Hemingway and Cuba

This is me on our first morning in Havana outside the Hotel Sevilla where we stayed for three nights. A beautiful Spanish colonial hotel used as a location for the filming of Grahame Green's 'Our Man in Havana'

Havana is a captivating city and we wished we could have returned there after our two weeks travelling around Cuba and spent a couple more nights discovering more before we flew home. Especially with all the knowledge we'd gained during our travels about Cuba and of course the Revolution - but that's another story.

We were able to see Hemingway's house just outside Havana but not allowed to photograph it nor his famous fishing boat the 'Pilar' We could peep through the windows and also see the empty swimming pool where Ava Gardner swam naked. Finca Vigia is being restored so if we visit Cuba again in the future maybe we'll be allowed inside? Above is a photo of the fishing village where the Pilar was launched fishing for marlins and the setting for Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea.'

Above is a statue of Hemingway in the fishing village of Cojimar. We had a seafood lunch here in La Terraza, a bar restaurant with walls lined with photos of Hemingway posing with marlins and with Castro.

These are photos of Hemingway in the El Floridita bar in Havana where he drank and where I experienced my first Mojito cocktail. Memorable. Here's the recipe!