BRIT OLOM TOURS JEWISH CUBA MISSION EXPLORING THE ISLAND, UNDERSTANDING ITS ECONOMY, DISCOVERING ITS PEOPLE, THEIR HISTORY AND JEWISH INFLUENCE Duration 6 days and 5 nights of learning, fun and friendship in Cuba Dates Thursday June 11 to Tuesday June 16, 2015 Accommodations • Hotel Melia Cohiba, 5 stars, Havana Island transportation Luxury tour coach and full time chauffer. DAY 1 – THURSDAY JUNE 11/ ARRIVAL / HELLO CUBA (LUNCH AND DINNER) • Arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport. Collect your bags and go through customs. You’re welcomed at the airport lobby by your Cuba Education Tours guide and professional bus chauffeur. • Visit the Revolution Square. • Lunch at El Aljibe restaurant, included. • Private transfer to your hotel located in heart of Havana’s entertainment district. • Private check-in with assistance from your guide. • Free time to settle in and rest up at your hotel. • In hotel at 6 pm Lecture presentation on the History of Jews in Cuba by Professor of Havana University Maritza Corrales. • This evening you’ll enjoy a group welcome dinner in hotel with your Cuban guide and tourmates, included. • Welcome dinner at hotel, included. • APRÈS DINNER: Your guide with keep you posted on local entertainment options. DAY 2 – FRIDAY JUNE 12/ EXPLORING OLD HAVANA, OUR COMMON HERITAGE (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER) • Breakfast in hotel • Followed by a walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by your Cuba Education Tours guide. • Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana built by the Jesuit order. * Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as: * Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City. * Palacio del Segundo Cabo [Palace of the Second Lieutenant] dates from 1770. Today it houses the Instituto Cubano del Libro [Cuban Book Institute] and the Galería Raúl Martínez (famed poster artist). • We continue onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter. The square is named after magnificent Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís dating from the 16th century. The basilica is a striking example of Cuba baroque architecture. • And then on to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings, and is in contrast surrounded by opulent aristocratic 17th century residences. We’ll visit an important center for the visual arts. • Visit Hotel Raquel, which has some Jewish history related to it. • Group welcome lunch at private restaurant La Moneda Cubana. (included in tour cost) • Visit the Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Depósito San José. This marvelous restoration of an old dock warehouse has resulted in a gigantic market exhibiting the wares of hundreds of Cuban artists and craftspersons • Visit the Museum of Rum. • Return to hotel to freshen up. Visit Patronato, the largest synagogue in Cuba and meet with President Adela Dworin - presentation of donations. • Participate on Erev Shabbat services. • After the services, we will, as a group, share our for coErev Shabbat dinner with the community of Patronato (included) • EVENING HIGHLIGHT SUGGESTION: Enjoy at performance by Tropicana show, also known as Tropicana Club, is a world-known cabaret and club in Havana, Cuba. It was launched in 1939 at Villa Mina, a six-acre (24,000 m²) suburban estate with lush tropical gardens in Havana's Marianao neighborhood, transfer and cover not included. DAY 3 – SATURDAY JUNE 13/ JEWISH INFLUENCE/ HEMINGWAY (BREAKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER) • Breakfast in hotel • Visit a Synagogue Adath Israel in Old Havana and participate in morning services. Provide donations. • Visit the Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa, and the first Holocaust Memorial in the Western Hemisphere. • TOUR HIGHLIGHT: Special lunch prepared by private restaurant El Ajiaco, included. • Visit Cojimar, small fishing Village one of Hemingway’s favorite’s places • Visit Finca La Vigía (House and farm of Ernest Hemingway Museum) • Return to hotel to freshen up. • Dinner at Conde del Castillo restaurant, included. DAY 4 – SUNDAY JUNE 14/ ARTS (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER) • Breakfast in hotel • Visit the Museum of Fine Arts, the Cuban collection • We'll feast on a delicious lunch hosted by José Fuster, one of Cuba's most important ceramists and painters at his whimsical studio in Jaimanitas, just outside of Havana. • Visit Christopher Columbus cemetery, included • Return to hotel to freshen up. • Dinner at private restaurant La California, included. • Special suggestion: Watch a performance by Buena Vista Social Club (transfer and cover not included). DAY 5 – MONDAY JUNE 15/ THE LEGEND OF HABANO/ JEWISH INFLUENCE (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER) • Breakfast in hotel * The best way to discover the secrets of an ancient tradition in the land of the best cigars of the world. - Visit to a Cigar Factory. - Visit to the Cigar’s Museum. - Visit to the Cigar Smoker’s Hotel. Meeting with the roller of the house and tasting of a Habano. - Shopping opportunity at the specialized cigar stores. • Special lunch at private restaurant Prado 115, included • Visit Sephardic Hebrew Center in Vedado and meet its President Dra. Mayra Levy and presentation of donations. • Visit beautiful Hotel Nacional and its gardens. • Return to hotel to freshen up. • Transfer in old American classic cars to Río Mar restaurant for farewell dinner, included. DAY 6 – TUESDAY JUNE 16/ HAVANA/ HOME (BREAKFAST) • Breakfast in hotel • Check-out of hotel. • Transfer to José Martí International Airport for flights home .