“We do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” – John Steinbeck
[Costa Rica photo courtesy of our friend afar, Emily Valenti]
Quote of the Week
Category: Nomadic Lifestyle
Amazing Cuban Shopping Finds
As you can probably tell, shopping is one activity we enjoy doing while traveling at A Friend Afar. Honestly, I’m personally not the biggest shopper back home since I’m usually trying to save money for my travels, but I do love finding unique items on my trips. Plus, I firmly believe in supporting local economies and usually have gifts to buy for friends and families back home for birthdays and other occasions! Since part of my trip to Cuba involved learning about local markets, some of the activities took us to an artisan market, a rum and cigar shop, and a textile cooperative factory where the guayabera shirts are made. Check out these Cuban shopping finds below!
El Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Depósito San José
The most popular artisan market in Havana is located in an old warehouse and gives you plenty of opportunity to buy local handicrafts. I bought my Cuban fedora for 4CUC (a little over 4USD) that I wore the rest of the trip. There’s loads of artwork, leather goods, jewelry, woodwork and guayaberas for sale. It’s a great place for one-stop shopping because you can find most anything. Don’t forget to bring your bargaining chops since it’s expected!
For the love of all things vintage
If you love antiques, check out the bookstore Memorias Librería near the Museum of the Revolution. They have amazing old coins, postcards, and posters. I found a baseball poster from the ’90s when the Orioles came to Havana to play the Cuban team. My best find was one of the oldest advertisements for Bacardi. It dates back to Prohibition times and features the Bacardi’s logo, a bat , carrying Uncle Sam, who’s holding an empty glass, to Cuba across the Straits of Florida. It reflects the period in history when Americans would flock to the Caribbean island for the bar scene in Havana.
At the end of our walk on Mercaderes that I wrote about previously, we found ourselves at the secondhand book market where we engaged in “people-to-people” interactions as our tour guide recommended. Basically we just chatted with and made friends with locals while browsing for books, magazines, and movie posters.
I ended up buying a vintage camera since I’d been wanting one for a while and thought it’d be special to buy it in Cuba. I had fun bargaining for it and learning about how the operational camera works.
Shopping for Rum and Cigars
Americans traveling to Cuba can now bring back $100 worth of rum and cigars. Through our tour, we were taken to a nice shop where we bought Havana Club rum to make mojitos back home when going through withdrawals and Cuban cigars not available in the US. We were warned to use caution while buying cigars off the street since some counterfeits are sold. By going to a shop, you can ensure that the Cohibas and Montecristos you’re buying are real!
A Few Odds and Ends
On one of our walks we stumbled upon a stand selling postcards and bought a few. I still haven’t received the one I sent myself, and I doubt I ever will. Though if I do, I will be so excited! [Update: it took forever but I finally received my postcard months later and was absolutely thrilled!] The others I just brought home with me to give away or keep.
On the way to the beach resort town Varadero, our tour stopped at Matanzas and went to a cool store called Ediciones Vigía where they make handmade journals. My favorite incorporated Cuban stamps, and I bought one for a friend for her birthday.
Since coming home, I discovered and started following Alma Shop on Instagram (@almacubashop). I wish I would’ve found out about it before my trip so I could’ve visited, so I’ll just have to go next time. If you’re in Havana and want handmade goods, including Majagua wooden bowls, hand-painted bags, and colorful totes made from recycled plastic pallet ties, check out the store. A portion of Alma’s profits are donated to organizations helping Cuba’s stray animal population, which is very needed.
Thanks for reading my Cuban blog post series [Cuba Packing List, Highlights of Havana, Good Drinks & Eats in Cuba]! Let me know if you have any questions while planning your Cuban adventure in the comments below.
A Favorite in Firenze: Shopping for Leather Goods at the Florence Leather School
Florence is famous for so many things to do and see: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Il Duomo de Firenze), Michelangelo’s David, the masterpieces in the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio, red tile roofs, and for those of us searching for a special souvenir, leather.
Il Duomo di Firenze
I could spend all day in the Uffizi (and I have!), but I want to tell you a little about my favorite place to find local artisan leather goods: The Leather School, or Scuola del Cuoio. I love stopping by the Scuola del Cuoio for so many reasons. I love its history, its location, and the variety of artwork being produced inside.
History
The Scuola del Cuoio was established shortly after World War II. Franciscan friars of the Santa Croce monastery partnered with the Gori and Casini families, prominent leather artisans, in order to assist war orphans by providing training in the leather artisan field. The friars’ old dormitory, donated by the Medici family during the Renaissance, was turned into the classrooms.
The school’s workshops opened for business in 1950, and some of its first customers were the U.S. Air Force and multiple American Embassies in Europe. It’s fascinating thinking about the school’s history and philanthropic goals while visiting the workshops and courtyards!
[Photo Source: “Santa Croce (Florence) – Facade” by Diana Ringo – via Wikimedia]
Location
By now you’ve learned that the school is located on the grounds of the Basilica of Santa Croce. It’s a beautiful church, the largest Franciscan church in the world, and it was finished in the mid-15th century. My favorite part of the Santa Croce, however, is not the same detail that I admire in other Italian churches from it’s time period. It’s not how it’s decorated that draws me in every time; it’s who is inside! The Santa Croce is home to elaborate marble tombs to world-famous Italians like Michelangelo Buonarroti and Galileo Galilei! I love a little history with my travels! Ok, I love a LOT of history with my travels, so the Santa Croce always captures my interest!
The tomb of Galileo Galilei in the Santa Croce
Leather Goods
The handbags created at the Scuola del Cuoio are high quality works of art. If you’re looking for a lifelong handbag, these are a great choice. The leather quality is amazing, and the stitching is strong. They have a classic look and will age beautifully. A bag like the one below would be the perfect travel companion for many years worth of adventures.
A handmade bag of the highest quality of leather is a pretty expensive “investment piece” for most travelers, especially those that have dedicated their budgets to seeing instead of owning. My favorite affordable options are the passport cases that can be monogrammed and the python bracelets. Whenever I wear my stack of python bangles, I think about my honeymoon.
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- Woven Leather Tote
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- Passport Case – Get it monogrammed!
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- Python Bangles
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- Carry-on Weekender
[Product Photos from Scuola del Cuoio]
Not in the market for a handbag?
Florence’s charm extends far, far beyond the shopping crowd and the art galleries. One of my favorite activities in Florence is to just get lost, mosey around side streets and along the river, and then finally settle in at a cafe where I can watch the city go by.
The Famous Ponte Vecchio
Take a leisurely stroll from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, through the Piazza della Signoria, and then along the Arno river to the Ponte Vecchio for a beautiful sunset view of the city. Be sure to grab a gelato or a waffle with nutella along the way. You can never go wrong strolling down cobblestone streets in a beautiful city with a delicious snack! And sometimes that steaming hot waffle dripping with nutella makes for the best memories, too!
The author taking her own advice – on her way to the Ponte Vecchio with a nutella-covered waffle in hand. (She may have already eaten it.)
I was serious about that waffle. The fist pump proves it.
Quote of the Week
Spin the Globe
“and we laugh and laugh and
all I know is
at this moment I feel like
I can do anything I want
and be anyone I want
and go anywhere on the globe
and still call it home”
― Kirsten Smith, The Geography of Girlhood
When my friends come over, they say my husband’s and my home is so very “us” in every way. I think what they mean is that we decorate with our travel photos, our souvenirs, our vintage maps, and globes. If we aren’t traveling, we’re thinking about it, and we like for our home to inspire us each and every day. We like for it to remind us of the other places we’ve called home and the places that have made an impact on our hearts.
I came across this awesome artist recently, Wild and Free Designs. That sounds like us, doesn’t it? Wild and Free! She takes vintage globes and paints beautiful quotes on them that inspire you to dream and explore. It’s something that I would love to do, but even though I have the ideas, I consistently fail at hand-lettering. She, however, is amazing at it. Check out her shop and her Instagram for more of her amazing work!
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- Explore
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- All Good Things are Wild and Free
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- The World is Your Oyster
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- Not All Those Who Wander are Lost
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- A Globe Lamp!
Do you have any of her globes or similar ones? Did you make your own?
[This is not a sponsored post. I just really, really love her work. All the photos are from her website as well.]
Quote of the Week
Travel Quote of the Day
Beautifully Illustrated Maps
We are always on the look out for maps of all sizes and styles. A large, classroom-style world map, labeled entirely in Spanish serves as a headboard in our guest room. Maps of our honeymoon location, Italy, grace our master bedroom walls. Tracing journeys on city and country maps is a favorite and easy way to remember our trips. Let’s just say that you can tell we like to travel as soon as you look at our walls.
This illustrated map from artist Antoine Corbineau caught my eye immediately. Click the map for more of his great city illustrations. He really captures the personality of each city!