VISITING CUBA

Taking time out from the everyday stresses & strains of life to visit an exotic place is something that everyone looks forward to. Cuba, with its notoriety brought upon by its government & the clamp down of the American government on its export & tourism, is a country known more for its cigar & its leader,  than as a holiday location. 

Cuban Cigar Factory

Despite this, every year more & more tourists from Canada & Europe are flocking to Cuba, enthralled by its natural beauty & its passionate & welcoming people. Tourism in Cuba is currently at an all time high.

Cuba is the largest of the Caribbean islands & is inhabited by people with a mixed race of Caribbean Indian, African & German heritage. it's a contrasting landscape ranging from gorgeous & mesmerizing beaches to sprawling & craggy mountain ranges. Limestone Mountains loom over the fields of tobacco, utilized for their famed cigars, providing a stunning scenic view. The natural beauty of Cuba & its history has shaped the country to what it is today. This is  Caribbean island has been left unspoiled by technology & modern day living. 

   Cayo Largo

Aside from stunning beaches, Cuba also offers plenty of rustic towns & cities full of rich culture & heritage. A holiday to Cuba is not complete without visiting at least seven of the Cuban towns or cities & meeting the local Cuban people.

Like lots of of the Caribbean islands, Cuba's main source of tourism is the beach industry. The country is blessed with hundreds of miles of sprawling sandy beaches, with fine white sand & clear blue water. Tourists visiting Cuba have a multitude of choices for the location of their beach holiday. The major resorts of Varadero & Cayo Largo are the most renowned & here you'll find lots of 5 star all inclusive resorts. Despite this, there's also plenty of smaller, quieter beach resorts where you can truly get away from it all. 

Havana also has its fair share of museums, including the Museum of the Revolution, the Havana Club Museum of Rum, the Cigar Museum, the Ernest Hemingway Museum & the National Museum of Fine Arts. 



In the north-west of the country you'll find the capital city, Havana - the hub of everything that is Cuban. When you stroll around the city you'll feel the essence of the Cuban past - a rich legacy emanating from the german colonial architecture that beholds the city. Parts of the city resemble the set of an old movie, reminiscent of a bygone era, with old American cars bustling by. A lot of work has been done in the past decade to restore old Havana, a UNESCO world heritage site, but much of the city has been left untouched & hundreds of crumbling buildings collapse each month. 

Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city in Cuba & is located on the eastern end of the island. it's a gorgeous setting at the foot of the Sierra Maestra Mountains & overlooks a magnificent bay. Unlike the other towns & cities in Cuba, Santiago de Cuba has a  Caribbean feel to it. This is as a result of the influence of the Haitian planters who settled here in the 19th century.

Trinidad, located in the heart of Cuba is seven of the original towns & was founded in 1514. The city is filled with cobbled streets & old buildings with tiled roofs & has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. it is a  pleasant city to spend a day or two, with lots of museums, churches & Plazas. 

An ideal way to spend your holiday is to take a few days to do some sightseeing in Havana or seven of Cuba's other cities & then follow that up with a relaxing week's stay in seven of the luxurious all inclusive resorts by the beach.

Savannah Georgia On The Georgia Coast

Heading out a little earlier than normal this year to the Georgia Coast. Lot's of people from around the US and World don't realize Georgia even has a coast. The beautiful coast of Georgia and The Golden Isles offers a lot to the visitor. Beginning with Savannah---it's not a place you go by headed further south as most peoples routes to Florida is via I-95 from the Carolinas and I-75 through Georgia. However, a great destination indeed............


SAVANNAH 

Founded by James Oglethorpe in 1733 is Georgia's oldest city and was a early capital of state of Georgia. Coastal city is separated from South Carolina by the Savannah River. It’s known for manicured parks, horse-drawn carriages and antebellum architecture. Its historic district is filled with cobble stoned squares and parks such shaded by oak trees covered with Spanish moss. If you've seen the movie  Forest Gump , a great scene was filmed on one of the benches at one of the squares. "life is like a box of chocolates".  The city was laid out by Oglethorpe himself drawing on his knowledge of cities in England and Europe.

 Some of the more famous landmarks are :

River Street

A multi-faceted gem along the Savannah River. The century old buildings, once cotton warehouses, have been converted to antique shops, boutiques, galleries, brew pubs, restaurants, unique nightspots elegant inns and hotels.  Bustling with welcoming hospitality, it’s the place to see Savannah from the river that made her by taking a cruise or watching ships from around the world sail into one of the busiest ports in America

The Waving Girl
Florence Martus (1868–1943), also known as "the Waving Girl", took it upon herself to be the unofficial greeter of all ships that entered and left the Port of Savannah, Georgia, between 1887 and 1931.Statue is on River St. where she waved to ships entering and leaving the harbor .

Pirates House 
Built in 1753 is the oldest building still standing in the state of Georgia. Originally built on property Oglethorpe had laid out as a garden modeled after Chelsea Botanical Gardens in London. First building was used to house the  Gardner and called the Herb House. As Savannah grew as a port and having no need for a garden at the location, it was converted into a Inn and Tavern for seaman visiting from abroad. Be careful when you visit as you might entertain ghost rumor has  that of Captain Flint (a fictional character) from Robert Louis Stevenson book Treasure Island who in the book dies in Savannah. While it certainly wont be Captain Flint most assuredly the walls and halls are filled with stories of characters from the sea and  the world over. 

Historic Savannah
Cemeteries

Savannah cemeteries are some of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, particularly with those seeking ghostly adventures and amateur genealogists attempting to research the death records of their families. Rich in history and legend, the Savannah cemeteries are the final resting place for many of her distinguished and notable citizens.

Bonaventure Cemetery

is one of the most photographed cemeteries in the country and best known for its role in Berendt’s best-selling book “In the Midnight of Good and Evil.” The cover of the book features “The Bird Girl” which used to reside in the Cemetery, but has since been moved to the Telfair Museum of Art. The cemetery features a number of unusual tombstones, but perhaps the most unique is one in the shape of a piano. 

The Bird Girl

Great adventure to spend most of a spring day roaming this beautiful spot with some amazing headstones with lot's of history and a bit spooky with all the shaded areas and entrancing Spanish moss covered oaks.


Colonial Park Cemetary

While Bonaventure Cemetery lies just outside the historic district, Colonial Park Cemetery is right in the heart of it. Many of Savannah’s earliest citizens are buried here including many who were victims of Savannah’s tragic dueling era. This cemetery is a popular stop for local ghost tours. Dueling grounds can be found all throughout Savannah, but strangely enough most of the preferred meeting spots tended to be the city’s cemeteries. Colonial Park Cemetery was only one of the many graveyards where men once faced off in the name of honor. 

But Colonial Park Cemetery is one of the only places where the duelist’s are named and marked for all to see who wander through. If you’re considering visiting the cemetery, be sure to go during the park’s opening hours from dusk to dawn. For those of you hoping to learn more about dueling in Savannah and the particular graveyards and the old “dueling site” at Colonial Park Cemetery, consider taking a Cemetery or Ghost Tour where you’ll learn all about Colonial Park Cemetery’s history as well as its secrets.

Savannah's Beach--Tybee Island

Tybee Island is a barrier island and small city near Savannah, Georgia. It’s known for its wide, sandy beaches, including South Beach, with a pier and pavilion. In the island’s north, Fort Screven has 19th-century concrete gun batteries and the Tybee Island Light Station and Museum. The still-functioning 18th-century lighthouse has been rebuilt many times. The museum, in Battery Garland, focuses on local history.

Tybee Island Lighthouse

Fort Pulaski

Located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island, Fort Pulaski National Monument is the perfect destination for a history buff or a nature lover. The fort remains an outdoor exhibit, while the surrounding area offers guided tours, an indoor museum and many trails on which you can go for a bike ride or a long walk under the Georgia sun.