ITINERARY FOR 2008
Itinerary subject to change depending upon baseball schedule
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Estadio Latinoamericano |
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Cuba's baseball emblem. |
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| Vinales Valley |
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Mural of Conrado Marrero |
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Day 1 - Thursday, February 7 - Arrival
- Arrival at José Martí International Airport in Havana (Note: some participants will arrive earlier).
- Transfer to Hotel Telegrafo (or similar four star) located in the historical center of the city.
- Private group check-in.
- Dinner as group.
(Breakfasts at your hotels are complimentary from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.)
Day 2 - Friday, February 8 - Havana
- Morning: Guided walking tour of Old Havana, UNESCO World Heritage Site to learn about the restoration project that is being implemented by the City Historian Office (Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad).
- Lunch on own.
- Visit to La Tropical Stadium, home of the Cuban professional league from 1930 to 1946.
- Visit the baseball monuments at Havana’s Christopher Columbus cemetery
- Game #1: Metros vs Industriales at the Estadio Latinamericano
Day 3 - Saturday, February 9 - Havana and Cienfuegos
- Visit to Havana’s Ciudad Deportivo to make donations of baseball equipment and meet with Pedro Almenares, former first baseman in the Brooklyn Dodger organization and Rookie of the Year in the Cuban Winter League in 1954.
- Lunch on own.
- Depart for Cienfuegos, the “Pearl of the South”.
- Arrive Cienfuegos: check in at hotel (Union or Jagua)
- Tour of Cienfuegos
- Game #2: Isla de la Juventud vs Cienfuegos
Day 4 – Sunday, February 10 - Cienfuegos, Cruces and Sancti Spiritus
- Bus to Cruces, the home town of Cuba’s greatest player and Hall of Famer, Martin Dihigo. Visit Dihigo display in Cruces museum and visit Dihigo gravesite with Martin Dihigo Jr., former player in the Red’s organzation.
- Depart to Sancti Spiritus.
- Lunch on own.
- Game #3 Pinar del Rio vs Sancti Spiritus.
- Depart to Trinidad.
Day 5 – Monday, February 11 - Trinidad to Havana
- Morning free to explore Trinidad.
- Lunch on own.
- Afternoon departure for Havana.
- Check in at hotel.
- Evening: Attend event at the Havana Jazz Festival.
Day 6 – Tuesday, February 12 - Havana
- Visit to Regla, municipality of Havana known for its devotion to the Afro-Cuban religions. Visit studio of Canet, a famous Cuban print maker.
- Lunch on own.
- Visit with Conrado Marrero and veterans of the old Havana Sugar Kings
- Visit Hotel Plaza, where Babe Ruth stayed during his 1920 tour with the John McGraw Giants and to the Pena, the baseball society that meets daily in Parque Central.
- Game #4 Santiago de Cuba vs Industriales at the Estadio Latinoamericano.
Day 7 - Wednesday, February 13 - Pinar del Rio and Vinales Valley
- Morning departure for Vinales.
- Tour of scenic Vinales Valley, Cuba’s most beautiful vista.
- Visit to a cigar and rum factory.
- Game #5 Camaguey vs Pinar del Rio.
- Accommodation at either Hotel Pinar del Rio or Ermita in Vinales.
Day 8 - Thursday, February 14 - Pinar del Rio to Havana
- Departure for Havana.
- Check in at Hotel.
- Free time.
- Evening: Game # 6 Santiago de Cuba vs Industriales.
Day 9 - Friday, February 15