It's only 93 miles from Florida, and just 13 from the Bahamas, but like the smoke that coils from its legendary cigars, The Republic of Cuba exists in a time and space all it's own.
Blending the traditions of Spain, Africa and its native peoples, and lit by the fires of independence and revolution, the aromas, textures and flavors of this Caribbean nation are like no other.
Despite its size, Cuba has punched well above it's weight.
For centuries its vast plantations satisfied a global appetite for sugar and thirst for the smoothest rums.
In 1962 it played center stage in a nuclear standoff, which made the planet hold its breath for 13 days.
And through it all, its infectious rhythms taught the world how to move its hips.
Few cities can stir the imagination like Cuba's capital, Havana, a city preserved by forts and citadels, a five-mile seawall, and an imposed embargo which held back the excesses of the 20th century for over 50 years.
Havana's symbol is La Giraldilla, dedicated to the city's first female governor, who scanned the horizon each day for her husbands return from sea.
400 years later she continues to wait, high above Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the city's original fort.
While her husband never returned from his explorations, today she watches as millions of travelers come to explore her city.
