When I was a kid in Cuba and lived in Havana, we never spent summers in the city. Never. We would leave the heat and humidity behind and head out for Varadero Beach.
Ahh, Varadero. Home of pristine white sand, warm water and some of the best family-summer memories of my life.
Varadero is where we "did summer." And we did it well. In grand Cuban style.
Varadero. (Vahra-deh-roh) It's like a magical word, isn't it?
Where we were never more than a stones throw away from sand and water and food and a sweet independence. (I know. Cuba – independence. How ironic.)
We would travel in sibling/cousin-packs, wandering the strip of beach and vendors and having adventures on a daily basis.
We would always eat late (9-ish!) as is the Cuban custom, because of the heat. To this day, I love that so much. Late dinners and playing games until we were too tired to stay up any longer. And everybody was okay with that.
We would stay in a house that was practically-on-the-sand. And we'd swim in the warm waters. For hours. (days? weeks? years?)
Such sweet memories. It saddens me that our kids will never know that kind of summer freedom.
However, this year we managed to take a week off and get away. Just an hour's drive from here to fabulous La Jolla. (It was a little over an hour's drive from Havana to Varadero. Coincidence?)
And we stayed in a right-on-the-sand-old-school resort, aptly named The La Jolla Shores Hotel.
This is the view that greeted us each day…
We spent hours (days? weeks? years?) in the warm, clear water.
Lucy and Jonathan managed to escape from us to explore in the walking-distance-from-our-hotel vendors.
And we relaxed. And played together. And laughed.
And ate dinner at odd hours because we always waited for the sun to set before we would leave the beach.
Of course, my camera was my constant companion.
I'll say this for my husband… he knows the value of a relaxed andcontented wife. We're going back in just a few weeks. (Or he may be sick of my nagging…but that's not important
right now.) =D
It was absolutely wonderful to do nothing but play with my husband and the kids. To dive and dip and laugh in the waves.
Just for a few days, (maybe only for a few moments, really) I reached back through time and distance and once again, became that little Cuban girl with no decisions to make except for what flavor of granizado (shave ice – not a snow cone!) to buy from the corner vendor.
And so my kids were able to get a taste of that sweet summer freedom, after all.
Which only goes to show that God does answer prayer, and He can always make a way.
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Check this out….I have a hand-painted-by-me (shut up. I know!) Varadero Sign. (wooden. about 18 inches long. suitable for hanging.)
For a chance to win it, please leave a comment and tell me your favorite summer memory.
(No, you don't have to be Cuban to win! =D)
I'll do the drawing on Thursday, August the 27th at 10 am Pacific Time.
Come on, tell me everything. I LIVE for stuff like this! 😉
Okay. That sign? WANT. It’s la playa memories for me, too. Crandon Park, pine needles in the sand, chicken on the barbecue, emerald waters, and a lighthouse. Miss those days.
Dear Marti,I left Cuba when I was seven years old. Some of my most vivid memories are of Varadero. We lived in Havana, but my father was from Matanzas and we went there often. Our weekends often included a visit to Varadero, where I remember walking in the crystal clear, warm water and feeling incredibly content. I have visited many beaches since those early years, but truly nothing compares to the beauty of Varadero. I just hope that some day very soon I will be able to take my son to see the beach his mother and grandparents loved so much. So, needless to say, I would love to win your sign.
Carinos,
Maria Eugenia
I’m not Cuban, just a displaced Californian. One of my favorite memories of summer time was before we moved overseas, we stayed in a condo overlooking San Clemente Beach. We had the pier, the Amtrak, and the little beach patrol shack thingy right outside our door (and down a perilously steep cliff). We were frequently reprimanded (by parents and neighbors) for the noise me and my brothers made in the confined space. We had a blast though. We’d swim in the pool at night and spend time on the beach during the day. To this day I consider San Clemente my home break, and I would love to return some day to surf it.John
p.s. – Your sign is awesome… if I get it, sweet! If not, I’m sure there’s an true islander out there that it would have special meaning for.
When we lived in Spain, my parents bought a big orange tent. We camped all over Spain. One year, we took the tent to Valencia and camped near the beach. We met this French family and roasted mussels on the beach at sunset with them. We had a wonderful time. I miss those days and I really miss my dad.
Cripes, I missed the tissue warning! Growning up, we spent summer weekends camping at Huntington Beach. I can still taste the sandy hotdogs, smell the damp morning beach air, and feel the lumpy sand under my blanket. To this day, I always return to the beach for solace and to recapture the emotional comfort of those simpler times, when now departed loved ones made our then young world magic. If I win the sign, I want it to hang in my honorary room in a house near a canal in Miami, and perhaps it will make an annual weekend trek to a certain iron-framed booth, crafted by loving hands, where stories like this are exchanged with laughter and love among members of a big fat Cuban family. Wonderful, tear inducing post hermana, I am crying like a baby.
Well…i guess my mom spent summers in varadero and cardenas too…and every year since i remember we go not even an hour from my parents’ home to Lauderdale-by-the-sea just north of Fort LAuderdale. We rent a little villa/Apt. (one year my family had 17 apts..it was awesome!) and we try to relax togehter and hit the beach. You can stand in the window of the “salita” of the beach apt. and see the ocean, pool and grounds. it’s awesome! i cherished that week with my family and cousins and rest of the bunch when i was a kid like you dont even know! now i cherish it even more when i get to see my daughter and my niece enjoy the “beach house”(as they have coined it) with Lala and Abu and the abuelas (the other reason we picked such a close place(…i think my parents invented STAYCATION) is that we have my grandmothers and great aunts (they all live with my MOM!!) and they cant travel easily so close was good! they would come with us and hang out by the pool and even swim in their younger years(we’ve been going to Lauderdale-by-the-sea for almost 30 years!) but now they are novela watching in the room most of the time! thanks Marti…for letting me rant about my favorite childhood memory!
Well, the first time I went to Cuba, I could NOT wait to go to Varadero. My dad had many memories there, (much like yours) and he always talked it up in a way that made me want to live there. In case it wasn’t what my dad and siblings had advertised, I mentally prepared myself and realized it might not be the same for me simply because I didn’t experience what they had at the beach.Then I arrived at the famed Varadero. Oh. My. God. I could not believe how breathtaking it was. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect aqua color in the still ocean that reflected the perfect blue sky. The sand resembled flour. Oh, and no matter how far I was from the sand, the water was still waist deep and I could see my toes. And the smell of the ocean was almost sweet.
Just like South Beach… NOT! I’ve lived in my Miami all my life and I love going to the beach. Not because of it’s “beauty” (please note the absolute sarcasm on my behalf) but because of what it symbolized: a day off, freedom, no work, no errands, no responsibilty, just fun. However, when I went to Varadero, I was able to appreciate it for what it was. I remember thinking: Now THAT is a beach.
I’ve had some pretty great summers, but that’s my favorite. And I’m not even saying it’s my favorite because I believe I should be the proud owner of that sign. 🙂
My first memory was when I was about four and we were in Varadero. We were in the water and I remember having to get out because a family member spotted a shark. I’ll never forget that. I was in side of an inflatable lifesaver. One of my fondest memories of the beach was looking from the water towards the shore and seeing a line of huge Australian palm treas. Every time I see one, it takes me back to those childhood memories with my family in Varadero, Cuba.
Well, can I just say that I LOVE Varadero. I’ve been there 3 times. My in-laws live there so lucky me, we get to enjoy the most beautiful beach I’ve seen to date. That said, I’d love to win this so I can hand it over to my hubby or should I say, my daughter who LOVED it last time we visited and can’t get enough of watching the videos of our stay. Thanks!
This summer I tried and tried to meet a friend at the beach… we became separated since high school, yet recently reconnected. He would send his beautiful wife to spend time with my beautiful wife. He would send his lovely kids to hang out and surf with my lovely kids… yet he would never come himself.I would like the sign as a reminder that no matter how busy we get… we can always take time to spend with friends…
gratci!
Miguel
Can’t find my post:( I believe I was # 2 or 3 to post….now I just feel whiny…I hope this counts or I’m gonna have to tell my “el farito” story again:)
My family used to spend most Easters and Summers in our home country of the Dominican Republic. I have many fond beach memories, much like yours, of lazy Semana Santas spent at Juan Dolio Beach, my mother cooking up whatever the local fishermen brought to our kitchen door. My favorites were Pescado con Coco, and Ensalada de Bacalao. Mom also made the best Ceviche in the world…I’m so glad I sat down with her and had her recite to me her best recipes before she passed. Today marks 3 years Mom left me and my sisters, and we miss her, but her ceviche lives on!
This is the problem….you know I can’t tell you my FAVORITE summer memory! Let’s just say it involved Catalina and a bathing suit! Kess!
Hola Marta,Thank you for sharing on becoming a citizen – mine was in 1971 after my six children were already Americans by birth! : )
I am Cuban but from Santiago de Cuba – no ‘Varadero’ summer vacations for me but my summer beach time was at ‘Arroyo de la Costa’ and it was one day school trip but well worth it with iguanas on the sand, pulpos, sea urchins (erizos), agua malas (jelly fish) and sharks – no kidding! : )
Gracias!