Photo Gallery The group taking a guided city tour of Havana from Rosbel Alpi Woman offering water to street dogs in Plaza de las Armas A street beside Plaza de las Armas is paved in wooden bricks Aqueduct built in 1592 Live music at our first lunch in Cuba Ropa Vieja (a traditional Cuban dish of shredded beef) The streets of downtown Havana are decorated with cannons and cannonballs as a sign of peace Susan Roberts standing in a Havana street Kids play fútbol in Plaza Vieja Living statue 1st night in Havana – dinner at Casa Lilliam, a paladar (private, family-run restaurant) Entrance to Callejón de Hamel, home to Havana’s Santería community Callejón de Hamel Gerardo Marti walking in Callejón de Hamel Cuban street in Havana near Callejón de Hamel Bust of José Martí in the Museo de la Revolución, with bullet holes in the wall behind Cuban Flag at Museo de la Revolución Diorama of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in Museo de la Revolución View from Museo de la Revolución The whole Davidson group (and two guides) at Museo de la Revolución Angie Willis standing next to a statue of Cecilia Valdés in Plaza del Ángel in Havana. Cecilia is a character in a novel published by Cuban author Cirilo Villaverde in 1839, and her statue stands in a location spotlighted in the novel. Sharon Green and Annie Merrill in front of Hotel Nacional View from Hotel Nacional Image of Cuba on the terrace of Hotel Nacional Many of the group members and guides in front of Coppelia, a state-run ice cream parlor Group members in La Mansión Camagüey, which now houses La Guardia paladar (family-run restaurant) Buena Vista Social Club performance The group talks with three University of Havana professors: Camilo García López-Trigo, Marta Núñez, and Alberto Faya Lola Santamaría , Helen Cho, and Angie Willis ready for their classic car tour of Havana Susan Roberts in a 1950s classic car Maggie McCarthy and Amanda Ewington on a classic car tour of Havana El Malecón Entrance to Fusterlandia, a neighborhood in Havana filled with artist José Fuster’s mosaics Fusterlandia – Viva Cuba Lola Santamaría sitting on a bench in Fusterlandia Wall in Fusterlandia Cara Evanson and artist José Fuster with the book he signed and illustrated for Davidson College Fusterlandia – from inside looking towards the exit Ministry of the Interior building beside Plaza de la Revolución with image of Che Guevara Ministry of Informatics and Communications building beside Plaza de la Revolución with image of Camilo Cienfuegos Ho Chi Minh Monument in Havana neighborhood An offering left on the curb in the Vedado neighborhood in Havana, likely by a practitioner of Santería Group debrief at Odette’s house in Nuevo Vedado neighborhood of Havana Profesor Joanna from Universidad Tecnológica de de la Habana Ferry to Regla neighborhood. Our guide told us it has been seized several times by Cubans attempting to flee to Miami. Group takes a guided tour of Regla neighborhood in Havana Church in Havana neighborhood of Regla Cubans dressed in white in Regla neighborhood of Havana. Practitioners of Santería wear white as part of their commitment to a year of purification practices Figure of Santa Bárbara inside a church in the Havana neighborhood of Regla Home altar in Havana neighborhood of Regla A rainy lunch at Café del Angel in the neighborhood of Havana Vieja Fruits and vegetables in a Havana market Medicinal herbs for sale at Havana market A meat vendor in a Havana market List of products available to buy with ration cards A used bookstore in Havana Cannon ceremony at Havana’s Morro Castle Presbyterian minister Daniel Izquierdo Hernández (center) with Dan Layman, Gerardo Marti, Matt Samson, and Annie Merrill Cara Evanson and Angie Willis with Casa de las Américas librarians Angel González Abreu and Addys Molina, dropping off book donations from Davidson professors Entrance to government-run Partagas Cigar Factory Havana Street Amanda Ewington with Cuban writer Anna Lidia Vega Serova, winner of the Premio David in 1997 and 1998 Amanda Ewington and Angie Willis with Cuban writer Anna Lidia Vega Serova Stopped at a gas station on a rainy morning drive to the Cuba province of Pinar del Río Mogotes (limestone hills) in the Pinar del Río province of Cuba, west of Havana Finca Agroecológica el Paraiso in the Viñales Valley Garden at Finca Agroecológica el Paraiso Kevin Smith bird watching at Finca Agroecológica el Paraiso Coffee at the family-run restaurant at Finca Agroecológica el Paraiso Tobacco field in Viñales Tobacco leaves drying Tobacco farmer in Viñales Men watching a fútbol match on TV in a neighborhood in Viñales Angie Willis with Hibiscus tree in Viñales neighborhood Cuban Emerald Hummingbird (Chlorostilbon ricordii) in Viñales Horse cart Viñales Sign in Viñales from the CDR – Committee for the Defense of the Revolution – neighborhood organizations to promote the revolution and report on anti-revolutionary activity Las Terrazas – an ecocommunity of 1,000 people founded in 1971 which is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Pink Cone Ginger (Alpinia purpurata) at Las Terrazas Moraima (3rd from left), stands on the porch her home in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana with the members of the group who stayed there The Cuba coastline east of Havana An oil rig on the coast east of Havana Susan Roberts joins the band during a rest stop near the Cuba province of Matanzas A Puerto Rican Giant Millipede (Rhinocricus parcus) near Matanzas Annie Merrill photographing an iguana Frog sitting on a leaf near Matanzas Kevin Smith holding a Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) Bridge to Cuba province of Matanzas Our drivers and guides, Yasniel, David, Ramón, Ernesto, Daniel, and Fredy Héctor Correa, a farmer in the town of Jovellanos Homage to Einstein on a barn at Héctor Correa’s farm Rose of Venezuela (Brownea grandiceps) on Héctor Correa’s farm Statue in homage to Hemingway’s Old Man and the sea Héctor Correa’s farm Anne Wills sits in an outdoor classroom on Héctor Correa’s farm Food for lunch grown and prepared on Héctor Correa’s farm Plate of food at Héctor Correa’s farm The group eating lunch on Héctor Correa’s farm Stingless bees on Héctor Correa’s farm Amanda Ewington samples the honey from a (stingless) bee box on Héctor Correa’s farm A peacock on Héctor Correa’s farm Matt Samson on Héctor Correa’s farm Our driver and guide, and David, driving through the Cuban countryside east of Havana Entering the city of Cienfuegos Propaganda near Cienfuegos Propaganda across the street from our Cienfuegos hotel, Casa Maikel Sub-tropical storm Alberto hits, stranding us in our hotel Casa Maikel Our guides and drivers play a game of dominoes in Casa Maikel Our guides bring in salsa instructors After salsa lessons, our guides surprise us with a live band Eating breakfast at Casa Maikel in Cienfuegos Part of our Cuban breakfast at Casa Maikel – pineapple, mango, mamey, and coffee Playing cards to pass the time during sub-tropical storm Alberto Our driver Ramón with Dan Aldridge Flooded roads in Cienfuegos near our hotel Driving on flooded roads on our way out of Cienfuegos Flooded highway Propaganda on our way out of Cienfuegos Flooded field on our way out of Cienfuegos during sub-tropical storm Alberto Entrance to Girón (Bay of Pigs) Entrance to Museo Girón (Bay of Pigs Museum) Lobby of Museo Girón Exhibit in Museo Girón honoring those who died in the Bay of Pigs invasion Museo Girón Literacy Campaign Exhibit Gerardo Marti with a bust of José Martí in Playa Girón Helen Cho and Matt Samson on a corner in Old Havana Angie Willis with Cuban artist Arbelio Fontes Rodriguez Gerardo Marti browses in a used bookstore in Havana El Tanque – the home of Muraleando, a community arts project in the Lawton municipality of Havana Manuel Diaz Baldrich, director of Muraleando, talks to the group about the community art project in the Lawton neighborhood of Havana Mosaic in Muraleando of Abraham Lincoln and Che Guevara Bird mosaic in Muraleando Benches in Muraleando Sharon Green dances to a live band in Muraleando Kevin Smith, Gerardo Mari, and Dan Layman, soon after our guides surprised us with a classic car ride to the airport. Bridge on the route to the airport during our classic car ride Propaganda on our ride to the airport Arriving in style at the José Martí airport Adiós, Cuba