Heart & Soul of Cuba
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May 5, 2013:
I arrived in Cuba in late March
at the extreme eastern end of this island,
in the city of Santiago.
From Santiago,
it took me almost a month to get to Habana.
Every place I visited along the way was delightful.
However, I saved the best for last.
After spending 10 amazing days in this city,
Habana has become one of my favorite cities in the world.
Like San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Venice, Capetown and Kathmandu,
Habana is a must see city.
It's fun,
historic,
exciting,
colorful,
friendly and
unique.
It's also inexpensive and safe.
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 Castillo del Morro |
 Capitolio Nacional |
 El Gran Teatro |
 Plaza Vieja |
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Habana is a very walkable city.
Habana Vieja and Habana Centro
are adjacent, compact, urban areas,
with
pedestrian streets,
broad tree-lined avenues,
five centuries of architecture to gawk at,
six elegant plazas each with its own unique charm,
dozens of historic sites and museums,
and inviting bars, restaurants and music venues everywhere.
Habana's most famous landmark, the Capitolio Nacional,
was undergoing renovations while I was there,
as was the Gran Teatro.
Although much of the city is currently undergoing repairs,
Habana is still a fascinating place just to walk around in.
When this work is complete,
Habana will be a world-class gorgeous city.
Along the waterfront is the scenic Malecón (esplanade) where children play in the tidal pools and fishermen catch their dinners. At the east end of this seaside promenade is the dramatic Castillo del Morro, built in the 16th century to protect the harbor from marauding pirates. At the west end of the Malecón is the luxurious Hotel Nacional, famous for hosting foreign dignitaries, Hollywood's elite, and US mobsters Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano.
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 Hotel Nacional |
 Habana skyline, from Fortaleza de la Cabaña |
 Necrópolis Colón |
 Plaza de la Catedral |
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After the British captured Habana in 1762,
the Spanish added a second fortress:
The Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña.
From here, you can enjoy a panorama of the Havana skyline,
as well as a nightly canon firing at 9pm
by a military squad in 19th-century uniforms,
a hold-over from Spanish times when these shots
signaled that the city gates were closing.
Farther afield is the Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón, where many of Spain's New World explorers are buried along with Cuba's leaders in its struggle for independence. It's Cuba's largest cemetery and it's a bit gaudy, but it's pleasant to stroll through. Cuba does a good job presenting its version of Cold War history. Parked in front of the Museo de la Revolución is the tank which Fidel Castro commanded during the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. On the other side of the harbor is an outdoor park featuring replicas of the Russian nuclear missiles which were delivered to Cuba during the Missile Crisis of October 1962. I was tickled to see caricatures of Reagan, Bush Sr and Bush Jr alongside of Fulgencio Batista, the US-backed dictator who was overthrown by Castro in 1959. Cubans aren't shy about expressing their opinions of America's Republican party.
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 Castro's tank (1961) |
 Russian missile (1962) |
 Gallery of Imbeciles |
 "Jurassic Park" |
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Another colorful part of the 20th century
rolls through Habana's streets.
Cubans have managed to keep their classic cars
working by fabricating their own replacement parts.
Although some of these vehicles are dinosaurs,
they're still being used as taxis.
But Habana isn't just a collection of tourist sites. Although the inner-city streets have potholes and many buildings need repairs, the city is busy and alive day and night. It's also a very safe city. Everyone knows his neighbor. Children play in the streets in the day. Young adults make music and dance there in the evenings. Grandfathers smoke cigars and chat on their front steps late at night. I felt comfortable walking by myself everywhere in this city, at any time of day or night. And Cubans are friendly. I peeked in one door and discovered a fan-making enterprise. The couple who lived there invited me in, showed me their work, and refused payment for the coffee they served me. Real estate is advertised on cardboard signs and sold with a handshake every Saturday morning along the Prada. In the shade of the trees, artists hold impromptu art classes for children. Habana is a great place for practicing one's Spanish. A 2-hour conversation can start with "Hola." Simply watching people is great entertainment, too.
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I timed my visit to Habana to be present on May 1st,
which is el día del trabajo
(International Workers' Day).
This is an important day in a socialist country
like Cuba, but I didn't realize how big a day it is.
I'd been advised to leave my house
no later than 6am to get to the Plaza de la Revolución
before the parade began.
At 2km from Plaza de la Revolución,
the streets were so full of people carrying flags and banners
that I could no longer proceed.
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 Preparing for the parade |
 Memorial a José Martí |
 Plaza de la Revolución |
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At 7am, the bands began to play.
The assembled crowd cheered and
started moving towards the Memorial a José Martí.
We formed a procession 50 meters wide, moving at a steady walk.
It took 2 hours for everyone to pass
through the Plaza de la Revolución and
in front of the Martí memorial.
I estimate that there were at least 1,000,000 people in the parade.
I was impressed by how peaceful and happy this demonstration was.
Many participants walked arm-in-arm.
Friends greeted each other with hugging and kissing.
There were musical instruments, which meant, of course,
that there was dancing.
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 Ernest Hemingway's home |
 Hemingway's desk |
 The dining room |
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One of the highlights of my visit to Habana was to spend a morning
soaking up the atmosphere at Ernest Hemingway's former home.
The house is about 15km southeast of the city.
I took a public bus there, which cost me about 2 cents.
When Hemingway died,
he willed his property and everything in it to the Cuban government,
who had the good sense not to touch or change a thing.
The liquor is still in the half-filled bottles.
The books are still on the shelves, and even in the bathroom.
The lawn furniture is still sitting around the swimming pool.
The telescope in his study is still pointed
at the ocean beyond downtown Havana.
Hemingway's estate is amazingly tranquil and scenic.
It must've been a great place to write,
as well as a delightful place for entertaining.
And as the stories go, there were some pretty good parties here.
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 Breakfast at my casa |
 Great seafood |
 In Lennon Park |
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My 10 nights in Habana were spent at the lovely home of
Tere and Justo
(phone: 07-866-9856 or email
yuleidygarciar@yahoo.es).
Justo is shown above with one of the feasts
he prepared for me every morning.
Speaking of food, Cuban food is consistently excellent.
It's nice to be in a country that has
lots of fruits, vegetables and fish.
And because Cuba cannot buy
pesticides, fertilizers or growth hormones from the US,
100% of Cuba's meats and produce is organic. Nice!
As a final note, Habana has two parks dedicated to Lenin. In addition, Habana has a park to honor John Lennon. On one of my last days in Cuba, I enjoyed a quiet moment here with him.
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