|
| Reading |
The following five titles introduce readers to Havana as it was before, during and after Cuba's communist revolution of 1959. This is a Havana of power and intrigue, love and loss, dreams and fantasy, solidarity and an inescapable feeling of solitude. Havana is a bit of a mystery, a forbidden city in a forbidden land. These books lift the curtain and help to prepare readers for an exciting journey into the storied streets of the Cuban capital. All books are included in the cost of your tour, as are three book club discussions in advance of departure.
|
|
 Our Man in Havana - Graham Greene
First published in 1959, Our Man in Havana is an espionage thriller, a penetrating character study, and a political satire set in Havana during the brutal American-backed regime of Fulgencio Batista. This comic novel tells of MI6’s man in Havana, Wormold, a former vacuum-cleaner salesman turned reluctant secret agent. To keep his job, he files bogus reports based on Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare and dreams up military installations from vacuum-cleaner designs. Then his stories start coming disturbingly true. A taste of Havana at a time when America’s rich and famous played by its pools and on its stages; Our Man in Havana captures the city just moments before the revolution.
|
| |
 Dreaming in Cuban - Christina Garcia
Dreaming in Cuban is a novel about the bonds and barriers between three generations of women in the del Pino family. Set against the backdrop of Havana during, before and after the Cuban Revolution, this story stretches across time and place, is filled with magic and faith, and is a reminder to readers how difficult it can be to forget. A colourful and careful imagining of private life in the city, Dreaming in Cuban subtly reveals how the revolution changed life in Havana and how residents of this great city met this change in their own unique ways.
|
| |
|
 Havana Lunar - Robert Arellano
One night in the dark heart of Havana, Mano Rodriguez, a young doctor with the revolutionary medical service, comes to the aid of a teenage woman named Julia. Taking refuge in his clinic to break away from an abusive pimp, Julia joins Mano in an unlikely alliance that he thinks might save him from his own twin burdens: a dead-end hospital assignment he was delegated after being blacklisted by the Cuban Communist Party and a Palo Monte curse on his love life commissioned by a vengeful ex-wife. Contemporary Cuba struggles forward in this excellent literary snapshot of Havana after dark.
|
| |
 The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss.
|
| |
|
 Havana: autobiography of a city - Alfredo José Estrada
Alfredo José Estrada's intimate ties to Havana form the basis for this "autobiography," written as though from the city's own heart. Covering the island's five hundred year history, Estrada portrays the adventurers and dreamers who left their mark on Havana, including José Martí, martyr for Cuban independence; and Ernest Hemingway, the most American of writers who became an unabashed Habanero.
|
Your host
|
| |
BEN WALSH |
 |
While it took Ben almost 30 years to think of pairing his great love of literature with his great love of adventure, selecting Havana as a perfect place for a Books Abroad book club tour took only minutes.
"It's just perfect. A city of epic stories and a setting that is nothing less than extraordinary."
|
| |
|
|
|
EXTEND YOUR STAY!
Why not stay an extra week in Havana? Or treat yourself to a relaxing getaway at one of Cuba's stellar resorts? To learn more about extending your stay, simply speak with your book club host at Nicholas Hoare. Ben will be happy to help you on your way. |
|
|
|
|
|
Our Man in Havana
a novel by Graham Green
|
|
Discussion: Toronto
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
|
|
Dreaming in Cuban
a novel by Christina Garcia
|
|
Discussion: Toronto
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 |
Havana Lunar
a short novel by Robert Arellano
|
|
Discussion: Toronto
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
|
The Old Man and the Sea
a novella by Ernest Hemingway |
|
Discussion: Toronto
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
|
Havana: autobiography of a city
a history by Alfredo José Estrada
|
|
Discussion: Throughout
|
| |
|
|
Tour departure:
|
|
Monday, February 13, 2012
|
Tour Return:
|
|
Monday, February 20, 2012
|
| |
|
|
Price ( including air )
|
|
$2885.00 Canadian
|
| Single Supplement |
|
$350.00 Canadian |
| |
|
*Prices are subject to change |
|
|
|
| Group size |
|
Minimum 10 - Maximum 15 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
Itinerary
 Day 01 Arrive Havana
Arrive early afternoon and transfer to your hotel located on the Prado, a 10-block shaded promenade that cascades down the central boulevard of Old Havana. Established by the Spanish in 1519, Old Havana, or Habana Vieja, is a wonder of museums and music, art and architecture, and classic Cuban culture. This evening celebrate your arrival in Havana with a welcome dinner at your hotel.
Meals Included: Dinner
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
Day 02 History of Havana
This morning following breakfast step into the storied streets of Habana Vieja to begin exploring the history of Cuba's extraordinary capital. A visit to the Museo de la Ciudad is a celebration of the city's colonial history, while a guided tour of the Museo del Ron offers a heady introduction to the island nation's most important export. This afternoon visit the beautifully imposing Museo de la Revolución and pay tribute to modern Cuba's revolutionary roots.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
Day 03 Architecture of Havana
Today explore the rich architectural heritage of Havana with an escorted tour.  Take in the city’s famous art deco and modern masterworks before a walking tour of the beautiful baroque squares of Habana Vieja. Evening is at leisure.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
Day 04 Havana and the Arts
A morning surrounded by the stunning Cuban art collection at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is followed by an afternoon at leisure. Relax by the hotel pool or explore on your own. Tonight delight in the brassy sounds of the salsa as you enjoy dinner at one of Havana’s favourite music venues.
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
Day 05 Havana and the People
Fervent belief in the Revolution never completely replaced the Cuban love affair with religion. Today explore Havana’s religious traditions including an introduction to Santeria, a syncretic religion closely associated with Haitian Vodou. Tonight gather at the home of a local translator for a simple dinner and frank conversation about life in Cuba.
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
 Day 06 Havana and Hemingway
This morning is dedicated to Hemingway. Begin your exploration of Havana's most famous writer-in-residence with a visit to his home in San Franciso de Paula. Cojimar, a quite village to the east of central Havana, is the costal setting of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. Following lunch in Cojimar and a walk along the windswept coast, return to Havana and Hemingway's favoured Floridita Bar for a taste of the best Daquiris in town!
Meals Included: Breakfast
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
Day 07 Havana at Leisure
Your full day in Havana is at leisure. Explore the extraordinary Necropolis de Colon, induldge in ice cream at the much loved Coppelia, or find a shady bench and watch the daily drama of city life unfold before your eyes. Tonight celebrate a wonderful week in Havana with the music and dance of Cuba’s most famous cabaret, the Tropicana.
Meals Included: Breakfast, dinner
Overnight: Hotel Parque Central, Havana
Day 08 Depart Havana
An early afternoon flight returns you to Canada, so enjoy a final morning at leisure in breathtaking Havana.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| AND DON'T FORGET! |
|
|
|
The following items are included in tour pricing
All books and Havana travel journal
International air (Air Canada)
Superior Class (4 to 5 Star) hotel accommodation
Professional English-speaking local guides
Sightseeing and admissions as per the itinerary
Meals as indicated on itinerary
Nicholas Hoare host throughout
|
|
The following is not included in tour pricing
Meals and beverages not listed in itinerary
Porters and tipping
Travel Insurance
Cuban visa fee (processed on arrival)
Items of a personal nature
|
|
|
|