Pelgrims path / het Pelgrimspad / the Netherlands / Southern section by Ton van Zutphen / August 2020

 

Pilgrimspath, its Southern part, the Netherlands. By Ton van Zutphen, August 2020 / from Waalre village to Maastricht town: 185 kms

 

A kind of straightforward blog but perhaps useful for those foreigners who want to walk this section of the trail / actually we never met any foreigners; my wife Biya and I were viewed by villagers as an example of a most exotic couple.

 

‘Het Pelgrimspad’, or literally translated in English ‘the Pilgrims path’ provides since centuries the overture to the region where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands join up. Pilgrims walk from Amsterdam to Maastricht covering around 480 kms. From Maastricht it is a stiff one day’s walk to Vise in Belgium where the path joins the Santiago de Compostela pilgrims route from the North (drawing pilgrims mainly from Cologne/Aachen in Germany) toward Reims and on to Vezelay in Central France. Both Amsterdam and Maastricht have been cities where annually pilgrims gathered to do penitence and ask for forgiveness for sins committed, and for mercy, in particular from the Holy Mary. There is a guidebook that offers good information, only in Dutch though, but one can find the on-line version in English at www.longdistancepaths.eu. The markings are white above red and although signaling is not perfect I never got lost during the three walks I did in 2008 from ‘s-Hertogenbosch, in 2018 also from ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and in 2020 from ‘t Loon in Waalre ;  all with end station Maastricht.

Over the past 125 years the topography and landscape of particularly the Northern section (Holland and Utrecht provinces) in the Netherlands has changed substantially because of the urbanization and industrialization. That is why I never walked the route from Amsterdam to ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Nevertheless, some beautiful water and polder landscapes are part of the trail, including many traditional water mills. From ‘s-Hertogenbosch and its famous St. John’s Cathedral, the path follows mostly rural areas and takes the pilgrim past tucked away villages, even the well-educated Dutchman has never heard of. Examples include Belvert, Spoordonk, Tungelroy, Hunsel, Brommelen, and Trintelen, to name a few.

For those foreigners who have been brainwashed to think that the Netherlands consists mainly of Amsterdam, canals, dykes  and tulip fields, the route described below offers a complete different view of the Netherlands and of two of its most Southern provinces: Brabant and Limburg.  From ‘t Loon (a few farmsteads near the village of Waalre close to the city of Eindhoven) my wife Biya and I walked during 8 days approx.. 185 kms through dense forests dominated by oak and fir; over extensive heather terrain spotting a few flocks of sheep, along many small manmade lakes, passed agricultural fields dominated by maize, potatoes and sugar beets, climbed a few short hills in Limburg and followed the spectacular trail along the Geul river in Wijlre. According to Biya ‘the flowering potatoes are more beautiful in Korea than in the NL. Mind you…did I ever see anywhere in ‘Korea a potato field? ‘Sweetie’, I thought ‘what have you been smoking?’

Although it is called ‘Pilgrims path’, in my personal opinion only sections of the trail, especially in the South reflect a routing past Catholic heritage such as monasteries, churches, chapels and the typical Jesus and Maria prayer statues in Brabant and Limburg (which is testimony to the Catholic origin of this region).

For those walkers who love to see castles, rivers and vast agricultural fields this trip is an eyeopener. For example, most castles can be visited and date back from the medieval times when knights in armor were roaming the area. In some of these one can eat and overnight as well.

In summary: this Southern section of the Pilgrims path combines 1. a pilgrims route along Catholic landmarks with 2. a touristic and attractive nature trail that crosses several nature reserves. It is an easy trail and very quiet; we met during 8 days and during the high season end July/start of August less than 5 people whom we knew or thought of doing the same trail. Most people we met walked their dog for a few kms. and then  returned home to village life.

This Pilgrims trail meets and joins at several places the more famous ‘Pieter path’. This popular path runs from Pieterburen on the coast in the North of the Netherlands to the Saint Pietersberg or the ‘Saint Peter’s mountain’, also located in Maastricht. It is approx. 525 kms. long  and crosses the Dutch regions West of the German border from North to South. 

Our objective for this pilgrim’s path was threefold: 1. To take time and reflect about our faith and relation to God 2. To continue to get to know each other better and better as a couple 3. To enjoy walking through some of the prettiest areas in the Netherlands so Biya would be able to get a better idea of the countryside. We took 8 days but more than often we could have visited certain villages and historic spots much longer. There is a lot to read and to see about the historic events that took place in this part of the Netherlands like the Roman armies passing through,  Napoleon passing through early 1800, and cemeteries of the allies from World War 2 (in Margraten is the biggest in Europe). Also special flora and birdlife, and very typical homestead farms from various centuries. On average we spent some 10 hours a day on the road, including breaks.

Although a pilgrim is expected to suffer physically from long walking, bad weather, lack of food and good bedding for the night (all this to get closer to God because the absence of luxury and regularity apparently stimulates the need for being close to God, the Savior), we had only a few issues like that. Biya suffered as of day 2 from toe and heel blisters and then as of day 3 her left knee was giving her trouble in the afternoon. On day 8 and the final day the blisters were healed but both knees were suffering. Now, a week later and being home in our Leende village, knees and feet are again in good shape. My backpack started to have an impact on my right shoulder after 4 days walking, which even a week after the ligrimage still remains kind of sore. 

We took precautions in terms of our hiking boots and walking sticks; Biya’s pack weighed around 8 kgs. And mine around 12 kgs. We planned to walk around 20 kms each day and decided to make reservations only for the first 2 nights in Heeze and in Sterksel. We carried most of our food and a bit of water. After all, this is an easy trail and nearly everywhere at a distance of max. 2 kms. from the trail, one can find a village or some kind of place to stop for food and drink. Then most important during corona-time: practically all hotel and other accommodations in the NL including campsites, are fully booked. So we booked by phone each day what we could get! One day we asked a farmer to sleep in the meadow on the opposite of his farm, and one day we walked into a campsite and just got apparently the last place available because of a cancellation!!

 

DAY 1 / 24th July / Waalre to Heeze 

Ready to move with big enthusiasm

Friday morning / our neighbor Toon Kees drove us the 8 kms. to the starting point at 't Loon in Waalre village. This ‘brink’ is an open space where 150 years ago common activities of the small village took place and where the cattle and sheep were kept overnight for safety. Then to the cabin of Mie Peels  / now called the hut of Mie Pils where we received the first pilgrimage stamp. This tavern was only 125 years ago an infamous resting place and transaction center for smugglers between Belgium and the NL. / run by a strong woman called Mie Peels. Most of the trail goes through forests and along maize fields with horses all over the place.

Then onto Heeze where we stayed at Els Meuser's  B&B / Huize Aurelia. Very nice indeed;  Els is in her mid-eighties and doing just fine! 16 kms.

 

DAY 2 / 25th July / Heeze to Sterksel

From Heeze and its pleasant restaurant 'the Swan' the trail passes the large castle and the dense Herbertus forest to lead into the heather of Strabrecht and its lakes; a beautiful large and quiet area; protected by the government and no private cars have ever been allowed to pass through. The heather started to bloom but will reach its full glory with a deep purple color only by mid-August. Nevertheless a pleasure for the eye. This was  a long strenuous walk as Biya started to have blisters from noon on. We just made it along the Pandyke to the St. Jorishoeve in Sterksel around 6pm. We had rented a comfortable but cheap bungalow and the owner Petrie sold us 6 bottles of Belgian Jupiler beer…then Biya tended to her blisters. A warm and heavy day. 24 kms.

 

The next morning we decided to let Biya’s  feet heal from the blisters and I walked quickly back home the 7 kms. back to Leende; drove back in my Opel Meriva and we returned home before 12am. Rested on Sunday and Monday / no knee problems as yet for Biya. She changed her shoes from ‘Mammut’ to ‘Campline’ and took the extra in-lay soles out.

 

Heather Strabrecht in Heeze

Stoeiing in Sterksel

Pandyke, Sterksel: very first feet repair moment

DAY 3 / 28th July / Sterksel to Altweerterheide

Toon again dropped us at ‘the Stoeiing’ in rural Sterksel and we resumed our pilgrimage through the forests for hours and hours enjoying the fresh green and cool weather. We crossed the national highway A2, had coffee with Limburg apple-cake called ‘vlaai’ and had a lunch around 2 pm amidst the 2600 years old cemetery where the ‘Dutch Barbarians’ burned and buried their death in the Bronze period. Biya became more and more professional tending to her blisters with various methods and tools. ‘Compeed’ turned out to be the better healing system after all. We walked on to the Crossmoor golf course in Altweerderheide, where we had booked a room: expensive but doable on a 50-50 basis (smile!!). The afternoon was warm and we clocked up 22 kms.  

 

DAY 4 / 29th July / Alweerterheide to Goestingen (Belgium)

Again a beautiful walk through forests, some sandy parts, and along maize fields arriving after 7 kms. at the village of Tungelroy. No shop, no bar…nothing, nada, rien! Only in Hunsel a village some 10 kms. from Tungelroy is the first shop if one does not leave the trail. Not leaving the trail at all means that from Heeze to Altweerderheide, some 30 kms. there is no shop. Hunsel with its big St. Jacobs church is the starting point in the South of the Netherlands for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. I phoned and phoned and we could not find a place to stay in touristic Thorn. Only at Wessem which is 3 kms off the Pilgrims route (and then bus to and from). We crossed the ‘Napoleons road’ into Ittervoort and descended into Thorn where we had supper. Then, around 8pm we walked over to the Maas river and its newly created leisure lakes for boating. Then continued into Belgium to Kessenich without any controls; not even an official sign, except for the one that was erected there in 1843! 

The only sign of a border 5 meters aside from the road

We then had more or less decided to sleep outside in some grassy secluded spot. But close to Goestingen an angel in the form of a lady ‘long trail walker’ came by. I asked and she said in soft Flemish ‘only at less than 2 kms and next to the church in Goestingen village there is a new B&B 't Orgelhuis'. We advanced slowly and checked in.  Biya had her first Duvel beer. No other guests at all, the owner said ‘we close the bar when the last customer goes home’. Typical of Belgium. Impossible in the NL. First signs of Biya’s left knee hurting whereas the blisters were becoming less of a problem. Heavy duty my lady is! 28 kms

 

DAY 5 / 30th July / Goestingen (B) to Limbricht/Sittard

This day we often kept sight of the Maas-river and walked first to Maaseik town where we crossed the bridge over the Maas-river into the NL again. We entered the floodplains of the river at the narrowest part of the Netherlands: it is only 15 kms. wide between Germany and Belgium. Walking on top of the dyke along the Juliana canal in Roosteren was a hot walk for about 3 kms. 

Juliana kanaal close to the Maas river / beautiful for walking

River traffic shows  ships loaded with sand and other bulk materials and a lot of pleasure boating. We needed and took a long lunch plus siesta in Buchten/Born. Biya's knee had started to hurt seriously now. We walked and walked. I phoned and phoned : no place to stay. We arrived after crossing kilometers of wooded area at Limbricht castle around 6pm; only a km away from the city of Sittard We decided to eat at the castle but then they were booked out for the rooms. No place in Limbricht village either.  We prayed and after  dinner we simply came up with the idea to travel home by bus and train to Leende. And give Biya's knees and feet another rest of at least one day and a half. And so we did and where home before 11pm. 23 kms.

DAY 6  / 2nd August / Sittard to Weustenrode

We decided to bring my ‘half dome 2 Rei’ tent and some simple bedding, but without a proper mattress and no sleeping bags. On this Sunday morning before 11 we arrived by bus and train from Leende in Sittard and it was a joy to cross the centre of town and its main market area with its very nice stately old and restored buildings, and its quality shops and restaurants. Worth a longer visit! Then  for the first time the trail  goes up  the Kolleberg hill past the Santa Rosa chapel. It is here where the hilly part of the Netherlands begins. Equally the frequency of the Jesus and Maria statues at crossroads showed; some of these must date back to Napoleon’s days. We took advantage of this and prayed for our loved ones all over the world. We walked and walked, had our packed lunch and knew we still had not found a place to stay overnight. 

Happy trails by Biya Han in Limburg / close to Wijnandsrade

Finally at 7pm we arrived at a restaurant called Joe's Place in Brommelen where we devoured a ‘Texan Steak’ and washed it down with a German Warsteiner beer. Then we decided to find a place to sleep in a farmer's meadow. I knocked on the door of a farmhouse in Weustenrade, 2 kms. down the road and we were welcome to sleep in the meadow opposite their house. We put up our tent; all very nice; tall grass  but still kind of hard on my bones / AOB  = Anton's Old Bones. We kept our clothes on as during the night the temperature dropped to around 14 degrees Celsius. Biya slept better than I did; her left knee remained painful. And she persevered. 25 kms

Raw camping style

DAY 7 / 3rd August /Weustenrade to Vinkenhof/Schin op Geul

At daybreak I stretched my legs and felt my bones seriously. Beautiful sun getting up around 6am. We left early, leaving a thank you note for the farmer and walked on to have a full breakfast in Voerendaal where I dried the tent on the fields: we had 4 raw herrings as we bought lots of  foodies at the local 'Plus' store. 

Only in the NL: raw herring tradition

Hilly Limburg-land is beautiful as we walked up the Kunrader mountain; we bought finally coffee and a Magnum ice cream stick in the Chinese managed cafeteria in Ubachsberg. Four hours later we made it to touristic Gulpen where we had early dinner with a chicken Queen’s patty (bouche a la reine)  and a large local Gulpener beer. Then continued through the woods ascending to Wijlre, where we passed the Brand brewery (this beer brand started as of 1340)  and where the river Geul offers beautiful vistas as it meanders West of the village and past the watermill on its way to finish in the Maas river. We passed the bottom of the famous Keutenberg (cyclists love to try this mountain out!) and fortunately found a last spot to put our tent  at the Vinkenhof campsite. We were surprised that guests still have to pay  for hot showers here? We ate the rest of our reserves, had a Brand beer outside the camping bar and tried to sleep. The ground was hard; I slept ok but Biya was cold; remember we had no sleeping bags and no mattresses!! My old bones only played up a little. 23 kms.

DAY 8 / 4th  August / Schin op Geul to Maastricht

Last day...would we make it? Biya's knee was always ok in the morning. We walked past the old monk’s chapel on the Schaelsberg/mountain, then past the beautiful ‘Schaloen castle’ toward Old-Valkenburg. Then descending tthough the  Geren-valley but saw no wild orchids. We had breakfast with bread, cheese and fruit. Stopped for coffee in Scheulder 3 kms. further; to resume walking to Groot-Welsden amongst apple and pear orchards, and on to Cadier en Keer past the 'mergel mines' = the soft yellow stone with which in the old days many houses and farms were built. We passed the back of the COV community where I lived for many years in Cadier (from 1978-1999 when I was on leave in the Netherlands). And onto Maastricht...a long walk to the Our Lady, Star  of the Sea basilica / wow / a beautiful church where daughter Kesso Gabrielle used to play the piano with the Opus Dei community some 10 years ago. We prayed long and seriously in front of the altar of our Holy Mother. We were invited to do a wish and then I knew the time had come. Biya and I are together since 2014; we married for the Church in 2017 in Seoul but we still need to register our marriage with the state. Then all would be complete and feel complete. Then and there on the bench in front of this church I asked her to marry me officially in Seoul coming 10th November...and she said yes. We both were very emotional and cried a little.

Chapel of  Our Lady, Star of the Sea basilica in Maastricht

What a wonderful ending of a pilgrimage with thanks to God and our Holy Mother, and with a good intention to strengthen our love and relationship with an official registration of our marriage. Then a short walk past the flamboyant ‘Vrijthof market’ place to the train station, and we were home in Leende before 11 am. 23kms

We shall return one day to Maastricht to do some sight seeing and visit the Saint Servaas church; the official ending of the pilgrims path from Amsterdam to Maastricht.

Leende / 13th  August 2020.

Anton van Zutphen

tonvanzutphen@gmail.com

Traveling to Cuba by Ton van Zutphen Nov-Dec.2019

Impressions of a long trip to Cuba by Ton van Zutphen and Biya Han (19 November 2019 – 8 January 2020) : Havana, Santiago de Cuba, all-inclusive beach resort Brisas Covarrubias, Trinidad, Playa Giron and Cienfuegos.

Along the Malecon in Havana / the boulevard along the sea

So many people these days travel to Cuba and so much has been written about this exceptional country that I will only focus on what I believe was interesting and worthwhile for my wife and me to remember, and to jot it down. Mind you, even with the 10.000 odd tourists/visitors that arrive and depart every day, Cuba remains a place where it is easy to feel the heartbeat of the Cubans as there are lots of places where few foreigners can be spotted. This large island stretches from its West to East coast over 1100 kms while 80% of visitors only focus on the capital Havana, a handful of beaches, and short trips to specific interesting places such as Trinidad.

My wife Biya and I had planned this trip reasonably well with the following objectives: be happy ‘feliz‘ with each other as a couple;  learn how to speak Spanish at intermediate level, this meaning to speak comfortably about what comes along on a day to day basis;  learn to dance some salsa;  and of course drink-in the atmosphere of this Caribbean island with its unusual history and people.

Drinking by the way proved to be an excellent pastime on this tropical island…our favorites were the national cocktails Pina Colada, Daiquiri, Mojito (the original one with guerba verde (spelling?) I was told in Cienfuegos, not with mint!)), and of course Cuba Libre and ‘ron a la roca’ (preferably with Havana Club white rum anejo 3 anos / for sale in the NL for less than 20 bucks a bottle). Beer was at times difficult to get but Crystal is a straightforward and good ‘pilsner’/ lager, and Buccanero a somewhat darker and stronger, but tasty beer. No Coca Cola of course in Cuba…they have Tu-Kola (tasted good in the Cuba Libre). The intense pleasure of sipping  a cool Pina Colada at the beach in the resort Brisas Covarrubias at 10 o’clock in the morning  whilst overlooking the white beach and azul colored sea is not something to forget so easily….carpe diem and dolce far niente ! Believe me, we were then studying Spanish with our grammar books as well!

We decided to stay a week or more in about 5 to 6 locations which we had not planned from the beginning, except for Havana and Santiago de Cuba. And we stayed in ‘Casas Particulares’ the Cuban equivalent to B@B in the UK, and ‘Zimmer frei’ in Germany and Austria. One thing for certain is that in Cuba it is not necessary to plan anything ahead of time except your inland travel. When taking a long distance bus, make your reservation at the counter of the ‘Viazul’ company at least 24 hours before, to assure a seat. Passport is needed to reserve and pay. In Cuba we utilized the following transport: flying into Havana from Miami with American Airlines, taxis, horse drawn coaches, buses, JAWA motor cycle side-cars and Biya with helmet smiling in the side-car; what a sight!, transportes collectivos, pedi-cycles…we missed out on the train unfortunately. For internal flights one has to reserve a ticket most of the times 3 weeks in advance…so don’t bother is my advice.

Because of the slow but steady liberalization of the economy, Cubans these days are allowed to start up small businesses and offer their homes and kitchens as a place to sleep and eat.  Obviously there are strict rules for the Casas Particulares and there is healthy competition. The investments the owners make seem quite high (most have to use funds they receive from the millions of emigrated Cubans in the Americas and Europe!). Another feature of this liberalization process is the appearance of thousands of  small hole-in-the-wall shops selling  anything as little as 50 home-made peanut cakes a day, or delicious coco milk-shakes…well, these can be found everywhere now. Then there is the  simple street trade by individual ‘entrepreneurs‘ playing an essential role in providing people with basic necessities at free market prices. From our Casas we saw hawkers or ‘vendadores ambulantes‘ selling  a limited range of vegetables / mainly tomatoes, sweet potatoes, yuca, peppers…not much more, but also (boiled) eggs, large chunks of mantequila, bread rolls (1 national peso buys 1 small round bread roll = 1 eurocent!); others loudly tried to  sell red onions and garlic carried in strings around their neck, early morning saw the old hawker selling chloride to clean the house; ‘tamale’ (tasty boiled maize paste), peanuts, pig feet, empty glass bottles, empty plastic bottles and empty cans…everything has a price in a country where in monetary terms and compared to the Netherlands and Korea 99% of the population is poor.  

When I was in Cuba with my World Vision colleague and friend Dwayne Sedig in 2011 we stayed only 5 days and then in the chique colonial style Central Park Hotel in Havana, next to the historical quarter…the hawker business then had not developed and most shops were still government managed. We had no idea about the real Cuba….and we were only relaxing (rest and recuperation) from our ‘terra moto’  earthquake emergency work in Haiti.

Biya and I simply booked the first Casas Particulares in Havana and in Santiago de Cuba through internet and a 20 seconds phone call; after that by word of mouth we easily found our way around. Casas that I dearly recommend are listed here:

Havana Blues, in Havana / we stayed here at two intervals and in total 1 week. Owners Daniel and Fina are service oriented and have a simple but clean and nice home; located in Centro Habana (where the average poor Cuban lives and works)…20 minutes walk to the historical centre. 360 Avenida Padre Varela (Belascoin part of town). 5 Minutes walk to the Malecon. Ideal place to start your trip. Tel. (53) 78700945. Mail:  daniel_renta@yahoo.es

La Terazza Verde, in Santiago de Cuba / we stayed here for 3 weeks. Juan (John) runs this Casa for his uncle Rafael, and we got the best rooms with the terrazas…plants everywhere. Walking distance to center and Juan is a connector…when you ask you could perhaps go fishing with the old man Rafael. Super clean Casa. 201 Calle Reloj on the corner with Calle Trinidad  / Tel. (53) 22624440 . Mail: rsilvacuba2012@gmail.com

El Castellito, in Playa Giron / we stayed here 4 days. Comfortable bungalow style Casa with good food and nice service; generous rum portions! Walking distance to the beach; next to the bus stop to Caleta Buena, the prime beach in the area

Las Norys, in Cienfuegos / we stayed here for 1 week . The best we found…Norys and her husband Mariano are the perfect hosts. Nice apartment with terrace; superb cooking. Tel. (53) 43512422  Avenida 54 nr. 4105 along the old main street, quiet, and 10 minutes walk to Viazul bus station and 5 minutes walk to city center; excellent location and super duper place.  Mail: marino683508@gmail.com

Mariano and Norys in their Casa in Cienfuegos waving us goodbye

Caleta Buena beach 8 kms from Playa Giron/ note the sharp rocks

All above 4 Casas Particulares  have aircon, serve optional paid breakfast and sometimes paid dinner; are safe and secure and clean to Dutch standards with hot showers and ensuite bathrooms; with wifi. Available rooms up to 5 only. Price ranges from 20 to 25 Cuban convertible pesos = CUC…about max. 25 euros for 2 persons in one room/apartment per night.  

Experienced travelers agree that an interesting place is not so much defined by its morphology and its history but more by the people you interact with. True to the bone, and this must be said here: we were at ease in Cuba, practically everywhere. we met genuinely nice people, helpful, humble and honest, We felt secure and safe throughout the 7 weeks; no issues about changing money in a hotel or in the Casas ( at the bank you may need to queue up for an hour or so, or even at the ATM (which we avoided to use anyway!); very little typical tourist hassle; taxi drivers were correct…Cubans leave foreigners their dignity and do not follow you all the time to sell stuff.  Very respectful lot. 

The 61 year young Revolution everywhere still sports banners with ‘Siempre Fidel’ and Che Guevara remains a hero. I sense that a socialist period which requires people to keep close to their own national destiny and daily chores, leads to accepting foreigners with interest but not approaching them for the USD/Euros alone. I had a similar experience when traveling through Hungary and Czechoslovakia in the early seventies.

And Cubans have experienced some very hard times…..We were informed about the ‘Special Period’ from 1991 to 1996…but its impact was felt until 5 years later. The year 1991 marked the demise of the USSR and COMECON (all East-bloc countries were part of a trade free zone allowing individual members privileges). A month after this broke up, Cuba, having no oil/gas reserves became slowly paralyzed and travel broke down because of fuel shortages; hospitals discontinued many operations including most outbound services for lack of electricity and fuel; houses and streets were unlit, even simple aspirin producing factories were not operational anymore and …transport fell back to the default mode of horse drawn carriages, resulting in serious food shortages.

We were explained by Sergio our teacher of Spanish how practically everyone in the 1 million  city of Santiago de Cuba suffered for more than 7 years  whilst they put together as families and neighbors their meagre resources ..cooked together with chopped wood from the forests, and looked after each other.  Apparently nutrition fell from 1989 to 1993 from an intake per person per day from around 3,000 calories to 2,000 calories.

We in the West (I was during that period working in the Netherlands, the Gambia and Bangladesh) missed out on this slow onset emergency. I only vaguely remember that Cuba went through a hard time.  I was told by a number of Cubans that this ‘Special Period’ (during which only humanitarian aid was allowed from the USA/West) actually strengthened the hand of Fidel Castro and his revolutionary zealots; and definitely many people later…felt proud they had weathered a storm against the West; then in 1999 Hugo Chavez of Venezuela offered Cuba oil; basically as a gift out of solidarity with his friend Fidel.

The only things I wish to share here about the Cuban Revolution are that the ‘Fidelistas’ are apparently still in the majority; nevertheless people in the street are not talking about it; young educated people have other interests…many about how to go abroad;  people are used to mind their own business; the Revolution never had a moral compass unfortunately;  people have remained poor and basic services like education and health are now also being eroded (just going into a pharmacy tells you the sad state of affairs…); doctors are well trained but equipment and medicines are lacking. People are on a daily basis trying to find and buy groceries…it is part of every day’s tasks! Supermarkets remind me of the ones I saw in Bulgaria in 1974…racks and racks of the same mostly imported articles that few people (can) buy.

When asking which were the best professions in the country…the response was always: leisure industry and then a job as a guide or in a hotel. This gives people directly or indirectly access to CUC (the currency that foreign visitors have to use). Some mentioned the army, and only a few mumbled doctor or teacher. A doctor takes home around 75 euros a month, although lodging is provided by the state. A cleaner in a hotel takes home 25 euros…but may easily double or triple that with ‘propinas’ (tips). So, there is lack of money in a serious way…one can see it all over in the streets as older people are generally poorly dressed and houses are not maintained.

Nevertheless the Cuban mentality and spirit of solidarity and hospitality is something I felt is strongly present. It made our trip a big success meeting so many people that intrinsically are part of the good boys and girls in this world!!!

Of course we were fortunate to meet good boys and girls all over which we called ‘angels’. And we were linked up to 2 great teachers with personality: Sergio in Santiago de Cuba and Taty in Cienfuegos. Both had studied in the USSR and spoke good English. Sergio is your ideal teacher: listener, empathic, allowing you to think and make mistakes…we started off with him and had 16 x 2 hours lessons , plus a morning’s walk through town, a morning with his students at the La Salle college where he teaches English, and a one day trip to the fabulous Basilica de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, and the astounding world heritage site of Castillo San Pedro de la Roca (a fort built into the sea to protect against the corsairs). We were invited to share a meal at his home with his wife Clara and son Angel, and we took them for dinner to restaurant San Francisco. Biya and I were tremendously inspired by his methodology and pedagogy. We made vast progress with our 550 page grammar book ‘ Complete Spanish Step by Step ’ by Barbara Bregstein. We continued studying a bit on the beach in Covarrubias and then studied with Marilyn, a teacher in Trinidad but we gave up after 3 lessons because we felt her style of explaining did not match our expectations (we can be diplomatic!). Then in Cienfuegos, our Casa landlord Mariano suggested to have lessons with Taty who lived just across the street, and that worked also surprisingly well. She was so different…she actually could have been Russian: straight to the point / homework check every morning/ after a mistake do it again until it is perfect…anyway we loved her and I think she also liked us! We extended our trip with several hours the last day  just to have an extra lesson with her and we had 6 x 2.5 hours lessons with her. All in all Biya and I clocked up each some 170 hours studying Spanish including self-study and daily ‘tarea ‘= homework. I believe we reached our objective: we have reached intermediate level but we both continue to study a few times a week throughout the first part of 2020.

Our teachers Sergio - left, and Taty - right ...we simply adore them!!

And dancing…..salsa…yes we took 7 lessons in Santiago de Cuba and made some progress: basic steps, dilequeno, enchufla, abanico, sacala and so on. I realise I am not such a good dancer as I think I am or was…coordination is not anymore what it used to be. When I danced with my teacher Dagnellis and Biya with Luis…it seemed easy, but when Biya and I  dance together haha I felt we both want to lead…and that is not allowed when dancing: the man is the boss! Our lack of progress when dancing together was certainly not the fault of the teachers Dagnellis and Luis; a lovely couple and semiprofessional dancers. We owe them a lot and again I can recommend them. By the way Santiago de Cuba is the prime city in the world for salsa dancing and each November there is a 1 week international dance fiesta. Biya and I danced on the terrace of the Hotel Casa Grande one night overlooking the bay/sea, opposite the Cathedral…an impressive sight with  thousands of stars!   Clases de Baile. Dagnellis Rivery and Luis Bravo Tel. (53) 22663204. Mail is  dagnelli.rivery@nauta.cu

 with Dagnellis and Luis our salsa dance teachers / spontaneous dancing in Havana center / and Biya and me on the terrace of the hotel Casa Grande in Santiago de Cuba.

Yes, when I look into my 2019 agenda…this was a most memorable trip during which Biya and I developed our relationship and love further and deeper. We never spent a full 2 months together in each other’s presence…day and night. And we often had to make fast decisions together, though always consulting each other. We are still learning to listen better to each other…in the end we are both mature travelers with clear ideas how to tackle logistical issues. Haha, I recall when talking in Spanish to catch a bus or so; we both want to do it…the one starts and the other does not realise he/she tries to take over the conversation.  Lessons learned now!  Practice to come when we start with the Camino de Santiago de Compostela from Lourdes in France in May this year.

A couple of things:

-         Angels we met:  Manuel the bus passenger when driving to Puerto Padre who fixed us the ride with  another Manuel to Covarrubias in his comfortable Dodge Coronet 1952 ;  Fidelito, the Viazul manager at Sancti Spiritus; Roxangela, the dentist student in Cienfuegos; the unknown lady at the Bandex bank who sold me (the impossible to find)  official 10 CUC stamps to renew our visas; Juan (John) who linked us to new friends like Sergio, Dagnellis and Luis; Mariano in Cienfuegos who linked us to Taty (her original name is Oneilda), our beloved teacher as well; and there are many other wonderful people we met in Cuba. May God bless them all!

With taxista Manuel in Covarrubias and his Dodge Coronet 1952

-         We bought Cuban cigars (do not ask me how): the big Cohibas ‘esplendidos’ that became the trademark of both Fidel and Che. Fidel gave up smoking in 1985  and started a successful anti-smoking campaign.  Che died in Bolivia in 1967  while supporting a communist guerilla unit there. We brought back also the famous Habanos Monte Christo all hand rolled and very expensive for Cubans in Cuba and outside the country. Few people these days smoke in Cuba. Fortunademente.

Anton smoking a large Cohiba 'esplendido' back home in Leende, the Netherlands

-         I looked everywhere…and was never able to buy Cuban coffee…there is a black market and people buy it directly from the coffee farms. As with the expensive cigars…all is exported by the government to Canada and Europe.

-         Many basic necessities disappear from the market temporarily and suddenly;  make sure you always have a few bottles of water in stock; during the Christmas period in Trinidad not even one can of beer could be bought in the shops! Milk…never seen it during the 7 weeks. On the other hand there is rum everywhere…excellent quality and affordable!

-         Few people mention it but at the beaches there are tiny black insects that bite and itch terribly during dawn and dusk; these are called : jinjin (spelling is probably wrong). Biya suffered for more than three weeks and even reverted to local medicine. Also plenty of mozzies along the coast.

-         Then Cubans like music and play it loud basically everywhere…mostly reggaeton. Beaches may look nice but once you are in the sea…lots of stones/rocks.

Havana, again its famous Malecon

But......nobody knew the Pretty Things and their song: Havana Bound....I am certain though Fidel must have listened to it.....someone must have played it for him.  

Cuba…what a place, made up of real lovely people!!! I should take Biya there again. Hasta la vista!

Ton van Zutphen,

Leende, the Netherlands 24^th January 2020