Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, we will visit to the headquarters of La Colmenita Children’s Theater Company this morning. La Colmenita (the little beehive) emerged from a dream and hobby of Carlos "Tin" Cremata when he was still a student at the Cuban Theatrical Art Institute directing aquatic and judo performances with young people.

The nucleus of La Colmenita was formed from some of these youngsters and children of three, four and five years from the popular television series "Cuando yo sea Grande" that he also directed.

The company, which was given the UNICEF Goodwill ambassador status in 2007, recently toured the United States with performances in Washington, New York and San Francisco. Enjoy a private performance, and exchange with directors, teachers and children!

This visit to Cuba’s “The Little Beehive” (La Colmenita) presents an unparalleled chance for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s artistic and extra curriculum education as well as the educational work of outreach independent community projects in the island.

Lunch: a new wave of paladares (privately-owned restaurants) has recently swept the Cuban dining scene offering excellent food and charming ambient. Today we’ll enjoy a welcome lunch at the stylish Paladar San Cristobal, one of Havana's top ten private restaurants.

Afternoon: today is another special day of our education tour to Cuba as our group will visit the prestigious Escuela-Taller (Workshop School) “Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos” . Founded more than 20 years ago, this authentic Cuban school teaches young students the arts, techniques and methods of historical preservation and restoration.

Our professional meeting with Cuban teachers this afternoon will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the teaching of skilled trades. With an aging workforce, the school is training skilled trades people who can help restore, preserve and maintain the historical and architectural heritage of the nation.

Among the school many accomplishments in recent years has been the complete restoration of the San Francisco de Asis Convent and the Greek Orthodox Church in Old Havana. In fact, it is almost impossible to find a historical building in Havana city today that has been restored without the participation of graduates from this school.

Next, we will meet with architect Miguel Coyula at the Scale Model of Old Havana. The model serves as an excellent introduction to the layout of the city. It is color-coded by age with the historic buildings painted in crimson, pre-Revolution buildings in yellow and the post-revolutionary buildings in ivory.

Followed by guided educational walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Old Havana.

Visit to the Cathedral Square, named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.

The Cathedral's baroque facade is simultaneously intimate and imposing, and one of the two towers is visibly larger, creating a pleasing asymmetry. As with many churches in the city, the building material of Havana Cathedral includes coral, cut and hauled from the edge of the sea by slaves. Look carefully and you'll see fossils of marine flora and fauna in the stone of the cathedral.

Visit to Square of Arms, ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers and surrounded by impressive buildings such as:

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the former official residence of the governors (Captains General) of Havana, Cuba. It is home to the Museum of the City of Havana. It houses exhibitions of art and historical artifacts and many of the rooms are preserved with their original Colonial decoration.

Palacio del Segundo Cabo. The seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns.

Castillo de la Real Fuerza. The second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. The castle was recently renovated and reopened in June 2008 to hold the impressive maritime museum. Well laid out exhibits chart Spain and Cuba's naval history.

Continue walking tour onto San Francisco Square, named after the Convent of San Francisco, this square was conceived in 1628, with the objective of supplying water to the ships trading with the metropolis. For many years it also served to stockpile the goods arriving from the harbor. Chronicles of the time say that the square had a busy commercial life. The people, in humble carts or afoot, sold and bought a variety of goods. It’s important to know that through this place the Spanish immigrants arrived to Cuba.

Visit to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Notice it doesn't have a church or government building around. Here we will visit important institutions for visual arts.

Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana, located inside the Almacenes de Depósito San José, an old warehouse on the harbourside where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

Evening: attend one of the most traditional and popular ceremonies in Cuba, Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock at the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana.

Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, this morning we will hold professional meetings with Cuban professors at the Cuba's National Art Schools. Great opportunity to exchange with the new generation of Cuban artists.

The design of the National Art Schools, created by Ricardo Porro, Roberto Gottardi, and Vittorio Garatti, ran counter to the dominant International Style of the time. The three architects saw the International Style as the architecture of capitalism and sought to recreate a new architecture in the image of the Cuban Revolution.

Only two of the schools were completed, the rest being abandoned and awaiting restoration funding recently approved by the Cuban government. After 40 years, the original team of architects got together again to collaborate in the most important architecture work from the Cuban Revolution.

This visit to the Cuba’s School of Arts presents an unparalleled chance for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s higher artistic education and the challenges it faces in the light of the new approach to higher education in Cuba. Today Cuban students are encouraged more and more towards the pursuit of studies related to agriculture, which Cuban authorities consider a key sector for the development of the country.

Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today. Hence, supporting the Cuban people by patronizing privately owned restaurants, stores, art galleries and other small businesses.

Afternoon: visit to the Literacy Museum in the Liberty City neighborhood of Havana.

In September 1960, a year after the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, prime minister of the fledgling government, stood before the United Nations assembly in New York and promised to wipe out illiteracy by the end of the following year – of its total seven million population at the time, more than a million adults were illiterate and less than half of all children had access to school.

This guided educational tour will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the history of literacy education and alternative approaches to teaching. The ideal approach to teach and learn literacy depends on the student. Every student is an individual with unique strengths, weaknesses, interests, and ways of learning. So how do you teach 700 000 people of different ages and backgrounds in such a record time? What teaching approach was used and why it worked.

Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, you’ll get to visit the young students of the Angela Landa Primary School. You’re likely to be greeted by uniformed students with smiling faces who might remind you of your own students at home! The school’s dynamic principal will also share some of the specific challenges facing this urban school as Cuba’s economy begins to change.

This visit represents a great opportunity for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 Teachers, and other Educational Professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s elementary educational system and to exchange with Cuban educators.

Next we will visit to Finca Vigia, a hilltop villa 20 kilometers east of Havana, where famed author Ernest Hemingway lived from 1939 to 1960. It is here where the writer completed some of his greatest works, including The Old Man and the Sea, Across the River and into the Trees, and Islands in the Stream.

The villa has been maintained as a museum for the past 49 years. It contains original book and short story manuscripts, letters, over 3000 photographs, Hemingway’s fishing tackle and gun collections, furniture, priceless art collection, and a 9000 volume library that contains rare first editions of his books and those of other famous writers.

Finca Vigía has made both the World Monuments Fund List of 100 Most Endangered sites, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places.

Lunch at La Terracita Paladar in Cojimar fishing village. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Tour around Cojimar fishing village, where Hemingway kept his boat Pilar. The writer is remembered by the town with a small gazebo that encircles a commemorative bust, sculpted from the melted down propellers donated by local fishermen.

Afternoon: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, we will visit the Lizt Alfonso Ballet School founded in 1991. In 2008, this ballet school was also acknowledged as a teaching unit, attached to the Cuba's National School of Art (ENA). For several years, the dancers, led by Lizt herself, have developed an intensive work with the vocational dance workshops and summer courses.

Currently, those workshops teach about 1,300 students and constitute the major reserve for the permanent renewal of the company and make several special presentations throughout the year. This activity will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to dance education and the establishment of dance as an art form in education.

Followed by: visit the Museum of Fine Arts (Cuban Collection) where we see the evolution of Cuba's visual arts over the last 300 years. The collection accounts for the richness of our Spanish, French, Chinese, African cultural roots.

Morning departure to Trinidad, in Central Cuba.

En route, we will visit Cienfuegos, a city of neoclassical buildings with a European flair. This trip will give participants the opportunity to analyze and see how the Cuban educational system works in different provinces of the country.

The first activity in our full-time schedule of professional research this morning, it is to attend professional meetings with sports and physical education teachers, trainers and coaches at the Cienfuegos’ Sports School (Escuela de Iniciacion Deportiva Escolar (EIDE)) “Jorge Agostini”. This activity will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to sports and physical education.

Lunch is included at Paladar Ache, one of Cienfuegos top ten private restaurants, serving local specialties in a pleasant courtyard.

Afternoon: educational guided walking tour of Cienfuegos Historical Center.

We will visit neoclassical buildings around Paseo del Prado and the main Square Jose Marti such as:

The Tomas Terry Theatre, completed in 1895 and named after a sugar baron from Venezuela who arrived in Cuba with no money and made his fortune by buying sick slaves for a low price, to later nurse them back to health and reselling them. This money was invested in a sugar estate that brought him the wealth to build several outstanding buildings in Cienfuegos, including this theatre, with materials specially brought over from Europe.

The Casa de la Cultura, home of another wealthy sugar baron, stunning mansion in neoclassical style.

The Cathedral built with the donation of wealthy families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, the Terrys. Inside you find the reproductions of the 12 Apostles in stained glass imported from Paris. Also the original machinery of the clock tower was built in France. Still in place and working.

We'll also visit the elegant art gallery Galería de Arte Maroya and review its impressively displayed collection of paintings, sculptures and antiques. Shopping in these sorts of stores directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Sometime around 5 o’clock we will board our air-conditioning bus to continue our Cuban journey to the colonial city of Trinidad. Check in at your Luxury Casa Particular. You'll have time for dinner and a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Evening is free to enjoy the beach, hotel amenities, and the lively streets of Trinidad. How about live Cuban popular music on steps of Casa de la Música – a great opportunity to dance with Cubans and your tour companions.

Morning: the first activity in our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system this morning, it is to attend professional meetings with professors, faculty and staff at the Academy of Painting “Oscar Fernandez” to learn about the school curriculum and enrollment criteria. Tour the school and exchange with students in the different workshops.

This visit represents a great opportunity for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s secondary educational system and to exchange with Cuban teachers.

Lunch at Solananda Paladar. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Afternoon: guided walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Trinidad’s Historical Center, a perfect relic of the early days of the Spanish colony with beautifully preserved streets and buildings with hardly a trace of the 20th century anywhere.

Visit to the Architecture Museum (Casa de los Sanchez Iznaga), housing the most representative samples of the city's architectural development in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Visit to Museo Lucha contra Bandidos, former home of the San Francisco de Asis convent.

Visit to Museo Romantico, overlooking the Trinidad main square. It has an excellent exhibition of romantic style porcelain, glass, paintings and decorative furniture which belonged to the Conde de Brunet and other Trinidad notorious families.

We will stop at a mirador (lookout) over the Sugar Mill Valley, where the sugar barons used to have their countryside mansions and mills. This site is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers. We meet with a family that has been passing the tradition for generations: the Santanders.

Free time to wander the streets of historical centre or enjoy the beach.

Evening: celebrate New Year’s Eve at a venue of your choosing tonight (optional/ not included in tour costs). Your tour guide will give you advice on the numerous venues in the city where you can partake in the celebrations for New Year’s Eve. He will also help you book your favourite dinner and event. Tour desks can also help with booking events for this special night where one more anniversary of the Cuba Revolution is also celebrated.

Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, we will attend professional meetings at a Family Doctor’s Office and Community Clinic. This exchange presents an unparalleled chance for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s medical education.

Family doctor's offices and Community Clinics in Cuba are part of the so called Primary Level of Attention. This is an opportunity to meet Cuban doctors and nurses and learn more about their health care system and its practices. You will also receive detailed information about the educational program for training doctors and nurses in Cuba.

Afternoon: transfer back to your hotel Valentin Quinta Avenida (Valentin 5th Avenue) or Luxury Casa Particular in Havana City.

Evening: we will visit the home of a Cuban, Elsa who has managed to create a privately-owned cultural project La Azotea de Elsa in the rooftop of an Old Havana dilapidated building. Elsa is also the leader of a locally famous band that will play live for our group. Be ready to dance to Cuba’s most popular rhythms such as Son, Rumba and Salsa by the hand of Elsa, her family and friends. This is another great chance for our American visitors to patronize and to learn firsthand about the daily life of ordinary Cubans.

Early morning departure to Havana City International Airport for departure.