Friday April 5th through Sunday April 7th, 2019 – Havana, Cuba

Jose Marti International Airport, Havana, Cuba

My heart sank as my friend Frances Peters and I drove from Jose Marti International Airport to our casa particulare in Havana’s historic district.

The many destroyed roofs and decayed buildings spoke of third world conditions that were disheartening. When we pulled up at the grey frontage of the place we were staying, I thought, ‘OMG, Really! I have two weeks of this!’ Imagine my surprise when I walked up the marble stairs to find a salon of such brightness and natural coolness that I immediately went from despair to soaring excitement.

  

Casa Obrapia, Obrapia no. 405, Havana Cuba

To some extent, this summed up my Cuban experience, which presented surprise at every corner and revealed beauty of many dimensions in the midst of human struggle. The contrast between the inner space and the outer appearance were remarkable – the dirty grey frontage of the wall opposite, compared to the color and the richness of the space within.

It was also great fun to observe the street below which was alive with activity – vendors calling out the name of their wares in a manner I associate with cities of past centuries …...

                                                                  ….and it took no time at all to catch a glimpse of one of the infamous cars.

We had come here to meet up with a tour group the following day, which afforded us the opportunity to explore the Historic District of Havana on Saturday, then again with our guide on Sunday.

Cuban Tourist Card

It is not my desire in this blog to tell you all there is to know about the places Fran and I visited. It is my hope that I can give you encapsulated impressions (and not necessarily iconic images) that may be of interest. However, it is worth noting that there were unique difficulties in traveling here, many of which are a result of the American embargo and travel restrictions. We had purchased our tourist card in Fort Lauderdale (required by the Cuban Government and costing between $50 and $100).

We had chosen to travel for the first week with a People to People tour to meet American State Department requirements for legal travel here. The second week we returned overnight to Fort Lauderdale to change our American State Department permission to ‘Supporting the Cuban People’. We also came armed with a list of businesses that we were forbidden to buy from, including all hotels, many of which looked splendid in Havana .  

Hotel Florida, Calle Obispo, Havana. Run by Gaviota, the Government Tourism Agency - illegal for Americans to stay here.

 As a result we were required to stay in private homes, called ‘casa particulares’. We had to estimate and carry all the cash we needed, as American credit cards and ATMs do not work here.

It is also a country that has a dual currency – one currency, the Cuban Concvertible Peso (CUC) is pegged 1:1 with the USD. The other, is the Cuban peso, (CUP) which is worth about 4 cents. So Fran and I were armed with a little ‘cheat sheet’ to be sure we didn’t get change in the wrong currency.

Another curiosity required by the State Department is that we document our activities and keep receipts for 5 years. The tour group actually had a second representative with us the whole time to provide this documentation and we took care of this task ourselves for the second week, resulting in a vast number of photographs!

Calle Cuba

I also carried in my heart the consciousness of Cuban friends in America who told me of their family’s experiences following the revolution and I am well aware that many of the Cubans who left, do not support opening the country to American tourists. I was not able to look at the beautiful buildings, whether decayed or restored, without wondering whether the people who lived in them now had any connection to those who had owned them before the revolution. It was a period of great turmoil, the evidence of which was still very present throughout our trip.

The resources that left the country at the time of the revolution and after is also obvious everywhere. There is evidence of repair, re-building, reconstruction, but also piles of rubble from buildings that could not be maintained and suggestions that people just built small shelters within spaces that had once been grand.

Ministry of Finance - notice the windows are empty - it is a shell

 One of the first surprises we stumbled upon was a performance in Plaza de Armas, involving young dancers who had been made-up to look like statues. They positioned themselves slowly and with a very classical ballet style, yet the music was vigorous. It was poignant and their expressions were sad.

It appears that street performances are scheduled and staged for tourists from the many cruise ships that dock here spilling their tourists for the day. Some are more spontaneous, like the stilt-walkers that we saw several times…….

……..as well as random events like this mime, who popped up suddenly beside our guide.

In the heat of the day, we came to appreciate the cool architecture of sweeping arches……

Calle O'Reilly

… and cool parks. This small one had been funded by the British Embassy in memory of Princess Diana.

It has a column in the center that depicts licorice allsorts – I presume she must have liked this candy, though I can’t find any online references that support this. It was constructed within 6 months of her death. The totem is bare at the top, representing the incompleteness of her life.

Another art installation that was peculiar, was a woman in Plaza Vieja, who sits naked on a rooster with a fork in her hand.

Viaja Fantastico by Roberto Fabelo

It’s possible that the rooster represents the male, but the artist who installed the statue did not give a clear interpretation. It is interesting to note that she wears high heel shoes.  

I don't want to chase you away with boredom - Havana is pretty accessible online. So I will leave you with just a few random images that entertained me.

'This is the heart of the island'

This was seen just as I was walking by - don't even know where it is, but I liked it.

We did get outside the Historic District with the tour group. This is the famed 'Malacon' where we took our obligatory classic car ride. We went to the proudly displayed patriotic places, saw statues of Jose Marti and Plaza de la Revolucion. We also walked to the Museo de la Revolucion. While both sites were of historic interest, their photographic splendor did not speak to me, except for noting one surprising bust......

President Lincoln is recognized in the Museo de la Revolucion for freeing the slaves 

I will leave you with a few more impressions

I loved the color of some of the buildings

Oddly enough, I also found the squalor appealing too.

It was my favorite way of visiting a city. Walking without purpose, following ones nose. Of course, once I was in the group, I was usually running behind to catch up, as I had found something enticing to photograph. It was a fascinating place to visit, but time did not allow us the opportunity to truly explore, so I leave you with this brief taste. Perhaps it is unfair to leave it without mentioning Earnest Haemingway for my American friends, so I leave you with this picture of his favorite bar...........

......... and a colorful Cuban building near the Museo de la Revolucion

Tomorrow we leave Havana and head west. Stay posted for that!