Today we went to Finca Vigía, where Ernest Hemingway lived. I did not like that one cannot enter, but rather just look out the windows from the outside. There was a group of tourists (I think they were Germans) that were given a tour, reminding me of a similar seen in Memories of Underdevelopment.
-Cecilia
I found it interesting that most of the people who worked in the museum were Afro-Cubans. In Memorias there was a Czech tourist group, and when we went there were several groups, all with guides: Germans, Koreans, Japanese and Russians. One of the maids / guards inside the house, which we could not enter, offered Danny to take a picture from inside and asked for a tip.
—Diego
The Hemingway house is almost completely preserved and I saw many of the parts of the house that were filmed in “Memories of Underdevelopment.” There were a lot of tourists: German, Japanese, Russian, etc. The guides seem to be very well trained in their work, as we saw in the film. They have guides who speak Japanese, German and other languages with extraordinary ability. Other things that caught my attention, such as the pool and tennis court that Hemingway had in his villa, seemed to me to be very clear indications of the kind of life Hemingway had in Cuba. The house itself didn’t make much sense. I think I got the impression that Hemingway just came to have fun in Cuba, completely oblivious to what was happening in this part of America.
—Sergio
The house was very beautiful and great, however, I wish that there would be more information about Hemingway’s time in Cuba. It was hard for me to understand why Hemingway had access to all this wonderful land and house in Cuba. I would have appreciated more history and context.
-Marisela
When we arrived to the Hemingway House we could only see from the outside, but I liked being in the same place as one of the Underdevelopment Memories scenes.
-Andrea
Casa de Hemingway wasn’t very educational, but it was interesting to see how Hemingway lived and how much Cubans celebrate Hemingway as a writer and figure. They almost see him as a Cuban. I wonder how Hemingway felt about the revolutionary developments in Cuba and what he thought about America’s involvement. There were a lot of tourists at the house from all sorts of countries: Germany, Croatia, Asia, but no other Americans unsurprisingly.
-Julia
