Category: Blog

Coincidences from other side of the world

Some days I just LOVE the internet! My Wednesday began with an email from a former Willoughby guy living in Malaysia who read my Monday story online about Carl Roberts who died...

Searching for Commies in wrong Cuban places

“Searching for Commies in all the wrong places” was my suggested headline for the second story in the Cuba series, which goes to readers on Aug. 10. Either that was just too...

Ontario countryside an extraordinary road trip

My weekend girlfriends getaway with friend Judy from Toronto was a lot of fun. We headed east of her city to Prince Edward County, a drive-to island tucked next to the north...

Hotel a legacy of the Mob in Havana

This lavish show at  Cabaret Parisien was a throwback to the past. Havana’s Hotel Nacional, alleged Cuba headquarters for the Mob during the 1950s when Americans flocked to the island to gamble and...

Cuba’s Botanical Garden a tropical treat

I saw the most beautiful flower at Cuba’s Botanical Garden but couldn’t identify it until I got home. Greenhouses at Cuba’s Jardin Botanica Nacional are designed to keep plants shaded and catching...

Meet some Cuban artists, see their work

Music in Havana is everywhere  – from balconies on decaying houses from which laundry lines are strung, at dinner and over drinks on breezy rooftops, in immaculate and beautifully restored public squares,...

Tocororo reveals Cuba as a birding paradise

The brilliant blue white and red tocororo is Cuba’s national bird. I’ve been stopped in the street, at the grocery store, library and at wine tastings by those asking about my recent...

A guide to staying hydrated in Cuba

  Guarapo- fresh squeezed sugar cane – is made for a nearby guaraperia where a Hemingway-inspired drink that also uses fresh squeezed pineapple is served. It’s important to stay hydrated in tropical...