Paladar dining perfected at Buenaventura, Havana, Cuba

It’s hard to believe almost a year has passed already since Punky and I completed our cruise to Cuba and scratched off one of her premier bucket list items.  I guess the best memories you make in life stay fresh with you always. 

From the daylong tour of Havana in a classic convertible car and our pit stop in the funky Fusterlandia neighborhood to the cruise itself, much of that trip has already been documented on this blog, but there’s one more memorable occasion I promised to blog about last year.  Promise kept, as we look back on an unforgettable lunch at Buenaventura. 

Scenes from the Grant Hills Motel, Galena, Ill.

Galena, Ill., has long been one of my favorite nearby destinations for a weekend getaway.  It’s tucked into the northwesternmost point of Illinois, just four hours from my hometown of Springfield.  And it seemingly has something for everybody:  history, small town charm, shopping, good food and drink (the nearby wineries in particular are very popular), and spectacular scenery more reminiscent of Vermont than Illinois. 

Where you choose to stay in Galena is a matter of taste.  Nearby accommodations vary from cabin retreats to high-end resorts and ski lodges to an abundance of Victorian-era bed and breakfasts.  The B&B rooms are always in high demand for those romantics who want a stronger sense of the town’s historic charm from its 19^th Century heyday.  But if you don’t mind your road trip to Galena sending you back to the 1970s rather than the 1890s, may I humbly suggest more suitable – and a lot more affordable – accommodations on the outskirts of town – the Grant Hills Motel.