Hola!!! After trips east and west, and being sick and tired of what had become all too long a winter, this March Break turned out to be one prime for a sun destination. We chose Cuba for multiple reasons; it was economical to get ourselves and the two kids in the air and fed; a recent reacquaintance with Cold War history spurned by Janie's new IB courses; the need for somewhere "WARM"; and, the total ease of preparation in our recently very busy schedules.

I really did not prepare a lot for Cuba, feeling in the end very lazy about the whole affair. We chose as a framework the "all-inclusive" resort (one in Varadero) and this time around were accompanied by Janie's Mom who, like us, had never been on a southern vacation. No fussin', with flight, food and feathers (accommodations) as part of the package. My prep consisted of a quick resort pick through our credit card company's travel site and several scant websites on Cuba itself. In fact, I had difficulty in many ways finding information beyond resorts, some very dismal reviews and recommendations on excursions. Just the old Frommer's Guide... that helped a lot on the ground and identifying key points of history and attraction suggestions.

This kind of trip was a real departure in more than one way for me. A day on the beach, or a morning pool side, was hard to contemplate. At the same time, some R&R was a must!!! To accommodate, I managed to sneak in several "trips" that would at least fling us into where most Cubans live for at least a glimpse. We didn't regret that... and go further to suggest and recommend that every visitor to Cuba needs to step outside the compound and experience the social, political and economic nuances that are the island's foundation. Janie wasn't wrong calling it a "living social studies experiment"... somehow stuck in time just 100 miles south of the American juggernaut!!! Cuba today is much celebrated yet maligned, progressive yet backward, a series of dichotomies. It was always so important to consider not only what you were seeing, but what you didn't see.

As per the usual structure (for those of you who have actually read these sojourns) I've broken out our trip into daily itineraries. I have had difficulty putting language to some of the things we experienced and learned about in Cuba... so if it comes out awkwardly I'd suggest it's because we just don't fully understand what we were sharing. I welcome you to travel along or or just sample some of our photos in the gallery.