Cuba

Week 1 in Cuba

Arrived Jan 29,2015 around noon in Varadero, picked up by Umberto in a modern car and driven the 90 Kms to Casa Particulates on San Juan de Dios street, HAVANA,
What a lovely accomadation, brand new with private bathroom and very private sleeping arrangements.

For the 50 CUC per day, we get a large breakfast and had a welcome drink and a city tour the first day after arrival. Nana comes at 7:30, cooks our breakfast, cleans the apartment and does the laundry for us. She leaves around 1.

Old Havana

Artesans on the Avienda

The bicitaxi

First dinner was at Cafe de Las Artistas. Dave had lamb and fried sweet potatoes. I had fajitas with a combination of res, credo y pollo. Yum!! That would be beef, pork and chicken.

Then to Palacio des Artisanas for a 9 o'clock show and dance,  Concierto Tradicional con el septeto national " Ignacio Pineiro" y sis Artistas invitados, thanks to Rigo, the connection through the Canadian Cuban Luthier coop. An 8 piece band 2 dancers and 4 singers. At one point they had the whole audience on the dance floor. They are off to a 12 stop tour in Canada.

The admission fee was 30 CUC which included three drinks and an introduction to the fathers of salsa and the Buena vista social club.

from our walking tour

guayabera shirts

The Capitol building, 30 cms taller than the White House!

National Ballet building

the wall of the unfinished..

That black boat was our ferry to Casablanca!

Russian Orthodox church, 5 years old

Jan 30
lovely breakfast, served by Nana and then off to Rigo's with all the luthier supplies that Denny sent with us.

 As the parcels were unwrapped, there was much excitement about the new sheets they were wrapped in no the excato knife inside!!  Three packages of cedar wood and two containers of tuner pegs made for a happy bunch of receivers.

Dean then arranged to stay with Rigos parents for 25 CUC instead of the 50 on this side of town.

Took a bicitaxi back to Palacio des artisans where I bought Dave a 57 Chevy! Met Dave for lunch after a walk through Park Central and checking out the Hotel Central where most people buy wifi service.

Dinner that evening at 304 O'Reilly......yummy pollo de Dijon! Served with okra, eggplant, carrots,jalapeños, beets and sweet potato.

Local beer is  Bucanero but two microbreweries have popped up in the last year, where they serve tubes of beer, the size of the tube depending on how much your table can drink...4 litres, 6 litres etc. 

Jan 31
a 10 o'clock walking tour for two hours, included in the price of our casa. We saw: Santo Angel,museum of the Revolution, National Ballet School, Hotel Seville,, Paseo de Marti, Park Central,, Performing Arts building,, Hotel Telegrio, Hotel Inglaterra, Capitol building, to the train station, Alemande Paula, San Franciso de Asisi, 5 Year old beautiful Russian Orthodox Church, Habana Club rum museum, United Buddy Bears, plaza de Catedral, and Plaza Vieja. 

That sure was a lot to take in in two hours but we will revisit most places over the next few days, specially the United Buddy Bears. They are here for two months then move on to another capital. There are 128 bears, all the same size and design but decorated differently by each country with their plaque naming the artist and the sponsor. Canada's sponsor is Bombardier and our bear is blue and white, somewhat of a mystery to us so will have to google it when we have better wifi access.

Plaza de San Francisco featuring the Buddy Bears, on their world tour, 152 of them who move on after six months

Canada's bear, why blue and white?? Sponsor Bombardier

Dave is hooked on architecture

Plaza Vieja

now an elementary school

Before and after restoration photos on each building

side streets not restored yet

The pope was here!

Tonight's dinner was at Trufeos, upstairs above the famous Nardos. What a feast for the guys.. Lamb for one, pork for another and chicken for the third. Dave was the only one who could finish his meal. I had a surprise because I ordered tamal expecting to get the tamales we enjoy elsewhere but instead, it was a bowl of smushed corn with garlic and a few pieces of chicken. I also asked for boiled root vegetables, Dave asked for them fried. I expected the same variety I had last night but instead had a plate of boiled sweet potatoes. Oh well, all in the experience of "when in Rome".

Before we went to dinner, our landlady Tamara took us to the Hotel Central for mojitos. Her little daughter joined us and provided great entertainment. For a seven year old, she has so much energy and social awareness!

Lost wallet has been found!

Capital building at night

Dinner at restaurant on third floor above the famous Los Nardos, much more economical and many local diners.

Feb 1 the day of the six hour tour in a. 55 Olds!

Patricia,the guide,was very willing to answer all our questions and take us to the places we asked. Because we had all seen Habana Vieja, we had extra time to see things not usually included. 

So, off to the Fort area,, the sculpture of  Cristo, Martha Fernadez, Batista, Cuban Missile Park, World's longest cigar at 81 meters,,Centro Habana, Nacional Hotel,, Fusterlandia, 5th Avenue, Canadian Embassy, Columbus Cemetery, Revolution Square, and a big lunch at La Casa with it's shared menu. Big day so quiet evening, a few mojitos at Cafe Paris where we enjoyed live music ( of course) and some evening cacao night caps with Dean.

Dedicated on the Dec 25th before Batista left the country with all the Cuban money

Missile Crises park

at Habana Vieja Unesco World Heritage Site

the Parque Historic Militar

Protecting the entrance to the harbour that stretches 20 kms

That's one big boy!

Cigar rolling tools

world's longest cigars

Guinness World Record at 81.80 meters!!, displayed round and round the ceiling of the shop.

Fusterlandia, this whole section of the city is decorated with creative tile work

Posing for our photographer

Good to know we have an Embassy here

Revolution Square

The meal at the end of the day tour

Feb 2

A bicitaxi tour San Jose Mercado, walked to Habana Club museum....great music and displays of the sugarcane and the crusher.

First customers of the day get a free ride but of course, we tipped!

The giant mercado on the waterfront

Rum museum

grinding sugar cane

lime juicer

sugar cane

add rum to sugar cane to lime.....tada... a mojito!!

let's dance

Back to bears and had a good chance to check out all the countries. What a wonderful project!

Hotel Raoal is certainly worth a stop with its stained glass roof, Garden of Eden restaurant,views of Havana from the rooftop and there before us was a cruise ship in the port!

Getting money from the banks here is very interesting! You cannot withdraw cash with a debit card, only a charge card. So we had all loaded up our charge cards to prevent interest payments.

So now... One of us cannot withdraw because it's a MC! Two can only get 200 CUC a day no matter how many machines they try and one can get 600 CUC and maybe even more.  Good thing that our credit is good with each other!

Because two of the guys had attempted unsuccessfully a few times to use their card, today the banks kept their cards until they saw the passport and signed a form. I think I will bring money in my sock next time!

Feb 3

A bicitaxi drive to San Jose Artisan mercado for two souvenirs, a wooden ballerina for Kaiya and a wooden crab for our windowsill animal collection.

Then to the Russian Orthodox church which was open today and then the ferry to Casa Blanca and the Hershey train to Hershey, a walk about for four hours and the train back at 8 pm.

In Hershey we saw the abandoned Hershey chocolate factory and the homey neighbourhood behind the factory. Felt like we were in Georgia or Louisiana. Found a lovely restaurant, La Nonna for dinner accompanied by a glass of wine each and two bottles of water for the grand total of $7.70, food is definitely cheaper away from the big city and so yummy to boot. Had an interesting visit with the young couple who operate the restaurant out of their home.

Met a couple on the return ferry from Salt Spring Island, actually he was from Port Alberni ! We know his dad and sister!! Small world!

Chocolate cake for the soul!!

in the market

Inside the Russian orthodox church

Train tickets for the Hershey trainon the train, these two are jumping off at the beach and we are going to Hershey.

abandoned office building of the Hershey company

street paver

the old hershey chocolate plant

no idea???

then we entered the company home area of town, well maintained family homes

making chalk for the hopscotch game

colored pencils and hair barrettes from Dave

The one restaurant in this part of town

Lovely couple owns and operates it and were very accommodating, half the pizza for Rose and half for Dave!!

Twins next door in their walkers. I had a nice visit with their Mom after we finished lunch.

I love porch rockers!!

That means STOP but on a yield symbol??

community gardens

After an enjoyable walking day!

Feb 4

A morning at Plaza Vieja, at first sitting in an unused shoe shine chair and watching the daily routine unfold.

This plaza is 90% restored thanks to a gentleman who created a holding company in 1994 with the idea of creating a "living centre" that incorporates history with local folks so an elementary school occupies one is the restored buildings as does a senior citizens home among the museums , the planetarium, a chocolate museum, a micr brewery, coffee shops etc etc.

All tourist dollars spent here goes back into the collective community, 55% to social projects, of which there are 400 and 45% on the continued restoration projects.

A "camera obscura" is on the top of an eight story building and when you see it is action, you feel "you are being watched!"  ! We watched people at street level going about their business and then the whole area was scanned, amazing!

Street performers on stilts made a bridge for the elementary school children to walk under then that little class went to their relay races gym class right on the street in the square.

We then walked Mercaderas Street, a pedestrian way of restored buildings turned into higher end shops, a needlework museum,Casa de la Obra Pia, one of the first restoration projects of city historian Euseblo Leal in 1968. He is the same guy who created the holding company for the whole project of the 900 restorations and 400 social projects.

Dave received big kisses and bum pinches from a cigar smoking dama.

sheesh Dave

for the jealous wife!!

elementary school class doing PE in Plaza Vieja

living proof!!

view from the top of the building with the Camera Oscura

street performers entertain tourists, the locals and school children

not really much of a museum but wonderful hot chocolate!

murals

Dinner at Ruinas, just David and I , for a yummy pollo platter and monitors fuertes! Outdoor patio was airy and no smokers tonight. At the next table was a very friendly couple from Halifax who are returning home tomorrow and not sure if they will find their car under the snow in the airport parking lot!! I am feeling very much removed from the Canada weather scene with little access to wifi. So, this is how it was for vacationers of the past, no communication from the home front until you returned.

Feb 5

A day for the malecon and Miramar. And dinner at Deans Casa Particular with the family, Abel, the 82 year old dad of Rigo.

Firehall photos for Bob

Sloppy Joe's for lunch

20 blocks in our area have been dug up , rather fun getting to our asa with all our luggage!

hmm, came down the wrong side, I guess!

Inside the cathedral that the pope visited a few years ago

unique art shop

We brought this guy home

Entering Habana Central

and Vedado

Che at Revolution Square

Our hop on, hop off to Miramar

then Sloppy Joe's

this is a 'mini'

and this is the 'regular'!

Good bye Nana

Good bye Havana!