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Tourists take dampened spirits of a mourning Cuba in stride


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SANTIAGO DE CUBA — Greg Schultz, a marketer from Kansas City, Mo., always wanted to see Cuba so he booked a cruise with his wife six months ago to tour the Caribbean island.

"We had no idea Fidel Castro was going to die," he said.

Schultz was one of the thousands of tourists visiting Cuba this week who stumbled into the nationwide week of mourning for the fallen communist dictator. The ceremonies and four-day funeral procession that carried Castro's ashes from Havana to this eastern city, where they will be interred Sunday, interrupted travel plans across the country. And the government-imposed ban on alcohol sales, dancing and nightclubs for the week put a serious damper on trips.

"No music, no alcohol — it's not Cuba," lamented Franck Bonnet, 27, a French tourist spending three weeks in Cuba with his girlfriend.

Despite the restrictions, many felt oddly lucky to be in Cuba during such a historic moment.

Charles and Joanne Spalding, retired health care administration workers from Columbia, Md., said it was a surreal addition to their tour of the island.

Charles Spalding came to Cuba hoping to learn about the architecture and infrastructure of a country that has crumbled under the weight of the U.S. embargo and a disastrous economy. Joanne Spalding marveled at the income inequality and one particular Cuban specialty.

"Old cars!" she said.

But as they stood in Céspedes Park in Santiago de Cuba on Saturday morning as people waited for Castro's funeral procession carrying his ashes to roll past, they couldn't help but laugh at their luck.

"It's interesting to see how the Cuban people are reacting," Charles said.

Schultz said Castro's death has made him think hard about the future of the island and the future of U.S.-Cuba relations. He was thrilled President Obama re-established diplomatic relations with the Cold War foe and hoped President-elect Donald Trump would backtrack on his campaign promise to cut off that opening.

"It will be an interesting time for the Cuban people now to see what happens next," he said.

For Bonnet, he's just excited that his return home got a whole lot more interesting.

"I can say to my friends and my family that I was here for this," he said, laughing and shaking his head. "It's crazy."

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Fidel Castro ruled Cuba from Havana but his heart was in Santiago de Cuba
Fidel Castro chose to be interred in eastern Cuba because that was where he was from and where his revolution started. Video by Jack Gruber, Paste BN