OLLI is going to Cuba in January, and you should plan for it now or you could miss it

We usually wait until just before an OLLI event to tell you about it but this one will take some planning, and besides, it's limited, so we thought you'd like to know sooner. It's an expedition to Havana in late January and early February, and it's limited to 14 travelers.  You'll get to meet with acclaimed academics, musicians and art curators.  You'll visit an organic farm. You'll enjoy rum and dine in some of Havana's finest, independent paladars. And much more. You can get all the details by downloading the OLLI fall catalog, which you can find a link for here.

Discoveries in Cuba: An amazing old book sale in a park and a beautiful 1950 Cadillac

Travel to Cuba is so easy now, and many of our friends and neighbors are making the trip to the Caribbean island that lies 90 miles off our shores. Students from Eckerd College have taken several trips down there in recent years. Our friend T. Allan Smith, who helps out with our social media efforts, just returned from a visit.

That's Allan in the photo at the top with his new best friend, Julio Cesar, a bookseller who seemed to have the largest collection of leather bound books in an open air market in Havana. Allan said the market springs to life three days a week in a city plaza in Old Havana and is a book lovers delight.

Allan would know. He's a former bookseller and works with the annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair that is held at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg. Allan said he found not only books but also historic newspapers, magazines, antique cameras, vintage photographs, military campaign ribbons and pins, prints and posters, and a host of other collectible odds and ends.

No visit to Havana would be complete without tales of the 1940 and 1950s cars American cars still in operation today. They've become a popular focal point for tourists, and Allan said he saw plenty of them. The ride for him and his companions was a 1950 Cadillac with an International Harvester engine. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) It's an eye-catching vehicle that even the locals stopped to look at as they rode around the city. Its colors were described as Lucifer Red and Champagne Gold. In the picture, that's Diego Luis, who Allan described as "the best driver in all of Havana."

As a book lover, Allan also visited Finca Vigia, the hilltop home of writer Ernest Hemingway, but that's a story for another time.

Have you taken a recent trip to Cuba? Share your story with us. Send an email to spareroomministorage@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.