| It
took years for me to get to the island of Cuba, a place I have wanted
to visit since I was a child growing up in Florida. The island did not
disappoint. From the
many colorful well maintained 1940's and 1950's vehicles to the old
world architecture, and amazing food! Visiting Cuba is like stepping back into history. We visited Havana on a RCL cruise
in 2019 and we are very much looking forward to returning in the
future. |
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Cuba
was originally settled by Taino and Guanahatabey people. Christopher
Columbus and his crew were the first Europeans to reach the island(s)
in 1492. The first Spanish settlement was established at Baracoa in
1511 and the settlement that would become Havana was established in
1514. During the colonial period Cuba was a rich colony and a major
importer of slaves that were forced to work the sugar cane fields,
which significantly shorted many of their lives, requiring the Spanish
settlement to continuously import more and more slaves. In 1607 Havana
was named the capital of the colony and in 1762 the British took
control of the colony during the 7 years war for a little over a
year. In 1868 the Creoles on the island attempted independence, but
that failed. In 1886 slavery was abolished and in 1895 the Cuban people
attempted a revolution that would eventually give Cuba its
independence, thanks to the Spanish American War. Attempts at a
sustained democracy would fail early, making Cuba a Dictatorship by
1924. This happened even under United States Protectorate status. In
1940 Fulgencio Batista was elected President. Over time, he would
become a dictator and his government would become increasingly corrupt.
In 1953 Fidel Castro started his attempt to overthrow Bastista, which
eventually led to victory for Castro in 1959, with U.S. support. In
1960, Castro declared Cuba a communist state and an attempt to
overthrow Castro in 1961 failed at the Bay of Pigs. This led to the
Soviet Union feeling emboldened. When they started installing nuclear
missiles on the island, this led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the
closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. While war was prevented
and the missiles were removed, the U.S. decided to place an embargo
Cuba that has yet be be fully lifted.
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Havana Harbor 2019
Downtown Havana 2019
Havana 2019
More Havana
The National Hotel and Liberation Square
Havana 2019
