City of antiquity
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April 11, 2013:
Trinidad is a perfectly preserved Spanish settlement
where the clocks stopped ticking in 1850.
Horse drawn carts clip-clop up and down cobblestone streets
past colonial mansions filled with
Italian frescoes,
Wedgewood china,
Spanish furniture and
French chandeliers.
I came to Trinidad because ... well ... everyone I've met who's been to Cuba said that I should see this town. They were right. Trinidad is an enchanting living museum. It's full of tourists for good reason.
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 El Centro Historico |
 La Plaza Mayor |
 Cobblestone streets |
 View from the bell tower |
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Haiti's sugar industry collapsed in 1804
when its slaves overthrew their French masters.
This paved the way
for Spanish slave-owners and land barons
in southern Cuba to become the new kings of sugar
and for Trinidad to become a very wealthy city.
150 years later, the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well in Trinidad. Every resident of this little town has found a way to earn a living from the tourist industry by converting their homes to guest houses and restaurants, renting their horses and bicycles, offering guide services in six different languages, and playing music in every plaza and eating establishment.
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 Troubadours in the plaza |
 La casa de Olga Sanchez |
 Local art |
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Trinidad also benefits from being just a few kilometers away from
beautiful Playa Ancón − a strip of clean, sugary sand
beside a brilliant turquoise sea of reefs,
perfect for snorkeling.
So, if sleeping on a brass bed surrounded by antiques
in a casa particular isn't your style,
there are 3- and 4-star all-inclusive hotels on the beach, such as
The Trinidad del Mar.
Bicycling from Trinidad down to the beach and back was a great way to spend a day, and to take a break from museums.
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 Boca, en route to the beach |
 Cuba's Caribbean coast |
 Playa Ancón |
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