Top seller fill-ins coming soon!

Cuba: The Last Hurrah

February 01, 2017

0 Comments


PROS AND CONS

Even now, weeks after his death, there seems to be a lot of ambivalence about 90-year-old Fidel Castro. Some feel he was a great man who rescued his island country from the despotic Fulgencio Batista and offered its citizens a better existence, specifically: a lifetime of free health and education benefits.

Man and his horse drawn cart in downtown Havana, Cuba in 2015

Others feel he was simply a dictator who did very little for the average citizen and left the country in shambles. Is he a hero or a villain? I have ambivalent thoughts like everyone else. But mine are based on two people I knew and met from Cuba who seemed to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

A FEARFUL TRAVELER

One was a Cuban, named Jorge, who was one of the workers in the building where we lived. Once a year, he visited his sister in Cuba. And, he would always turn into a nervous wreck two weeks before he left. I would hear tales about security checks and how scared he was the minute the plane hit the tarmac in Cuba.

Then one day, I asked him if he had ever met Castro. I was absolutely floored when he said, “Yes, I went to school with him.” How in the world could someone be so frightened of a person he had known that far back I wondered? I never got an answer.

AN INTREPID TRAVELER

Then, about 15 years ago, my husband and I were flying from Key West to Miami on a puddle jumper with eight passengers. We started talking to a fellow traveler in his fifties who was with his two sons: one was 20 and the other was 12.

When the father told us they were from Cuba I quizzed him about travel restrictions. (Jorge had told me it was very difficult for Cubans to travel.) Imagine my surprise when he said that his family had traveled all over the world while living and working in Cuba. Then he casually mentioned, “I own two factories.” Did his wealth make the difference? I never found the answer to that one either.

THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY

In October 2016, I received a copy of the Smithsonian magazine that featured a terrific article titled “Viva La Revolución” by Tony Perrottet. The piece was subtitled, “The 60th Anniversary of Fidel Castro’s Secret Landing on Cuba’s Southern Shore.” Here are a few highlights:

Fidel Castro (seated left) and his comrades at the Sierra Maestra Mountains command post in 1958

Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian magazine

  • December 2, 2016 marked a great milestone: the 60th anniversary of the secret landing of Granma, the ramshackle boat that brought Fidel, Che, Raúl and 79 other barely trained guerrillas to start the revolution in 1956. It began a campaign that would, in a little over two years, bring down the Cuban government and reshape world politics.
  • Fidel Castro Ruiz was a young law graduate who was born into a wealthy landowning family some 60 miles north of Santiago. From his teens onward the 6’ 3” Castro was known for his rebellious nature, hypnotic charisma and staggering self-confidence.
  • Fidel spent two years incarcerated on the Isle of Pines, which was Cuba’s answer to Devil’s Island, where he read Karl Marx and became ever more radical. Nothing short of a true revolution would change Cuba, he concluded.

Castro’s cabin at the rebel headquarters included a bed, fridge and a secret trapdoor in case of attack

Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian magazine

  • On New Year’s Day, 1959 at 4:30 am news filtered through Havana that Batista had left Cuba. What happened next is familiar – in broad brushstrokes – to those who have seen The Godfather Part II. Many believed this upheaval would end quickly. Instead, Castro outlasted 11 U.S. presidents.

ADEA’S BLOGS ABOUT CUBA To say that ADEA has covered Cuba is the understatement of the century. This list is in reverse order. It starts with May 2016 and goes back to February 2016.

CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW:

FASHION, ROCK & ROLL AND CUBA 

ADVENTURES IN CUBA - PART 3

ADVENTURES IN CUBA – PART 2

ADVENTURES IN CUBA – PART 1

THE TRAVEL BUG 

BACK FROM CUBA 

THE WEEKEND GETAWAY: PACKING FOR CUBA

THE WINTER GETAWAY: CUBA 

Shaun Nelson-Henrick

SaveSaveSave


Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Blog

The Invasion of the Brit Tabloid

October 22, 2020

I just read an article that sounded – to me at least – like “a canary in a coal mine” or an early warning of danger. This piece, written by Joe Pompeo, appeared in the May 2020 issue of Vanity Fair magazine with the title “The British Tabloid Invasion” and a subtitle that read, “How the Daily Mail is conquering American gossip.”

Invasion of the Brit Tabloid

The paparazzi horde, La Dolce Vita, 1960 – photo courtesy of Vanity Fair

Read More

Are You Sleeping Well?

October 14, 2020

Apparently the good old U.S. is a nation of “not great” sleepers. Really? And I thought I was the only one! According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it was revealed that one out of three Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. Yikes!

Sleep Study and Quiz

Read More

Magical Hermès

October 06, 2020

I think we’re all taken by the incredible mystique of the famous French fashion house, Hermès that has been with us for two centuries and is still owned and operated by the same family. From its beginnings in fine equestrian leather goods, they are – in the tumultuous year 2020 – best known for their handbags and many other items.

Hermès Catalog Cover

My image of Hermès has always been rarified products at equally rarified prices so imagine my surprise when I recently received a very stylish publication of theirs in the mail.

Read More

Size Chart
Bodywear

We use Italian lingerie sizing  for our bodywear and items tend to run small.

Because of the body-hugging nature of the fabric and our body conscious fit most women prefer to wear our layering tops as under-layers. If you are inclined to wear them on their own we suggest you size up. Please contact us. We're happy to help you get it right.

 Bodywear Size Chart

Net Orders Checkout

Item Price Qty Total
Subtotal $ 0.00
Shipping
Total

Shipping Address

Shipping Methods