Where You Write

I would have liked to post blogs while I was in Cuba, but the connections are so slow since they monitor everything, and it can get expensive.

But while I was there I visited Hemingway's house, which is on the south side of the city on a shady acreage, up on a hill. There are gates and a fence that surround it, and plenty of space before you get to the house which is simple, yet nicely-appointed and comfortable. Mostly what you notice are the books -- they are in every room, including the bathroom. And you walk out the back and you can see Havana in the distance.

It gets better. His study, where he wrote, is raised a couple stories higher and separated from the house. When you get up there you see the view Hem had, as he pondered his next words.

I felt humbled, awed by being there. But it seemed like the perfect place to write -- away from it all but not far from a bustling city.

I can't wait until I find that place of mine, my own house on a hill.