cigar in the corner of the factory store while frantic buyers gathered around him in the small room in their quest for the best cigars, rum, and coffee.

Linda and I decided to look for souvenirs, which we found at a small kiosk near the parking lot for the bus. She negotiated for some trinkets with a handsome young vendor, and then we walked up the hill to see Jesus – the statue of Christ, that is.

Our last  activity was a walking tour of old Havana, which showcased the beautiful parks and squares.

We were given free time to soak up the atmosphere and see the locals and visitors in action before heading back to the terminal.

Our tour was over but our time in Havana wasn’t.  Yes, there’s more. None of this late afternoon adventure was planned, but it turned out perfectly. I’m exhausted so I’ll continue this tomorrow. Here’s a hint of things to come..this photo is also the first one you see on this post, and  there IS a story.