Key West, Havana and Great Stirrup Cay

Modern Havana is essentially three cities in one, Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts. The city is the center of the Cuban government and home to various ministries, headquarters of businesses, as well as over 90 diplomatic offices. 


Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is famous for its history, culture, architecture and monuments. Typical of Cuba, Havana experiences a warm tropical climate year round.


However, first comes Key West, southernmost of all the Florida Keys and being just ninety miles north of Cuba, it was a strong point of contention between the US, Cuba and the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.


One of the three homes of novelist Ernest Hemingway is located in the city. An exceptional saltwater fisherman, he frequently entertained actor Humphrey Bogart and wife Lauren Bacall by taking them deep-sea fishing on his yacht. 


While in Key West, I intend to visit his home as well as the life-sized statue of Hemingway by José Villa Soberón, at El Floridita Bar in Havana. After all, he was the world’s greatest adventurer, fisherman and hunter, a predecessor to the modern Indiana Jones.