Outside of Havana, our tour van took us to  Cojimar to see the elegant home of Ernest Hemingway, the famous ex-patriot and highly acclaimed author. Hemingway’s love for Cuba inspired his novels and showed us an area of Cuba that revealed and proved what that passion was all about.

We entered a lush area with a road winding up to his quintessential Cuban villa. Huge palm trees, tropical and exotic plants, vines and foliage enveloped us into a valley-like retreat. No wonder he loved to write there! Seclusion from the roads and horizon, the estate contained his home, his servants’ home, his writing studio, pool, and the pavilion which housed his boat named Pilar.

We peered inside windows as entrance into the house is not permitted. You could see everything inside the rooms. Cuban-chic furniture and décor filled the house. As a writer, I was especially impressed by the books, shelves, cameras, and typewriting props. The view of the valley below us surely inspired Hemingway’s thoughts. Next to the villa was a silo or tower which reportedly his wife had him use as his writing studio. Apparently, several cats also lived in that tower. My friends and I took turns going up the narrow staircase to see it. We waved to each other from our vantage points, as they were in the tower and I was down in the foliage.

When we regrouped, we walked down to the swimming pool. It is said that Ava Gardner once swam there in the nude. We absorbed the Hollywood-elegance and viewed his big fishing boat, the Pilar, which is stored in its own pavilion. Pilar is a stately but rustic boat which revealed to me another dimension of Hemingway’s character. It was significant to think that this vessel transported the author out onto his adventures, communing with the Cuban sea and sky and ultimately inspiring his writings, specifically, The Old Man and the Sea. Later, we were scheduled to meet the fisherman who took Hemingway fishing and had photos to show us at the restaurant. One degree of separation from Hemingway!

I studied the vine pergola near the swimming pool and all of the foliage around us. I envisioned Hemingway sipping on his beloved cocktails as he typed standing up at his typewriter. We later saw his favorite bar, La Floridita, which is called the birthplace of the daiquiri: La Cuña de Daiquiri which literally translates to the “cradle of the daiquiri.” Today, it is a standing room only bar in Old Havana. While Hemingway followed his dreams to live how he did and to express his art, I realize now while writing this, that we, too, were following our dreams by being here. Our travel dreams become reality every time we travel to a place. Every time we learn new things or take new adventures, we are also following our dreams. Every photo we take or journal we write is our way of expressing our art. Every mojito we drank together or salsa dance lesson we took —they are all one step closer to our travel dreams. 

Our driver took us to the restaurant in the town of Cojimar. Reportedly, Anthony Bourdain visited this restaurant where Hemingway’s fisherman-friend displays his photographs. This spry, older gentleman and his famous role was a quaint touch of Cuban tourism. Although we couldn’t communicate with him directly, his smiling presence and pride in his photos were enough. His relationship with the author has given him an outlet even today in this town. 

This particular restaurant featured seafood specialties, so we enjoyed seafood paella and cold beers. In classic Havana style, we had Cuban coffee afterwards and chatted about the enticing visuals of the day which was filled with history, dance, and the home of one of Cuba’s most famous residents. We ended the excursion with this charming restaurant and fisherman. The day was still young and our energy was still high, thank goodness, for what was ahead for us that day. 

©Gina Michalopulos Kingsley, Vagabonderie

Photos by Gina Kingsley

stories like this can be found in my book, Vagabonderie. Click on link.