Email Elizabeththings to do in cuba
Photos of Ernest Hemingway House in Cuba
Finca La Vigia was purchased by Hemingway in 1940 for $12,500, where he wrote two of his most famous novels.
The story goes that Ernest Hemingway first rented this house in a suburban area of Havana, Cuba, for about a year and then decided to buy it. He lived there for almost 21 years. The estate, Finca Vigia (Lookout Farm), is located in a small village, San Francisco de Paula, and we did not spot any other mansions in that neighborhood of shacks. It’s not far from the town of Cojimar, the setting for the Old Man and the Sea. Our guide Sergio said Hemingway left the house to the Cubans, but there seems to be some question about whether the home was seized by the government, given the time period and all.
They won’t let you go inside, unlike the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida. You can stand on the front porch, providing it’s not raining, and shoot photos and also look through the windows. There is a guide in the office room on the top floor who, for tips, will take your camera and shoot photos for you, or you can aim and shoot yourself. From what I could gather, Hemingway’s widow negotiated with the government to be allowed to retrieve some personal items from the home before being forced to abandon everything else.
You will find wild animals mounted on the walls in almost every room. The furnishings are spartan yet functional. Many books, artwork, and even old checks are left in the home. Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, a 38-foot walnut-hulled fishing vessel, is stored under an open-air covered patio behind the empty pool, next to the graves of four dogs. With my Canon SX50, I was able to zoom to 1200 and shoot the view of Havana from the second floor.
Here are a few photos of the Hemingway House in Cuba:
Dining area of Hemingway House in Cuba, shot through the window.
Guest bedroom at Hemingway House in Cuba
Cuban dog resting on front steps of Hemingway House at Finca La Vigia.
Interior of Hemingway House in Cuba, view from the front porch, most of the rooms sport animal trophies.
Grounds of the Hemingway House in the modest village of San Francisco de Paula in Cuba.
A morning glory type flower in bloom at Hemingway House in Cuba.
Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, and the graves of his dogs at Finca La Virgia, Cuba.
Close up view of Havana, zoomed by Canon SX50, from second floor of Hemingway House in Cuba.
Hemingway’s typewriter sits on the desk on the top floor of Finca la Vigia in Cuba
Resident of San Francisco de Paula walking by the Hemingway House in Cuba.
Photos: ©Elizabeth Weintraub, Canon SX50
Elizabeth Weintraub Embarks on a Trip to Cuba
Elizabeth Weintraub will appreciate classic cars during her trip to Cuba.
Usually at this time of year on Christmas Eve, I am not at home but instead am found in a warm tropical place somewhere around the world still working on Sacramento real estate. This year is different. For starters, I already enjoyed my 3-week wor-cation in Big Island this December and came back home a few days ago to tidy up business matters and am heading back out for a real vacation this time. This time a trip to Cuba with my husband. Plus, our house sitters are coming on Christmas Day to start caring for the cats.
Contrary to what people believe, travel has not yet opened up for a trip to Cuba. You still need to fit into one of the special 9 categories to travel to Cuba. You can’t just hop on a plane and yell Havana, here we come. And although there are now flights from LAX to Cuba, the jets fly only on Saturdays and you still need to qualify for the trip to Cuba. We’re flying a charter from Miami. Our travel agent is the same company that arranges Cuba trips for the California Auto Museum members. In fact, they have a trip planned for next May, in case you want to go, maybe before Cuban travel opens to all Americans.
We are not traveling with a group, though. We have our own Cuban guide who will drive us around the island for our people-to-people educational tours where we will learn how to roll cigars, most likely sample exciting rum cocktails and explore unique marine life via snorkeling in Trinidad. Among other pre-planned itineraries such as lunches at mansions, private tours of castles and family plantations, there is also the obligatory visit to the Hemingway House, which is not to be confused with the Hemingway House in Key West. Every day a new adventure awaits during our trip to Cuba.
While I am away, the Elizabeth Weintraub Team will carry on our real estate business in Sacramento. My phone will be forwarded to Barbara Dow. Further, it will be practically impossible for me to check email because, if I am lucky, I might have 30 minutes awarded now and then, which is not enough time to respond to every email. It means I will be pretty much unplugged for our trip to Cuba. Honestly, I have not been unplugged for a vacation since our 2009 December trip to Vietnam. And even then I was able to check email. Internet is a lot easier to obtain in Vietnam than in Cuba, though.
I have 100% confidence in my team. I could not say that in 2009 but I do believe it today. I am thanking my lucky stars to be surrounded by such brilliance. The ability to rely on my team allows me to focus on my Spanish but, having once upon a time built a home in Mexico, I already know the most important thing I need to say: Un vaso de vino blanco, por favor.
Feliz Navidad.
