Before we left on the trip, we had researched tour companies for a few day tours in Cuba once our family arrived. We ended up using Havana Tours and we were not disappointed. Their tour leaders were very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. We could also pay for them ahead of time which meant less cash we had to take with us.
Our guide for today was Yaniel (their form of Daniel). A graduate in languages(English) from a university in Havana, he and his wife are tour guides and parents of twin girls. The tour business had been good to them, allowing them to buy an apartment and perhaps a new car in the next year or two.
Today's tour took us past many of the historic sites in Havana Vieja that we'd walked past several times but did not totally understand what we were seeing. We started near the capital, which had been built in the 1920's in a little over 4 years. The current renovations will end up taking over 10. After completed, the capital will once again serve as the seat of their congress.
Walking through Central Park, Yanial explained who used the different areas of the park. Of course, there's the benches in the middle that the old men sit and argue about baseball all day. One section is for the city's transvestite population, one for the gays to gather and one for people sleeping off too much drink from the night before. Not nearly as large as the Central Park in NYC, it still serves it's population well.
We visited the four major squares in old town (Plaza Vieja, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de San Francisco), passing various historic buildings along the way. The Barcardi building belonged to the rum distiller until they fled the country after the revolution in 1959. It now serves as an office building, although Yaniel said the upper floors like many office buildings in the city were probably in need of renovation. There are several hotels in the area, some co-owned by foreign companies and the Cuban government, usually a 49/51 split.
He also pointed out several bars that are famous due to Hemingway's infamous drinking habits. There's Florida where he enjoyed daiquiris and La Bodeguita where he enjoyed mojitos. Sitting outside of La Bodeguita is a gentleman with a typewriter that claims to have been friends with the famous author. For a few CUC, he'll type a poem for you on the spot. Entrepreneurship is everywhere in Cuba.
There's an unusual statute in Plaza Vieja that we had noticed several days earlier but were unable to find an explanation. A naked women in high heels sits on top of a roster holding a large fork. This is a memorial to the young Cuban women that have married older, wealthier men (probably some foreign) to help feed themselves. What a different image of Cuba than the hundreds of Jose Marti sculptures encountered throughout the city.
After our walking tour, we took small taxi to our lunch destination, Cafe Laurent. This privately owned restaurant in the Penthouse of an office building affords lovely views of the city from its glass walls. One of the nicer restaurants we visited, Cafe Laurent is must visit if you have time and find yourself Vedado section of the city.
After lunch, 50's convertibles awaited us for the driving portion of our tour. Our fist stop was the Plaza de la Revolution where Castro has given many of his important (and not so important) speeches. A tall tour and a Jose Marti statute are the distinguishing features of the square. There are also large images of revolutionary leaders (Che is one) on the surrounding buildings.
We drove along the large boulevard that houses the majority of the Embassies in the city. We also drove through a large park that serves as the city's botanical gardens. We ended our tour at the Hotel Nacional De Cuba. What a spot! The bar features pictures of many of the Hollywood stars that have graced the hotel both from the 40's and 50's all the way up to modern times. After ordering our mojitos, we found a sunny spot on the manicured lawns behind the hotel overlooking the Malecon. It was a perfect way to end our tour of Havana.
Tomorrow: Museums and Dinner
Our guide for today was Yaniel (their form of Daniel). A graduate in languages(English) from a university in Havana, he and his wife are tour guides and parents of twin girls. The tour business had been good to them, allowing them to buy an apartment and perhaps a new car in the next year or two.
Today's tour took us past many of the historic sites in Havana Vieja that we'd walked past several times but did not totally understand what we were seeing. We started near the capital, which had been built in the 1920's in a little over 4 years. The current renovations will end up taking over 10. After completed, the capital will once again serve as the seat of their congress.
Walking through Central Park, Yanial explained who used the different areas of the park. Of course, there's the benches in the middle that the old men sit and argue about baseball all day. One section is for the city's transvestite population, one for the gays to gather and one for people sleeping off too much drink from the night before. Not nearly as large as the Central Park in NYC, it still serves it's population well.
We visited the four major squares in old town (Plaza Vieja, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de San Francisco), passing various historic buildings along the way. The Barcardi building belonged to the rum distiller until they fled the country after the revolution in 1959. It now serves as an office building, although Yaniel said the upper floors like many office buildings in the city were probably in need of renovation. There are several hotels in the area, some co-owned by foreign companies and the Cuban government, usually a 49/51 split.
He also pointed out several bars that are famous due to Hemingway's infamous drinking habits. There's Florida where he enjoyed daiquiris and La Bodeguita where he enjoyed mojitos. Sitting outside of La Bodeguita is a gentleman with a typewriter that claims to have been friends with the famous author. For a few CUC, he'll type a poem for you on the spot. Entrepreneurship is everywhere in Cuba.
There's an unusual statute in Plaza Vieja that we had noticed several days earlier but were unable to find an explanation. A naked women in high heels sits on top of a roster holding a large fork. This is a memorial to the young Cuban women that have married older, wealthier men (probably some foreign) to help feed themselves. What a different image of Cuba than the hundreds of Jose Marti sculptures encountered throughout the city.
After our walking tour, we took small taxi to our lunch destination, Cafe Laurent. This privately owned restaurant in the Penthouse of an office building affords lovely views of the city from its glass walls. One of the nicer restaurants we visited, Cafe Laurent is must visit if you have time and find yourself Vedado section of the city.
After lunch, 50's convertibles awaited us for the driving portion of our tour. Our fist stop was the Plaza de la Revolution where Castro has given many of his important (and not so important) speeches. A tall tour and a Jose Marti statute are the distinguishing features of the square. There are also large images of revolutionary leaders (Che is one) on the surrounding buildings.
We drove along the large boulevard that houses the majority of the Embassies in the city. We also drove through a large park that serves as the city's botanical gardens. We ended our tour at the Hotel Nacional De Cuba. What a spot! The bar features pictures of many of the Hollywood stars that have graced the hotel both from the 40's and 50's all the way up to modern times. After ordering our mojitos, we found a sunny spot on the manicured lawns behind the hotel overlooking the Malecon. It was a perfect way to end our tour of Havana.
Tomorrow: Museums and Dinner
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