Getting in and out of Cuba for a US Citizen is tricky.  Though it’s about as far from Miami, Florida as Oracle is from Sky Harbor, a maze of obstacles awaits US travelers … which is why most visitors determined to visit Cuba need a leader/guide.
  We had one such leader and a support institution.  The guide was Neil Birmbaum with Cuba Rhythm and Views.  Our supporting institution was the Oracle Piano Society led by Steve Cook.  Birnbaum is just quirky enough to be a good fit with Oracle residents like Kaz and myself.  And his team working with him in Cuba is open to sharing insights into “the real Cuba” allowing us to feel a bit like insiders.

  We did a lot of walking which was a challenge for me with a bum ankle and balance issues.  But I had a stick that helped out as did the supportive hands and shoulders made available at difficult moments.  
  One of the walk destinations was a daycare facility for pre-school age children run by the Sisters for the Love of God.  A ways up an Havana side street, a cavernous old building like so many in Cuba’s biggest city, housed the service.  The children under the nun’s care literally lit up the place.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Catholic Church in Cuba supports such a vital presence.  Exactly what it’s doing in a “communist” country is a bit of a mystery (along with many other mysteries unique to the island nation).

   Our visit was graced with the presence of these lovely youngsters,  (Yes, we had permission to take pictures.)

  If you take US government policy at face value, Cuba is a threat to our nation in the same category as Iran, Syria, and North Korea. So who would want to visit such a place after the previous administration declared Cuba “terrorist” in 2021?  Shouldn’t we, citizens of the most powerful nation in the world (and 90 miles from the Florida coast), be too frightened or politically “righteous” to visit?
  When the opportunity to spend five days in Cuba came our way through cultural visitation auspices of the Oracle Piano Society (OPS) we (mostly Kaz) did our own research.  Our enthusiasm was super charged by a musical performance sponsored by OPS.  Cuban pianist Aldo Lopez-Gavilan stunned us in last October’s event playing his own compositions.   In fact, that evening as we entered the Oracle Center for the Arts with no particular passion for jazz, I was personally won over … a true convert.
  Is this what the US government means by “sponsoring terrorism”?
  In fact, Aldo’s performance solidified our commitment to the Cuba tour … from which we just returned.  

                                  (More to follow)