We took our time getting up and around this morning since
we had been going nonstop with the group for the past week. We had a wonderful breakfast of fried eggs,
fruit cocktail, a papaya smoothie, toast and flan. I liked the idea of dessert at breakfast.
After organizing our things, we set off back to the bar
to meet Nestor for our tour. Nestor
headed off towards the western side of Havana.
This was not going to be your typical sightseeing tour of government
buildings, churches and museums. We were
going to wonder the streets to see how the people lived.
One of our first stops was a bicitaxi (bicycle taxi)
garage. They were lined up inside with
more coming and going as we took our photos.
The streets are lined with them, so we now know where they come
from. Next, Nestor took us to the
restaurant visited by the Obamas on their historic visit here, St. Cristobel. Nestor knew one of the waiters that let us in
to take photos. This was to be repeated
throughout the day. It seemed Nestor
knew everyone.
Next we stopped at one of the original recording studios
and jazz halls in Havana. Many famous
Cubans have performed and recorded here.
The venue is still in use today with acts performing nightly. It was easy to imagine a Cuban music legend
giving a lively performance to a standing room crowd. We might find our way back here during our
stay.
David had shown me a photo he had saved from researching
the trip of a headless statute with Fidel written on the wall just this
morning. Low and behold, Nestor took us
to the exact spot where this was made.
It’s also known as one of the locations used in a well-known Cuban movie,
Fresa y Chocolate, two flavors of ice cream available at one of the main
locations in the movie. We took lots of
shots here one of which I’m sure will be printed for our walls back home.
Upstairs is a well-known restaurant we will return to once the kids arrive.
In preparation for this trip, I had read a book about a journalist that spent
several months in Cuba in the early nineties doing research for a book he would
write about his experiences(Trading With the Enemy by Tom Miller). One of the Cubans he spoke of is an artist
named Salvador. Salvador wanted to do
street art depicting African culture in Cuba.
He spent a great deal of time on these murals that we saw on Calle Jon
de Hamel. Now he sells his paintings in
a shop on the street and we had to buy one to take home.
Apparently this area comes alive on Sundays when there’s
a street festival with music, dancing and food.
Nestor promised to bring us back so we could see it ourselves. There’s a little parador (local owned
restaurant) that is famous for a rum drink made with lime, rum and sparkling
water. We had to stop for one and also
to grab a little lunch. Pictures of
famous people lined the walls, but the one receiving the most attention was of
Mick Jagger. After their concert over
the summer, the Rolling Stones are now royalty in Havana.
We started our trek back home after lunch. On the streets we saw many daily activities
such as welding, knife sharpening and furniture refinishing. All of these activities were modified for the
tools they have available to them. The
knife sharpener used a bicycle to power the sharpening tool. Chairs were repainted out in the open air as
well has repairs made to cars and bikes.
Lack of supplies may have slowed the Cubans down but necessity is the
mother of invention.
Still full from our late lunch and
Tomorrow: The Tourist Area
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