The author of Cuba - the Isle of Romance, National Geographic Magazine, September, 1933, has high praise for Cuban life in that era. Cuba was very progressive in transportation, even building a railroad in 1837 from one end of the island to the other a full ten years before Spain built railroads. In 1911, Cuba started air flights from Key West. There was good trolley service in the large city of Havana, Cuba, in 1933, as well as a good highway for motorcars along the entire length of the island.
"Havana abounds in strange contrasts - modern, up-to-the-minute customs and old habits clung to through the ages. An observant visitor will note them if he wanders around quietly off the beaten tourist track. The older houses have automobiles parked inside the front door. In days gone by, homes were built so that a carriage could be driven into the wide entrance hall and heavy, iron- or brass-studded doors swung to behind it, thus offering protection from man and the elements. So the present built-in garage is really nothing new!" (p. 379).
"In the evenings, cafes are busy places. Many of them, continental style, spread out over the sidewalk. . . One never sees an intoxicated Cuban, despite the fact that they drink much wine and beer," (p. 380).
There were plenty of photos of the island, a lighthouse, an old fort, the people and the Spanish architecture. Cuba of 1933 was worth visiting. I wouldn't want to visit any country under Communist rule, would you?
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