Everyone knows Valerie

Usually when I travel and say that I'm from New Zealand, I get blank stares, All Blacks/Jonah Lomu, or Lord of the Rings (the Italians on our hiking trip had Jonah and they attributed the Aussie immigration policy to us).  Here it's Valerie Adams (one woman was devastated when she only got silver).  I love that.  Because Valerie Adams *is* awesome. It is also probably the most interesting thing in this post.

After Trinidad,  we had a night in Remedios. It's a very nice, very very small town.  We have walked nearly every street including a wee jaunt into the countryside to see the concrete slab making factory (mum made me take a picture for Trevor).  But really everything is in the main Plaza with its beautiful big trees and restored old buildings.  

Our hotel was in one corner and it was very nice.  The waitress took a shine to us so our cafe con leche came with a jug of honey and a bowl of carab chocolate.   It was the highlight of Remedios.

The main attraction is the church in the square which has your usual Catholic collection of slightly gruesome iconography,  a tromphe d'oeil ceiling with tulips from one direction and Jesus from the other, and the only pregnant statue of Mary in Cuba.  She's also doing the flamenco.  There was a second church under serious reparations but we poked our head in the door and the workers waved us in and ensured we admired Mary outside in the garden.   One of the workers had put her out there and made a little cove for her.

The food at the hotel was mediocre, but we had a very nice house red wine.  El Louvre was good for a basic Pizza, and La Paloma was excellent for lunch.  We even had the entertainment of a largish German group arriving.