CubaPLUS Magazine

Ernest Hemingway&ás grandchildren, John and Patrick, recently visited Cuba. They came to celebrate both the 60th anniversary of the Nobel Literature Prize awarded to their grandfather in 1954 as well as the 80th anniversary of his purchase of his yacht &áPilar&á, which today sits in the Hemingway Museum in Finca Vigía, Hemingway&ás old residence in Havana.

During their stay from September 7 to 13, both men told Cubaplus that they hope for better relations between Cuba and the U.S. Patrick pointed out that the politics of his country&ás government towards Cuba in the long run has not been good nor has it had positive results.

Photographer by trade, Patrick has already been in Cuba on five occasions and talks about how he feels at home here, with Cuban friends of over 10 years. He pointed out that up until now during his visits he has never come across anyone who has expressed negative feelings towards his country; having any negative feelings towards Cuba makes no sense.

Patrick plans to prepare a photographic exhibition from the images taken during his stay, including Havana, Camagüey, Cojímar and Matanzas.

John avoided political topics, but celebrated the architecture of Old Havana and the character of the people whom he considers to be very warm and hardworking. John is a writer, and has published several books, among them The Hemingways, a Single Family a copy of which was delivered to the International Hemingway Nautical Club in Cuba.

He added that he was born in Miami and that is where he grew up. He followed his grandfather&ás footsteps in opting for an active lifestyle, taking him to countries in Europe such as Italy, Spain and France among others.

During his stay in Cuba he visited Finca Vieja for the first time. Like his grandfather, John enjoys billfishing as well as flyfishing and has already competed in several tournaments.

He pointed out that a group of American biologists accompanied them on the trip and have a interest in finding common solutions with their Cuban colleagues to protect the fish in the Florida Strait. Speaking in Castillian John smilingly invoked friendship as the magic key for a good life.

John and Patrick, who both reside in Canada, highlighted that tourism constitutes an industry of peace and offers an alternative for dealing with conflicts. John lives in Montreal while Patrick lives in Vancouver. They love Cuba&ás hot climate as well as its social ambience.

The group travelled with a licence from the Treasury Department of the United States and the visit was organized by the Latin America Working Group Education Fund (Lawgef) and the Pugwash Conference on Sciences and World Affairs, both located in Washington.