Cuba Libre, Free Cuba, is it a slogan or a drink? Both. The drink containing liberal amounts of rum, ice, lime and cola. Not Coca Cola, because that drink is American and there is still a strict embargo by the United States, and other countries influenced by the States.
The Republic of Cuba has been severely restricted in its development over the past 40 years by these embargoes, although it is potentially rich in natural resources: oil, tobacco, sugar, copper, nickel, citrus fruits, bananas. But the Republic is rapidly emerging from the Communist void thanks to tourism.
Following the collapse of the USSR, its major sponsor, Cuba was in dire straits: little or no oil, machinery, and the loss of massive food subsidies. It is now getting right on track with some big investors - Canada, Germany, China and others. There are excellent hotels already established and many others in the development stage.
Paradoxically, the currency that rules in this island is the US dollar, and the Stars and Stripes is occasionally seen among the flags around the hotels. The Cuban peso is not regarded very highly. Everyone wants to be paid in the mighty dollar!
Cuba is hot, literally and figuratively, with temperatures nudging the 90s in midsummer. It is very pleasant indeed, especially in the soft breezes round the coast and beaches, the Caribbean to the south and the Atlantic to the north.
Cuba has atmosphere aplenty, and nowhere more so than Havana City, the island's capital. Old Havana is a wonderful relic of Spanish colonial architecture, a huge collection of crumbling buildings that could never be saved by the efforts or finances of Cuba alone. However, they are making the effort, and UNESCO is now becoming involved, so there is hope.
At the centre of Old Havana is La Plaza de Armas, The Place of Arms, where in the 16th century the soldiers stationed in the Castle of the Royal Army, one of the buildings bordering the square, used to perform their drills.
Wonderful old buildings bound this square on all sides: here is the Palace of the General Captains, or Palace of Government, and the Palace of the General Vice Captain, both perfectly preserved. Also prominent is the statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, called the Father of the Nation for his courageous leadership in the first War of Independence in 1868.
Here also is the statue of Christopher Columbus who 'discovered' Cuba in 1492. Another 'must see' is La Bodeguita del Medio, a small bar just off the main square: Ernest Hemingway used to drink there, so any interested tourist feels obliged to stop off and have a Mojito. Very good they are to.
Hemingway became so attached to Cuba that eventually he bought a house in the village of San Francisco de Paula, a simple but beautiful retreat called the Vinca Vigia where he finished writing For Whom The Bell Tolls.
More than half of his literary output was finished here. This house is now the Hemingway Museum, and under cover in the lovely gardens is the Pilar, the boat in which he used to fish for blue marlin out in the Gulf.
The Americans have long had an eye on Cuba, and when revolutionary forces under another national hero, Jose Marti, led the Cubans in the Second War of Independence against Spain in 1895 the Americans found a reason to become involved and sent a large force. It was the American flag that was raised after the defeat of the Spanish.
From then on there were a series of puppet presidents and the large US corporations moved in, and everyone knows of the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Being a mere 90 miles from the Florida Keys, Cuba was ideal for a long weekend, and very handy for the rum runners during the American prohibition period - like Harry Morgan in Hemingway's book To Have and Have Not.
During the 1940s and '50s Americans flooded into Havana for the entertainments on offer, including casinos, nightclubs, sex shows and drugs, for the most part supported by corrupt politicians.
So Cuba was ripe for the revolution in 1959 led by Fidel Castro and his trusty lieutenant the Argentinean Che Guevara. Che is greatly revered in Cuba, and the picture of this handsome idealist is everywhere: on flags, on buildings and on tourist T shirts.
The spectacular Tropicana nightclub is an experience not to be missed. It's like sitting on the set of an old MGM musical, a Busby Berkeley spectacular, with a cast of over 60 dancers plus singers and a full orchestra, fabulous multi-coloured costumes, feathers and plumes. Not cheap! Here in 'the good old days' performed such artists as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davies Jnr, Nat King Cole and Carmen Miranda.
If you like a good walk, the Malecon, a 6km promenade that stretches along the seafront from the harbour in Old Havana westwards to the Almendares River, is lined by over 100 classical buildings. Pre-revolution the rich people used to ride along here in horse drawn gigs, flaunting their wealth.
These days 40- and 50-year-old Buicks, Packards, Chevrolets and other vintage American cars trundle along having been kept running by some mysterious means, because due to the embargos they have been unable to obtain spare parts - not from the States anyway!
Marina Hemingway is quite expensive, probably on a par with UK south coast marinas, but they add on 10% 'gratuities'. It pretty much self contained with a supermarket, some shops and The Old Man and the Sea Hotel, its development going ahead with an obvious eye to the future.
There is still some suspicion around and everyone is watched and there is an abundance of beaurocracy. But Cuba is beautiful, charming, scenic, and with revolution and counter revolution, piracy, intrigue and courage, there is so much fascinating history permeating the atmosphere you can almost taste it.
But watch out for the cigar touts who will swear that they have a 'brother working at the House of Cigars' and their cigars are authentic Cuban and cheaper than the shops, when in all probability they are cheap rubbish from Mexico or Jamaica!
