The first three days of Pope Francis' whirlwind binational trip took him to the home of a world famous communist leader and through the streets of a little-known Cuban town.
The pope's message of embracing change found its literal representation in the further opening of Cuba, which has spent decades shrouded in secrecy, to media outlets and TV screens worldwide.
His three-day visit to the communist island ended Tuesday and was immediately followed by his arrival in Washington, D.C. and a welcome from President Obama. It is the first U.S. visit for the 78-year-old pope.
The highly anticipated first leg of his journey included an exchange of gifts with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, a visit to Santiago de Cuba and Holguin, and a meeting with 5,000 youths.
Friday morning, some South Florida Cuban Americans packed their bags and headed to Havana to see a pope on Cuban soil for the first time in 17 years. Others watched from local churches or at home. In Cuba, facades were repainted, streets cleaned and flags put up to welcome the first Latin American pope.
And, in the town of Holguin, an 8.5 hour drive from Havana, locals had simple hopes: that the pope would bless them and bring relief from bouts with cholera, dengue and drought.
Here is what the first half of the papal visit sounded like -- in Cuba and in South Florida.
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