I was raised in Minneapolis with two older brothers who loved cars. In fact, our entire family loved cars. We always had the newest, coolest cars from the 50’s. I can remember the white 1957 Cadillac with the push buttons and red interior. I thought it was hot spit!

I did not have my driver’s license then (just in case you are wondering how old I am) yet I so appreciated those cars. My brothers also had motorcycles as well. They had an Indian and of course a Harley Davidson with a side car. My brothers and I would take the Harley out on the lake in the winter. I would be in the side car, and they would drive fast and quickly jerk one way or another. I laughed and cried at the same time.

Why is it you laugh the hardest with your siblings? Inside of our family garage, there was always a car being worked on. The hood would be up and Tom and Jim would be working on something. We never took a car into a garage for basic tune ups! Those were good times.

So when asked what I loved about my recent trip to Cuba, you know I am going to say the 66,000 antique cars that are being used there. Necessity is the mother of invention, and since these folks cannot get new American cars, they make do with what they have. I noticed as John and I drove the countryside, these old cars would be stalled on the side of the road - they had their trunk open and the box of spare parts was being used to find anything that might get them going again.

What was the condition of these antique cars? Most were in great shape. Yes, there were some that had homemade paint jobs, some were running on diesel fuel, and some had different doors and bumpers. It was so cool or see these cars up and down the streets and this so tugged at my heart.

Of course, we arranged for our Cuba travelers to spend time with some of the owners of these cars. Plus, while in Cuba, our travelers are going to ride in them to their farewell dinner.

I appreciate the tenacity that the Cuban people have. They do not have a lot of goods so they make it happen by recycling and using their ingenuity. Cubans definitely are not a “throw away” society. I am very impressed and I know you would enjoy the destination as I did. It truly was a great trip spending time in Cuba. Now is the time to go before it changes.

Take a moment and get involved with our Cuban Experience for 2015. John and I drove most of the country, ate the meals, talked with the locals and stayed at the hotels we are using. Our People to People experience is as good as it gets for Cuba. It does have our stamp of approval.