We began our day at 5:00 a.m. in order to get a taxi that would take us to a meeting point near the Arc de Triomphe for our Normandy Excursion. What we thought would thought would be a small group of eight soon looked like 20 or more, but we soon found out there were only 8 people on each individual tour. Luckily, we were among the first there, so were assigned to the first tour out. Our guide, Tej, was knowledgeable and friendly, and provided excellent narrative as we left the bustling Paris for more rural Normandy. He has lived in Thailand and Colombia, in addition to being a hang-glider and father of twins. He once biked a continuious journey across continents that took 5-1/2 years to complete and is fluent in at least four ... read more

Today we are waiting at Miami International Airport and sit to reflect on the experience of the trip we have just completed. Last night we had a preliminary discussion and all slept on what we wished to share. So, here goes. As our guide, Ralph, told us last Sunday, we would leave Cuba with more questions than we entered and was he right! The words contradiction, paradox, and confusion all come to mind. The Cuba we visited was not the Cuba we expected to find. The living conditions we witnessed, though not in any way near the standards we are used to, did not represent the poverty and oppression we initially expected to find and, honestly felt we were witnessing at first. In just a week, we learned to look beyond first impressions into the interior ... read more

Our Final Cuban Sunset June 17, 2017 We started of our day following breakfast with a great conversation with Ralph and Jorge about the reaction of Cubans to the recent Trump announcement. Basically, the Cubans were happy that the embargo was not brought back to pre-Obama status. Careful analysis of Trump’s proposal (not an executive order; he signed a memo) seems to indicate that the net result of his ideas, should they be enacted, will really only negatively impact American solo travelers. Group travel may continue as long as it is with a licensed operator, but the “I’m going to check out Trip Advisor and plan my Cuban adventure” travelers will be impacted. And those of us on trips such as ours will be required to document each day’s activities and be subject to IRS audit. ... read more

June 15, 2017 Today marked our final day in Havana, but not without a few last goodbyes to the capital city. Our first stop took us to an alley decorated by an eccentric artist known as Salvador. He began illegally painting walls in 1990 and for some reason the government turned a blind eye. After all, not much had been painted at all in Havana since 1959. Over the years, his project turned into a multi-media alley-long installation. Different sections of the installation paid homage to various gods in the Santeria faith, which has thoughtfully melded many aspects into Catholic saints, so much so that the religion is recognized by the Catholic Church. Various artistic elements included car transmissions, bathtubs turned into seating, sinks and toilets turned into planters, piano frames turned into walls and windows, ... read more

Apologies in advance for typos... These have been composed in haste offline for these few times we are able to upload... Wifi access is limited and spotty at best here. Greetings from the Pilgrims--we are safe and well. June 12, 2014 Up bright and early, we rose at 5:45 a.m. to grab breakfast and meet our guide for our flight to Havana, Cuba. Getting through the airport was worrisome to us, but a breeze because our guide new all the secrets to quickly navigating the visa process and security. We were at the gate and filling out customs forms well ahead of our boarding time. The flight took about 40 minutes and we exited the plane into a different world. The heat and humidity hit like a wet blanket, but we were out of the airport ... read more