When I first arrived in Havana, my first thought was that I must be out of my mind. Why on earth did I come? What could I possibly write about visiting this city? Growing up in Miami I have lived with Cuban people most of my life. And to further put this into perspective, when the first Cubans arrived in Miami in 1959 it was a small southern town with a population of approximately 270,000 people and, like most southern cities, it was a racially segregated city. So to most white Miamians, Cubans represented a culture as foreign to us as an alien from Mars. As the city grew and cultures blended, our small town southern thinking changed as rapidly as the rest of the world. I have always felt fortunate to have grown up in Miami in such a vibrant and alive city that thrives on challenges and controversy and has withstood a lifetime of change.My first reaction to stepping on Cuban soil was a combination of both excitement and fear. Although I expected police and military, it is so unexpected to see police on just about every corner that my nerves were on edge and I was a bit jumpy.

To my eyes Havana seemed so surreal, so poor and so deteriorated, I thought I would never make it through the visit with my sanity in tact. My imagination was getting the best of me. When I realized that I was overreacting to the culture I grew up in and needed to be objective I began to relax. So I did what any good tourist would do. I visited one of the popular tourist spots, Floridita, HemmingwayÕs favorite bar. From the outside, Floridita looked like most of the buildings in Havana, old and sadly neglected. But once inside everything was different. The interior was rich with history and quite elegant. The bar area was festive with photos of Ernest Hemingway and a host of famous Americans who frequented the bar in the 1950's. The restaurant adjacent to the bar made me feel like I was on the set of an old Hollywood movie. The house specialities are Mojitas and Daiquiris both made with Havana Club Rum. As we sipped on our daiquiris I began to relax and observe the other tourists who surrounded us. They were all having fun. So what was wrong with me? An older womanapproached us to buy a souvenier and I was moved by her humbleness when I agreed to purchase a CD of the bar's favorite music. She was pleased to find out we were American and, in our own attempt to communicate, we spoke in broken English and Spanish to each other. Her simple act of kindness affected me in a very profound way.

After leaving the safety net of Floridita, we ventured out into the streets of Havana. I don't know if it was the effect of the Havanna Club on my nerves, but slowly as I was able to adjust to the surroundings I could see the incredible beauty of the City of Havana and what the city once was. It was a very moving experience that embraced me, one of awe and one of regret. To me Havana represented a city of sorrow, for all that it was and lost and for all that it should be. The history, the architecture, the monuments, the cobblestone roads, worked its magic and I fell under its spell. It was at that very moment I realized that regardless of politics, you can see and appreciate Havana as an American tourist because the city is a grand dame of palatial mansions, elaborate colonial forts, churches and boulevards with decorative lighting. It was at the moment that I fell in love with Cuba.

Havana needs tourism for its economic survival. It is a proud city with gracious character and the Cubans who reside there have a deep national pride. From the poorest sections and the most humble of homes, the Cubans smile from their hearts and welcome visitors with a warmth and grace of a richer culture. It is humbling to experience this when we have so much in America and they have so little. The people of Havana pull at your heartstrings. Their passion and love of their country gives the city a life and rythmn of its own.

I am not a history buff, nor someone who has a formal education in architecture, but from my personal perspective I would rank the architectural importance of Havana as I would Venice, Paris or Rome. In spite of the devastation of the buildings, I was in awe of each and every one of them, street after street. When you enter open doorways you find unexpected courtyards housing museums, hostels, restaurants and artists' work shops. In Castro's Cuba, nothing makes sense and everything touches your heart. The streets of Havana were crowded with tourists. We found many Italians, some French, English, Canadians, and an occasional American. My husband and I were sitting at Cafe El Meruiro, an outdoor cafe on the plaza that overlooks the seaport, a main attraction for locals and tourists, when we spotted a t-shirt that said Ohio State. I visited the table to ask the three young men sitting there if they were Americans and found out they were American students preparing to make a presentation the following day of their observations of Havana. I asked what their observations were, and their reply was "we really don't know." They were staying in Cuba for six weeks and were having the same difficult time adjusting to the two emotions Havana provokes in you: the historical beauty and the incredible sadness of its current state.Music is very much a part of the Cuban culture and on one of our stops at an outdoor cafe a wonderful musical trio serenaded our table. When one of the men realized we were American he shared his own personal story about his mother leaving Cuba to move to The United States. He spoke about how much he missed her. We were told this again and again by Cubans we met and the stories they shared in sadness and hope.

During our stay we hired a car to drive us around the outskirts of Havana so we could see the surrounding residential areas. We were fortunate to ride in a brand new air conditioned Mercedez driven by Pedro, who spoke enough English to make our journey interesting and informative. We drove to two residential areas, Miramar and Ciboney. Here the homes were stately and resembled the Mediterranean homes of Coral Gables, with large yards, gated entrance ways and, unfortunately, armed personal security guards who are identified by their green uniforms. Each of these areas had beautiful churches, social clubs, and many of the renovated homes serve as official residences for foreign embassies. It is rumored that Castro resides here, although locals do not know exactly where. It is said that his residency changes often for security reasons.

As we continued our tour, Pedro, was shocked that we live in Miami and do not speak Spanish. We found out Pedro's mother lives in Ft. Lauderdale. He asked me to phone her on my return and tell her that he was fine and awaiting her call.

I snapped off a photo of him so I could send it to her on my return, and he was touched and grateful for this gesture. He suggested we drive to see Hemmingway's Marina, which we did. Here you find sailboats and yachts from around the world, including the United States. There were also new hotels and a new social club.

Later that evening, at the suggestion of a friend, we dined at a local restaurant, El Ajibe in Miramar that was a combination of an indoor-outdoor restaurant built of bamboo much like an upscale tiki hut. Once again, we were faced with the challenge that we were the only Americans and we did not speak Spanish and no one spoke English. Our wine steward simply stated that chicken was the specialty and that was that. We were given a choice of Cuban or Spanish white wine and chose a Cuban Pinot Grigio, which was surprisingly good. We were served family style with rice and beans, plantains, glazed chicken and salad. The meal was both generous and good.

We stayed at The Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana, which is the oldest and grandest hotel in Havana. We stayed on the 8th floor, which is where they house most Americans. It looks good from the outside and less so from the inside. The hotel itself is old and lovely, although its five-star status did not live up to our expectations of a five-star hotel. It's not architecturally as grand, but in some ways you can compare it to Coral Gables' Biltmore Hotel. The best feature of The Hotel Nacional is the outside veranda off the main lobby where you find people relaxing, enjoying local musicians, and sipping either a coffee or a cocktail. The veranda provides interesting people-watching and bird-watching too, as the hotel has a collection of peacocks and roosters strolling the grounds. The Nacional has two pool areas, excellent dining options, and well kept grounds overlooking the Malecon and the ocean. You can better understand the state of the economy when you enter the guest rooms. They are large and clean, but not modern. The beds are very low to the ground with hard mattresses that are cell like. Soap is very scarce and you are given a bath soap smaller than the size of a business card. Tissue is also a luxury and you are given only an individual package. I forgot my toothbrush and it took a trip to Havana's newest hotel, the Golden Tulip, to find one. All the day to day things that we take for granted are luxury items in Havana. Telephone communications out of the country are very good; however, it is very difficult to receive a call.

The Golden Tulip Hotel is bright, modern and very much in demand with the international hotel traveler. It is located in the heart of Old Havana and its central location provides excellent options to tourists who want to see Havana by foot. We stopped to have refreshments in the lobby and to people watch. The guests appeared to be more sophisticated and less artsy than the Hotel Nacional crowd. At the suggestion of our hotel's concierge, we dined at Monsignor Restaurant across the street from The Nacional. We were the only Americans and, once again, no one spoke English. The restaurant looked like it was out of a Frank Sinatra movie, with the decor in white, red and black. We listened to an excellent pianist and let our waiter order for us. We were introduced to our first Cuban Chardonnay, which was good. We enjoyed excellent appetizers, although we have no idea what they were, and an assortment of lobster, beef and pork for our entree. The food was excellent, particularly the pork. It was a very enjoyable meal served by very hospitable people in an era that is long past in the United States.

The only negative comment we had about our first night on the town, besides not knowing if we ate manatee appetizers, is that everyone in Cuba seems to smoke. Cigarettes and cigars are everywhere, from cafes, to bars, to restaurants.

The next morning at breakfast (included in the price of the room), there was a very large buffet. With the exception of orange juice, papayas and eggs, the identity of the food was quite foreign to us

During the day we visited the Capitol area of Havana and, once again, the architecture was impressive. It was impossible to enjoy a stroll on the street because we were stopped every few minutes and solicited by someone for something. There were people soliciting a bicycle taxi tour, a horse and buggy tour, a visit to the cigar factory, and everything else under the sun. Most Cubans were impressed that we were Americans visiting their country, although they did not like the fact that Elian has not been returned to Cuba. One of the most surprising parts of visiting this part of the city is to see the living conditions that surround all four corners of the Capitol building. I'm not sure words can describe the condition of the homes in the once beautiful buildings, but to sum it up would be to imagine the worse streets in Harlem with people living in condemned buildings across from our nation's Capitol.

A trip to the flea market, with local artists and vendors, was highly recommended. It is a colorful arts and craft area in the middle of a street. You find paintings, woodcarvings, hand-made clothes, and all sorts of locally made items. If you love to shop for bargains, Havana's flea market is great. The most disturbing part of this area is to witness the number of older people begging. Although it happens everywhere, the level of desperation seemed to be more severe.

The fort that once protected Havana has the most beautiful view of the city. Moro Castle is in excellent condition and is a popular tourist attraction. Our visit took us to a cigar factory in the fort where some of the world's best cigars are still hand made. If you're visiting for the purpose of buying cigars, the admission fee is waived.

In the streets of Havana, you see children playing with wood sticks and ragged balls, which is their form of baseball. There were kids on hand-made wooden scooters, young women with castanets walking the street, all busy with their normal day-to-day lives. The other side of Havana for me was a city of sorrow, a city of tears.A once great city is now crumbling before every visitor's eyes, and the residents of this proud and beautiful city live humbly in small, dark rooms hardly fit for habitation.

By air or by sea, there are many ways to get to Havana and I can tell you that I have tried three different options. Having said that, I highly recommend visiting Havana by cruise ship. There is an Italian cruise ship, the Valtur Prima, which sails from Montego Bay and visits Cuba and other Caribbean Islands. Havana is its main port-of-call, providing guests with close to two days to tour the city. The ship is a luxury-liner with large guest rooms and every conceivable amenity. From spa service to disco to shows, the Valtur Prima lives up to your expectations, and more. The crew is a combination of Cubans and Italians, and they are more than accommodating to guests. I was quite impressed with the Cuban crew and, unlike most of the service people on-island, most of the crew were educated at the University of Havana and spoke English. The ship docks in the center of Old Havana, making it convenient to walk the city or arrange for a city tour.

The price of the cruise is quite reasonable ($1079 for seven nights) when you factor in that all meals are included with complimentary wine with lunch and dinner. And of course there is plenty of entertainment, activities and theme parties that are also part of the cruise.

Other options are to fly direct to Havana on one of the charter flights from Miami (only legal under certain circumstances). This is the most convenient from the standpoint of time, but if you're not used to being treated like cattle, I wouldn't recommend it. I also flew to Montego Bay on Air Jamaica and connected to their flight to Havana. The only problem with this method of transportation is that you can expect delays in Montego and the actual time it takes to reach your destination. Many Americans fly into Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico to connect to Havana without legal documentation. The Valtur Prima is the only transportation to Havana that is legal to American Citizens through its fully hosted program.

For those with legal permission to visit Cuba, The Hotel Nacional charges between $150- $190 per night. Cocktails in town average $6.00 and you can count on spending $75 or more per for a good dinner including a bottle of wine.