RURAL CUBA

An Interesting Lunch Stop

On our way to Trinidad, Cuba we drove through rolling hills in the rural countryside. We passed sugarcane, coconut palms, bananas, fruit orchards, and royal palms. I saw one farmer plowing with a team of oxen. It was a pleasant ride.

At noon we stopped for lunch at Hacienda Iznaga (1835-45). We dined on the patio overlooking the valley while some really fine musicians entertained us. The ground pork was shaped in curly cues. It was unusual and very good. Yellow rice and a vegetable salad accompanied the pork and lunch was topped off with ice cream.

Years ago, it seems two brothers were in competition for this property. One said he’d build a tower as high as the well was deep. Water never was found, but the tower exists today. I was game to climb the tower and one of the fellows also decided to climb it with me.

After enjoying the view for awhile after lunch we left the patio  to climb the 136 steps to the top of the 43.5-meter (142’) high tower. What a fantastic view from the top! It was quite windy but we were well enclosed. Some of the steps were a bit wobbly, but we were careful and cautious and really didn’t have any trouble. My thighs were a bit sore for a couple of days afterward though.

This area is known for its lace work and fine linens and several ladies from the community were on the grounds displaying their work. The handwork was exquisite!  Everything was extremely reasonable, but unfortunately I have a house full of such linens as both my grandmother and mother did beautiful work, and my grandchildren were still too young to be buying for. I did help a fellow pick out a piece of linen for the lady who was caring for his animals while he was gone.

The day was a wonderful unexpected surprise, and the scenery was rather spectacular.

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA

         An Interesting and Informative Visit

            Bosnia was never on my travel list, but I managed to visit Mostar, the economic, political and cultural city of Herzegovina.  Today Bosnia and Herzegovina are one, but that was not always so. I am not an avid historian, but I learned from our guide that Turks arrived in the late 14^th century and occupied the area for 400 years. In the 19^th century a national revival movement started. During 1875-76 the Austro-Hungarian Empire took over. In fact WWI started because a prince of the empire was shot in Sarajevo in 1914.  In 1941 Bosnia Herzegovina was part of Croatia. After WWII it was part of Yugoslavia. The ethnic makeup was 50% Serbs, 30% Muslim and 20% Croats.  All got along well until 1992 when the Homeland War started. Serb men and boys were rounded up and in one day 8000 were executed in a small town in Herzegovina as the international community looked on.

            From Dubrovnik and the coast we followed the Nevetva River driving east. The river divides Mostar east and west and is the river that the famous friendship bridge spans.( a previous blog post)  The city has a hot Mediterranean climate and the name  Mostar means keeper of the bridge.

            Entering the city, after-effects of the war were obvious. Many buildings were burned out and abandoned. Some building walls were pock-marked with bullet holes giving them the appearance of Swiss cheese. It’s hard to imagine the terror the shelling caused. We joined up with a sweet local guide who happened to be Muslim, so we got a lot of information on the Muslim culture. My first visit to a mosque was most interesting—details on that in a later post. We also visited the home of a well-to-do Muslim family where we had more things explained to us. After a visit to the famous bridge and a walk through and some shopping at the bazaar we had an excellent meal at a local restaurant. The pastas we had were different but very good.

            We found Bosnians to be friendly people with a big heart. People were helpful and English was widely spoken. Although long, it was a most interesting and informative day.