Stella Alpina

Before we boarded our flight to Cuba, we had dinner at Stella Alpina, located at 401 Primrose Road in Burlingame.

Truffle Gnocchi--not on the menu but you can ask for it. It's roughly $1.60 per piece of gnocchi. This was on the salty side.

Escargot--$14.

Insalata Bietole--$13. Roasted beets, arugula and Laura Chenel goat cheese with maple vinaigrette. This was very good and the dressing wasn't too sweet.

Osso Buco Di Vitello--$29. Veal shanks slowly braised and served over Mascarpone polenta. The polenta was delicious--great corn flavor. The osso buco was tender but could have been just a little more fall-off-the-bone.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Berry Coulis & Vanilla Bean Gelato--$9. 

As we were finishing our dinner, there was a blackout. We were afraid our flight would be affected but SFO didn't have any problems. We did have problems at Burlingame Airport Parking. Because of the power outage, we couldn't get inside the gate and ended up parking at the Hilton. Fortunately, the 2 properties are connected.



2017 03 04

Final Notes on Cuba

Traveling to Cuba was easy and traveling around Cuba was a lot easier than I thought. It's very doable on your own and you don't need to take a tour.

We saw 5 cities and got to really immerse ourselves in the local culture by staying in casa particulares. We're glad we saw the country but once the American interests come in, I fear that the character will change and it will soon be another Caribbean island.

La Carreta, MIA

While waiting for our 9:59 pm flight, we had dinner at La Carreta. Why wouldn't we eat Cuban?

La Carreta is located in Terminal E.

Bistec Empanizad--$12.25. Breaded and fried steak, served with plantains (1 piece) and arroz y frijoles.

Picadillo--$8.95. Ground beef cooked with onions, peppers, olives, raisins and tomato sauce, served with rice and vegetables. This was too runny and just okay. I liked the one at El Coqui in Santa Rosa better.

2017 03 13

Back in the USA

We had not heard any news about the rest of the world during our stay in Cuba. When we got to the airport in Camaguey, we found out about Stella--the mega storm that crippled air travel. Unfortunately, our connecting flight from FLL to SFO had been cancelled even though the weather was perfect in both cities. We were given the option of spending another night in Cuba (at our own expense) and leaving the next day when we would be able to connect to SFO or returning to FLL. The problem with returning was that there were no hotel rooms available in Fort Lauderdale.

We weren't sure how long the storm would affect air travel and decided that we would have more options if we returned to the US. Plus, we would be able to get internet access and have more research opportunities.

Our flight took off on time from Camaguey and landed 90 minutes later. We had flown JetBlue, which we found out had no reciprocity with any other airlines. We could wait for the next day to see if we could get a flight home or arrange our own travel at our own expense. Since the storm was predicted to get worse the next day, we decided to arrange our own travel.

We found a flight on another airline to SFO but it departed from MIA. Now, how to get to MIA. Fortunately, there was a TriRail train between the 2 airports. It was convenient.

Take the free shuttle from FLL to the train station.

Buy your ticket from the machines or wait in line to purchase from the station agent.

The ride took 45 minutes and cost $3.75/person. The train stops at MIA and the MIA mover carries passengers to the terminal.

2017 03 13

On the Way to the Airport

The Ignacio Agramonte International Airport (CMW) is 9 KM NE of Camaguey. A taxi cost 15 CUCs.

On the way out of town, we passed the train station.

Sculpture on the way to the airport.

This is the Camaguey airport--not any larger than a bus stop.

The interior of the airport.

Air Traffic Control towers.

2017 03 13

Mercado Agropecuario

The Mercado Agropecuario is one of the largest markets in Cuba.

Pass through the wooden gates

and walk among the buildings housing numerous vendors.

There was plenty of garlic and shallots but again I didn't see much else. There was supposed to be a large herb area but they must not have been here on the day we visited (Monday).

2017 03 13

Final Day in Camaguey

Our flight didn't leave until 12:55 pm so we got up early and saw the rest of the sights in Camaguey.

Camaguey is a big city, Cuba's 3rd largest. The eastern edge of the historic center (declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008) is bordered by the Rio Hatibonico and there are numerous bridges that cross it. Unfortunately, the river is very dirty. 

This was a secondary school--pretty impressive.

Casino Campestre--the biggest city park in Cuba.

There are walking paths, lots of tress and benches to rest.

There is a zoo in the park.

Camaguey is known for tinajones, large clay jars, partially buried in the ground. They were introduced by the Spaniards to catch rain water but also came in handy to hide from invaders. The legend goes that those who drink water from the tinajones fall in love and never leave town.

We also found a shooting range within the park. 

At the far end of the park is the Plaza de la Revolucion.

It's another concrete plaza, this one dedicated to Ignacio Agramonte.

Concrete mural that highlights the Cuban struggle for independence. 

Statue of Agramonte.

Next to the Plaza is a large baseball stadium.

From the Plaza de la Revolucion, we walked west, back across the river to the Iglesia de Sagrado Corazon de Jesus--Church of Sacred Heart. It's located at Padre Olallo & Bartolome. It's the only  20th century church in town.

Walking toward Plaza de San Juan de Dios, we saw this wooden scaffolding. OSHA probably doesn't exist here.

Plaza de San Juan de Dios, 6 blocks south of the Iglesia de Sagrado Corazon. reputed to be the city's most photogenic square. You decide for yourself.

Iglesia de San Juan de Dios--located on the northern corner of the plaza. This church was built in 1728 and has a dark Baroque interior.

At the far end of the plaza are colorful buildings. Maybe this is what they thought was photogenic?

Camaguey has many crooked streets, built to confuse the marauding pirates.

2017 03 13

Restaurant Melange

Dinner was at Restaurant Melange, located at Raul Lamar & Cisneros.

Limonada--1.50 CUC.

Grilled Fish with Parsley Reduction Sauce--8 CUCs. This was delicious! The sauce was amazing.

Roasted Rabbit with Rosemary--10 CUCs. This was also very good.

In the middle of dinner, the electricity went out and it started to drizzle. The restaurants must be used to it because immediately plastic light cubes were placed on each table. We took this as a sign that it was time to go home. The night we left San Francisco, we also had a blackout and it rained.



2017 03 12

Coppelia Camaguey

We stumbled onto Coppelia in Camaguey and there was no line.

Coppelia is located on the pedestrian street Calle Maceo, north of General Gomez.

The flavors of the day were vanilla, mango, chocolate, rizado de chocolate, muscatel and fresa bombon (strawberry candy?).

Here's how you do it: 1)Stand in line to pay the cashier. You're given a ticket in return. 2)Stand in the line corresponding to the flavor you want.  3)Order your ice cream.

We didn't have any CUPs so I handed over some change in CUCs. The man gave me 2 tickets and I got in the nearest line. When I got to the head of the line, I asked for mango only to be told I was in the chocolate line. Chocolate it is then. They asked me if I wanted marshmallow. Sure! They drizzled some caramel sauce on top, added some cookie crumbles and gave me the dish.

This is what I got. The ice cream wasn't particularly good but it was the experience I was after. If I had known I would find Coppelia elsewhere, I wouldn't have paid for the Coppelia in Habana with CUCs.

2017 03 11

Camaguey

After lunch, we walked to Parque Agramonte. It was late Sunday afternoon and families were gathered in the park.

The parque is filled with tamarind trees and marble benches. In each corner is a royal palm, planted to symbolize the deaths of 4 independence fighters--Joaquin Aguero, Miguel Benavides, Tomas Betancourt y Zayas and Fernando de Zayas.

The center of the park is dominated by a statue of Agramonte, a Cuban revolutionary. He was born in Camaguey to a wealthy family, became a lawyer and fought for independence from Spain.

Details of the base of the statue.

Casa de la Diversidad, to the west of the parque, is a museum highlighting the history and culture of Camaguey.

Iglesia Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria--the Camaguey Cathedral, is located on the southern end of the parque

From there, we walked up Calle Maceo. One block north is Plaza Antonio Maceo. There is a bust of Maceo, 2nd in command of the Cuban Army of Independence.

Calle Maceo is a pedestrian street.

Iglesia de la Soledad at the end of Calle Maceo. As with other churches in town, there's a story as to why this one was built. An animal carriers' cart was stuck in the mud and as everyone gathered to push the cart free, a box bounced off the cart. Inside was a statue of the Virgin and since the cart driver knew nothing about the box, it was taken as a sign that the Virgin Mary wanted a church built here. The original church was built in 1697 but the current one dates from 1758.

Calle Maceo ends at Calle Republica and continues as a pedestrian street for a while. You can tell where the wifi zones are. Everyone is hunched over their smart phones.

Hotel Colon, located on Calle Republica between San Jose & San Martin. It's one of a dozen hotels in town. It was built in 1927 and its rooms have reproduction 1920s furniture.

Retrace your steps on Calle Republica from Hotel Colon. Walk down Popular to Plaza de los Trabajadores.

One of the colorful buildings on the plaza is the Santa Cecilia building--a convention center.

There is a dedication to Che on another building on the plaza.

Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced is on the eastern edge of the plaza. The church was built as a convent in 1747.

A short walk up Padre Valencia from Plaza de los Trabajadores is the Teatro Principal or main theater in town. You can see ballet and other performances there now.

2017 03 12