As I mentioned in last week’s post on Varadero, the real highlight of our visit to Cuba was the day trip we took to its enchanting capital, Havana. While booking our holiday, we had initially looked into dividing our time between Havana and Varadero, but it proved to be too complicated and expensive, so we went for the more straightforward option of spending the week in Varadero.
Nevertheless, we got a real feel for Havana during our day there, and it definitely was the highlight of our entire vacation. It not at all a city of creature comforts (you can forget about shopping, and finding a decent restaurant/cafe is difficult), but what it lacks in the kind of things we take for granted in other parts of the world, it makes up for in sheer visual stimulation. I think “haunting” is how I would best describe Havana. It is by no means a feel-good kind of place (I mean, it’s not a feel-bad kind of place, but, given its troubled history, there is a bittersweet kind of energy in the air. I mean, you are in a Communist country after all). Given that we visited back in February however, shortly after Obama announced the overhaul in US policy towards Cuba, there was a real sense that this was a place on the brink of huge change.
{View at a stop midway between Varadero and Havana. The drive took about 3-ish hours.}
{The San Francisco de Asis Square, home to the touring Buddy Bear Exhibition when we visited (hand-painted bears from 150+ countries)}
{Of course we had to seek out the Irish one ;)}
{The 18th century Havana Cathedral}
{We stopped off at an atmospheric little outdoor cafe for cappuccinos and Cuban-style hot chocolate (it was this straight-up, unsweetened cocoa mixture with sugar served on the side for you to stir in yourself. Surprisingly delicious!}
{Two island peoples in the same sea of struggle and hope — Cuba and Ireland}
{As a colour fiend, I was in my element in Havana 😉 This striking salmon-pink building is the Hotel Ambos Mundos, where Ernest Hemingway lived during his time in Cuba}
{The interior of another hotel — spot the Cuban flag! Havana’s buildings are stunning, both inside and out, but there is a real sort of decaying grandeur going on; most are in pretty poor condition}
{The Castillo de Real Fuerza — the oldest fortress in the Americas; built in the 16th century to defend against pirate attacks}
{Revolution Square/Plaza de la Revolución, featuring the man himself, Che Guevara.}
{Fidel Castro (who, by the way, is alive and well and just celebrated his 89th birthday)}
{José Martí Memorial}
Stay tuned for next week’s Thursday Travels post, where I’ll be sharing our little observations of Cuba and its people in greater depth…
