Off to Cuba!

NORWEGIAN SKY
HAVANA, CUBA
​COCO CAY, BAHAMAS

We ended up going into Cuba a total of three times throughout the day. We came back to the ship to take a nap to prepare for the evening when we heard about the Old Havana Perfume Museum from our friends.  Of course we then decided to skip the nap and head back into Havana off the cruise ship.  This perfume shop was adorable, interesting and so weird all rolled into one. Of course I got a little souvenir bottle of the oldest Perfume in Cuba called "Passion".  

I can not take photo credit for all of these pictures.  It's great to travel with 9 other sets of eyes, especially if I am filming!  Fusterlandia is an area in Cuba with spectacular mosaics and art shopping that someone knew to take us to.  Most all of my souvenirs were purchased in this area from local artists and would definitely make this a stop in Cuba. 

The video below is on real time and lets you ride along on our trip to the cabaret.  The driver "Shrek" was quite adorable and smitten with me so I thought fun to share his banter.  

We got tickets while strolling in Havana to one of the cabaret shows.  The hotel we stopped into that sold us tickets recommended this show.  It was located at Hotel Nacional.  The hotel itself was absolutely beautiful from the little we were able to see.  The show is in another building and I describe it in the first video.  :). 

I will admit, a little over half-way thru this show I was sitting there somewhat baffled that I was bored.  I was literally having a mental battle with myself of what the heck when I turned around and the entire table of 9 others waves they were ready to go.  So...I'm guess that isn't the best option for a show.  Besides the aesthetics of the theater and such, the only thing we could figure caused the boredom was simply none of it was in English.  So we truly didn't understand the show and part of what they were wanting to share about their culture.  
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Leaving Cuba caused me to do more research about their culture and the communist rule. I don't believe I truly understood what it meant and then once I observed it it led me to do more research to understand what these people have gone thru. These people are not their government. They were born into the law and they don't have any options because they can't get out. It makes me appreciate how blessed I truly am.

All in all, the trip was amazing. I was able to float in the ocean with rays of sun, explore the beauty of Cuban culture, hang with 9 amazing people and meet 8 new friends.

I do want to give a shout out to Jennifer Blomer. Jennifer was the travel consultant that planned and laid out this trip for us. I typically do all of my own travel but I was joining in a group of friends so I didn't have to handle anything. So if you are a frequent traveler and haven't been to Cuba, or have never taken a cruise, or are terrified of planning a Cuban trip, Jennifer would be perfect for you.

There were quite a few extra things that Jennifer handled for us that even I as an avid traveler thoroughly appreciated. So if you were one that were unsure what would be needed or expected for travel, Jennifer would hit it out of the park for you. She has the patience of a saint (hello, there were 9 of us, and we had zero cell service. ) and if you had questions or needed extra attention to detail, Jennifer would take care of it.

Thank you for following along on my crazy adventures. I love getting to hear who follows along....

xoxo

​Jenny

ig: jennytorrence
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Why yes!  That is NOTO $ in Cuba #iamtopeka