Havana Cuba

During Christmas holidays my wife decided to take us on a surprise trip. I had no idea where we were going. All I knew was more or less how much the trip would cost.

Once at the airport I knew we were going to Varadero Cuba. We landed there in the Middle of the night and then took a 1 hour bus ride to our hotel in Havana at the HOTEL.

We tried to make this a really inexpensive trip, so rented an apartment suite complete with a kitchen so we could make our meals. The three of us really enjoyed this hotel as we also had a GIANT bed that allowed our daughter to sleep between us.

We were able to see a good portion of the city using Taxi's and the Havana Bus Tour.

Our first day there we just spent touring the area close to our hotel. The beach wasn't very beachy, but it was neat to see the water smashing against the rocks. It was quite windy here and there were a lot of guys playing with smaller kites. It looked like they were kite fighting, but it was a little hard to tell. The first thing we noticed is that this area of Cuba seemed very run down. A lot of the houses looked like they were once really nice, but just hadn't been maintained.

The people were very nice. But I think it was more because we had our 20 month old daughter with us than anything. They would often show no expression when looking at you, but as soon as they looked at our daughter they would smile. One man later on our trip told me that "his people" love kids, but I had already figured that out.

On another day we spent a lot of time in Old Havana looking at the various architecture. The political building and various old churches. We visited El Capital first and then walked around. This was later in the evening and it was hard to believe how dark it was outside. There was very little out door lighting. It created an interesting ambiance. Most of the time we felt pretty safe, but there were a few streets that seemed a little shady. Although nobody acted particularly weird so it was probably nothing.

At one point we had to take a taxi to return home that evening. We were walking in the direction of the yellow cabs and a guy we were passing inquired "Taxi?". So we started to talk to him, discussed a price, no problem. Then he knocked on his car window, and this car just looked like a normal car, no taxi sign or anything. Weird. So we got in, and luckily it was his girlfriend in the passenger seat. That probably doesn't make much difference, but it set us at ease a little. We got back to the hotel without issue. It looks like there are a lot of unofficial taxi's in this area. Just some people trying to make a little extra money here and there.

Another day we went to the Communism Museum in Old Havana. This was an interesting experience as it showed their revolution from their point of view. You walk through the museum and it tries to present the story of how Cuba became what it is today. There were a lot of interesting artifacts, different items that Che or Castro owned. There were even some uniforms that were worn during an attack. They still had blood stains on them from gun shot wounds. I'd recommend checking this one out, but don't bring a kid, they'll just find it boring.

We spent two separate days on the beach near the Hotel Gran Caribe Atlantico. Getting here was a bit of an ordeal as we had to take three separate buses. Some of them came by very regularly, but others were an hour apart and didn't always follow their posted schedule very well. It might have been easier to take a taxi but it would have taken way less time. The beach was very nice, we were able to find a chair with an umbrella quite easily one day, but the second day we were told we had to rent it. So we just sat on the sand. The beaches were very light coloured and the water was nice. There were some parts where it was shallow enough our daughter could play. She really enjoyed the beach.

Cuba was a great experience and I would definitely go back. Although it is a small country there is still a lot to see in it.

Quebec City

I've been fortuante enough to visit Quebec city a few times. Once in 2003 and once in 2008. Entering the city can be quite a sight. We drove in on the Pierre Laporte Bridge, an awesome suspension bridge that is quite overwhelming in scale.

Much of Quebec City is very modern, but we decided to focus our time in the Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge area which contains Old Quebec. This area seems to be where most of the history is focused.

The giant ramparts surrounding the Old city are the only remaining fortified city walls that still exist in North America north of Mexico. These walls act like a portal. You feel like you have stepped into an older part of Europe. It is quite increditble. Many of the roads are made of cobble stone, with horse drawn carriages always at the ready.

The streets are very narrow with many shops snugly fitting close together. We spent a lot of time near the St. Lawerence River at the cliff edge. This is the area that most symbolises Quebec city. Chateau Frontenac stands overhead, and helps to focus the landscape.

This is the area where they hold the annual winter carnival. Unfortunately I have yet to attend, maybe some other time. I hear it is quite a time with sleding and ice sculptures galore.

I highly recommend visiting this city if you are ever in the area. If you are looking for a unique gift as a keep sake for your loved one then I recommend you head over to Earth Claim and grab a virtual deed of Old Quebec. It would make a great momento of your trip there!

Kennedy Space Center

In February I took a trip down to Florida with my wife and daughter. We rented a house and stayed there for a week with my in laws, just taking in the climate. It was super relaxing, when I could drag myself away from work on my laptop.

The highlight of the trip for me was visiting the Kennedy Space Center. I have been interested in science fiction for a long time, watching Star Trek, Star Wars, and various other cartoons. But recently I have become increasingly interested in how space travel actually happens, and the limitations of the real world.

I've been reading more about astronomy and listening to various pod casts to educate myself, as I have never taken a course on the subject.

Knowing a little, made me appreciate the trip to the Space Center much more. The scale of everything was simply awe inspiring. The size of the Vehicle Assembly Building used for building the Apollo rockets was incredible. Apparently the statue of liberty could get through the door without ducking. Oh and each of the stars on the american flag on the outside is 6 feet tall, and the blue area is the same size as a basket ball court. Just looking at it, it is hard to comprehend how large it it. I was telling my wife that they should build a house next to it, just so the tourists can get a better idea of how large it is.

We also had the opportunity to see the Discovery space shuttle on the launching pad. It was preparing to launch in the next few weeks, its cargo included solar panels for the international space station. Which is now nearly complete.

The tour included a walk through a replica of the IIS, so we could see how people were living in orbit. It was very interesting to try and imagine moving through it without feeling the force of gravity.

We returned on a second day to view more of the center, I'll be writing more about it in the future.

This trip was so much fun that I bought the vehicle assembly building on EarthClaim.com as well. You can see my deed here. I'm glad this one was still available as I could see why someone else would want it. I feel like I own a piece of history. It's really cool. If you are interested in owning a piece of the space center, I highly recommend you try right away, it will probably go fast!

Paris

I went to London in the 12th grade for 10 days. It was an amazing trip, and it was really cool to be able to travel with a group of my high school buddies. That trip really gave me a taste of travel, and I always wanted to return to Europe to see some of the other countries.

Fast forward 10 years, a marriage and a kid later I finally returned. This time my wife planned out the whole thing. It was great, we went to Paris for a week with our kid and saw so much. It was amazing how much we could see on foot and using the metro. We went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Catacomb, and a tonne of other places.

This trip meant so much to me that I decided to find a unique way to remember it. I found a site called Earth Claim . It was one of the most unique things I'd ever found on the web. It describes a parallel universe with an earth just like our own. Only there are no people. There is a whole back story. But what it all comes down to is the fact that you can purchase land. Any land, as long as someone else hasn't bought it already.

I decided to pick up the louvre. What a funny concept. Here you can check out my deed. I'll never forget this trip, and with this certificate on my wall, neither will anyone walking into my office.