LAST RIDE AND A PIZZA PARTY!!
I wore my WOW CUBA cycling jersey down to breakfast today and had not one, but two people ask about it and where they could get one. I told them about the tour and I directed them to Danny if they wanted to purchase one, but I doubt if it went any further than that.
After breakfast, I headed up to my room to brush my teeth and clean up before meeting the others on the bus for what would be our final ride of the trip. We drove up into the hills above Havana, passing some interesting sights, including the Cuban national baseball stadium.
It was on the drive to our destination that I realized I had screwed up. At breakfast this morning, I had worn my cycling clothes, but not my clip-less bike shoes. I was wearing sandals. Darn it! Oh well, I haven’t crashed, gotten lost, or gotten sick on this trip, so if the worst thing I have to endure is riding in sandals, I’ll be all right.
We ended up at an old Russian built restaurant that had a familiar Russian Orthodox Church look to it’s architecture. We took a group picture, and then the WOW CUBA team reinstalled the original pedals on my bike so I could ride in sandals. They would have had to reinstall the original pedals at the end of this ride anyway, so it was no big deal.
After breakfast, I headed up to my room to brush my teeth and clean up before meeting the others on the bus for what would be our final ride of the trip. We drove up into the hills above Havana, passing some interesting sights, including the Cuban national baseball stadium.
It was on the drive to our destination that I realized I had screwed up. At breakfast this morning, I had worn my cycling clothes, but not my clip-less bike shoes. I was wearing sandals. Darn it! Oh well, I haven’t crashed, gotten lost, or gotten sick on this trip, so if the worst thing I have to endure is riding in sandals, I’ll be all right.
We ended up at an old Russian built restaurant that had a familiar Russian Orthodox Church look to it’s architecture. We took a group picture, and then the WOW CUBA team reinstalled the original pedals on my bike so I could ride in sandals. They would have had to reinstall the original pedals at the end of this ride anyway, so it was no big deal.
We saddled up and headed out about 9:15 for what would be another easy downhill ride, albeit with a rough road again. I guess the road maintenance crews only went up so high.
The scenery on this trip was still rural for the most part, but without the fields of crops. Along the way, I saw a couple of young girls who were hanging out in front of their simple house. It looked like such a great shot, I asked them if I could take their picture and they readily agreed.
One of the nicest things about the Cubans is that they are always accommodating, even to tourists like us ,who, in their eyes, must look to be taking pictures of nothing special. I resolved to get more people shots in the little bit of time I had left in the country.
The scenery rolled by quickly and my lack of clip-less shoes didn’t hamper me at all. In fact, it felt good to have my little “piggies” being air-cooled.
The scenery on this trip was still rural for the most part, but without the fields of crops. Along the way, I saw a couple of young girls who were hanging out in front of their simple house. It looked like such a great shot, I asked them if I could take their picture and they readily agreed.
One of the nicest things about the Cubans is that they are always accommodating, even to tourists like us ,who, in their eyes, must look to be taking pictures of nothing special. I resolved to get more people shots in the little bit of time I had left in the country.
The scenery rolled by quickly and my lack of clip-less shoes didn’t hamper me at all. In fact, it felt good to have my little “piggies” being air-cooled.
At about 15k, we stopped for a break along side the road and had some, guess what - bananas, before continuing on.
At 26k we concluded our ride for the day at our lunch spot, The Piccolo Pizzeria. Woo-Hoo! Pizza! There were quite a few things I missed on the trip: a thick steak, a hamburger, Mexican food and of course, the food of the Gods – Pizza. Why don’t you checkout our little lunch spot with me here.
The restaurant had a small garden as well as pens of animals and I wondered how many ended up on the pizzas. We had several different varieties of pizzas, and they were all good. The experience made all the better as they were washed down with some ice cold Crystal Cuban Beer.
The restaurant had a small garden as well as pens of animals and I wondered how many ended up on the pizzas. We had several different varieties of pizzas, and they were all good. The experience made all the better as they were washed down with some ice cold Crystal Cuban Beer.
After lunch, we headed back to the Sevilla Hotel in Havana and were told that there was going to be an optional informal walking tour of the city by our one of our tour guides, Nelson. Most people opted out of the tour and did their own thing. I decided to go and joined Sharon and Jim – both from Washington DC – on the tour.
It was a nice tour and Nelson knew his way around the city pretty well, including where to get the best deal on some of the world famous, Cuban cigars. I haven’t smoked cigars in quite a while, but not buying at least a few while you are here was almost sacrilege and akin to not seeing the Empire State Building if you were in New York, so I imbibed.
Jim was a cigar aficionado as well as a fluent Spanish speaker, so I took his recommendations and let him do the talking. He made sure that he was getting his money’s worth and left out of there with dozens of stogies. I purchased 5 and gave him one as a gift for lending his expertise.
We returned to the Sevilla a few hours later and had some time to start packing before dinner. I had made a critical error by using a duffel bag to carry my things instead of a suitcase and was paying for it now. The bag was starting to rip open on the ends, and I was afraid all of the contents would spill out on the trip home. Danny from WOW CUBA was there to rescue me with a roll of duct tape, which did the trick.
It was a nice tour and Nelson knew his way around the city pretty well, including where to get the best deal on some of the world famous, Cuban cigars. I haven’t smoked cigars in quite a while, but not buying at least a few while you are here was almost sacrilege and akin to not seeing the Empire State Building if you were in New York, so I imbibed.
Jim was a cigar aficionado as well as a fluent Spanish speaker, so I took his recommendations and let him do the talking. He made sure that he was getting his money’s worth and left out of there with dozens of stogies. I purchased 5 and gave him one as a gift for lending his expertise.
We returned to the Sevilla a few hours later and had some time to start packing before dinner. I had made a critical error by using a duffel bag to carry my things instead of a suitcase and was paying for it now. The bag was starting to rip open on the ends, and I was afraid all of the contents would spill out on the trip home. Danny from WOW CUBA was there to rescue me with a roll of duct tape, which did the trick.
We headed out for dinner in our now familiar bus and drove into a residential neighborhood. At one point, a man dressed in a chef’s uniform and sitting on a chair on the side of the road, stood and directed us to turn right at the corner. We were to learn that a very wealthy family had turned their magnificent home into a very classy restaurant and this was where we were to have our final group dinner.
The home was fantastic and had beautiful botanical gardens, verandas, and a wonderful wine cellar. It was owned by an Italian Sommelier who had married a Cuban woman, and they had entertained many of Cuba’s elite. Judging by the paintings that graced the walls, the beard himself – Fidel, might have dined here as well.
For dinner tonight I had Spanish Paella, which was enormous and could have fed at least 3 people. I tried to share, but some of the dishes the others had ordered were equally as generous, so I had to leave a lot of it untouched. Oh well, going out with a bang with the final big meal of the trip.
The home was fantastic and had beautiful botanical gardens, verandas, and a wonderful wine cellar. It was owned by an Italian Sommelier who had married a Cuban woman, and they had entertained many of Cuba’s elite. Judging by the paintings that graced the walls, the beard himself – Fidel, might have dined here as well.
For dinner tonight I had Spanish Paella, which was enormous and could have fed at least 3 people. I tried to share, but some of the dishes the others had ordered were equally as generous, so I had to leave a lot of it untouched. Oh well, going out with a bang with the final big meal of the trip.
We got back to our hotel at about 10, for what would be my final night in Cuba. I said goodbye to Randy as he was having to leave at around 5 to catch his flight, and we agreed to keep in touch regarding me accompanying him on a cycling trip from Seattle to San Diego this summer. Stay tuned for that one.
In the meantime, while don’t you meet me back here tomorrow for my final day in Cuba.
Dulces sueños.
In the meantime, while don’t you meet me back here tomorrow for my final day in Cuba.
Dulces sueños.
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