Cuba Trip: Part 1

Hi everyone!

So, it’s been a little over a week since we returned from our 10-day trip to Miami and Cuba. I told you all about our upcoming trip here and teased you with a quick recap of the trip here, but wanted to be sure to share more about the trip, and most importantly, pictures! All courtesy of the Amazing Mr. R, of course!

During our week-long adventure in Cuba, we were blessed by getting to visit 7 cities: Colon, Real Campina (where we stayed most of the time), Cordoba, Matanzas, la Havana, Varadero Beach and Aguada. I think I got ’em all! Unfortunately, most of these stops were quick 2 or 3-hour trips and back to back to back, so we didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to really take in each different city. But, I am SO glad that we were able to squeeze in what we did get to do. I think if I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with Varadero (surprising that anyone would ever pick the beach, huh? ;))

Some of the highlights of the trip are listed below (and yes, I have to bullet them out or this post will go on forever and ever and ever- trust me, I am helping you!)

•  Meeting Mr. R’s aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins for the first time. These people are amazing! They don’t have much, but they will gladly give you everything they do have. Some of the sweetest, most genuine and loving people I have ever met, and I can’t wait to see them all again! AND, Bonus, no one even made fun of how bad my Spanish was 😛
• The food! Believe it or not, I managed to go to Cuba and gain weight – I may be the first and only person to hold this honor, but I love beans, rice and bread, so I was in heaven 🙂 Funny enough, everyone was hurting for beef or pork (which are really hard to come by) but I was happy as could be with the offerings, and the way they cook it made it even better.
• Cuban coffee every morning… I love my American coffee, but I definitely got used to little shots of the sweet stuff in the morning.
• The simplicity of my life, if only for that one week. Not saying I am super popular or that I have an uber-important life, but between this blog, my 9-5, family, friends, commitments and everything in between, it’s hard to not feel like you are constantly going a million miles an hour, 24/7. But when I was literally forced to unplug (as in, there is ZERO cell service, internet, anything that could possibly connect me to my craziness), it was a nice break and I definitely took more time to take in and enjoy my surroundings. Instead of Tweeting in the car, I actually looked out the window, and boy was it gorgeous.
• Spending 7 straight days with our nephews (and their parents, of course!) They were such troopers and had such a great time during the entire trip, most likely because they were surrounded by cousins and attention!
• Seeing my mother-in-law completely, 100% happy and enamored by her family. She was very very emotional the entire trip, and I can only imagine what she must be feeling. She is the only person in her entire family that is here in the States, so this trip is the one chance each year that she gets to see her parents, brothers and sisters and her entire family.

Now, it’s picture time! Enjoy the pictures below, and rest assured that a Part 2 (and probably 3 and 4) will be up shortly with more beautiful pictures and memories!