Though the years after the collapse of Soviet trade with Cuba were very hard, the Cuban economy is now stronger than ever. Cranes on the horizon everywhere from Havana to Varadero vouch for the current boom in tourism. Old Havana is getting a new coat of paint and shops and restaurants are thriving. We met people from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, and all over South America. It's a great place for a sunny vacation, or to take in cultural experiences.
Religious freedom is alive and well.
We sang in Baptist, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian churches. Their communities seemed to be thriving. The minister of the Baptist Martin Luther King Center in Havana sits on the national legislature. Since 1993 religious freedoms are guaranteed in the Cuban constitution. They know there's a thriving Cuban-American community in South Florida and elsewhere in the US that welcomes them, and provides starter jobs as waiters and mechanics.