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Published: February 13th 2021
Parque José Martí
Quiet splendor on a Sunday morningAround the corner from our hotel was the magnificent Parque Jose Marti, the town square. Our guide, a local historian, Mariloli, told us the story of
Cienfuegosas revealed by the buildings around the square. The city was founded in 1819 by rich French inhabitants of Haiti, who were escaping the revolution there. Having money, they built a planned city that adopted the wide straight streets of Napoleonic Paris. The founder of Cienfuegos, called simply “Monsieur”, wanted the customs house built beside the city hall, cathedral, theatre, and his residence; thus, two full blocks were needed for the square, rather than the one block as decreed by Spanish colonial authorities. The nearby bay became an important port for sugar cane. Slavery came with the colonists.
Monsieur’s house was beautifully ornate - deep sky blue with white embellishments. (All the buildings have been restored recently.) The main floor was a warehouse, built with Art Deco Roman columns. The upper two floors were his family home, built with highly decorated Art Nouveau columns and window frames. A “widow’s walk” turret topped the building, restored at great expense due to the special dark blue glazed tiles covering the dome.
The theatre was donated
Teatro Tomas Terry 1889
Essential component of 19 century city by a revered resident, Tomas Terry, whose past as a slave trader has been thinly glossed over. Slave-trading funded his rise as the pre-eminent business magnate in the area. Before the current modern restoration of Teatro Tomas Terry, the walls, paintings and mosaics had faded badly through water damage and the ravages of time. High on the front exterior, three Byzantine-style mosaics have been restored by three French specialists and ten Cuban art students. Inside, work continues. The medallion ceiling has just been re-finished - by artists painting on the canvas-lined ceiling while lying on scaffolding, just as the original was painted. The orchestra and the two balconies have been furnished with original chairs, and the gallery at the top has benches, also original. Work is scheduled to be finished in April, one year after starting. Before the restoration project, a wide variety of performances used to be offered every weekend, and the people of Cienfuegos miss their sophisticated entertainment.
The interior of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral was also being restored, although that work was not in evidence, perhaps because it was Sunday. Richly coloured stained-glass windows featuring each Apostle and Christ shone down into
a fairly plain sanctuary. The original and intricate statue of Mary was donated by a rich, local woman, who had bought it in Barcelona.
While we were looking at the church, our questions brought Mariloli to express her patriotism. She had been studying in Baltimore in a convent school at the time when John F Kennedy came to power. The students were given the choice of easily becoming US immigrants or immediately returning to Cuba. She gave up her studies to return to her homeland and her family. She regrets that the choice was forced on her, because the nuns were teaching them Cuban history as well as US history, for which she was grateful. Tears came to her eyes as she voiced her passion for Cuba, both its revolution and its challenges.
We had a bit of free time to enjoy the Prado, a long main street. Suited to strolling, it was recently rebuilt with a wide median, trees, benches and wifi. Lots of people were walking and shopping and eating on this Sunday noon. I was soon distracted by a craft and souvenir market on a side street. After just looking at the many wooden souvenirs
(model classic cars, salad tongs, mats, marquetry boxes, etc.), I fell for the wooden hummingbirds. At one for 2 CUC or four for 6 CUC ($8), I bought one for me and three for gifts. The Bahía de Cienfuegos could be seen in the distance, but I restrained my curiosity and walked around a few blocks back to the Hotel Union.
Our lunch was at the Palacio de Valle, by the bay and close to the market street. The restaurant building was a home in the colonial period. A hotel in the same block had been owned by
Batista ’s brother; his plans to turn the older building into a casino were stopped by the revolution. Even in its time, the design and décor of the colonial building were extravagant. Polished wood and marble floors shone wealth throughout. The tile floor of the entrance was decorated with the initials of the owner. We climbed a circular wrought iron staircase to the roof top for a “welcome drink” on the patio, where we marvelled at the wide views of the turquoise bay. After lots of conversation, we descended to the second floor for lunch: salad (shredded cabbage, delicious tomatoes, chopped lettuce,
Rafael Cáceres
Founder of Sociedad Gráfica de Cienfuegos thinly sliced cucumber), fish and soft slightly-sweet potatoes, accompanied by Crystal beer.
Our afternoon excursion was to an art studio that both made and taught lino cutting, lithography, wood cuts and several other types of print-making. Only one artist in the studio had chosen to continue painting after he had been taught the other processes. The founder, Raphael Cáceres, was an immensely cheerful man full of passion for his art and the school. He briefly showed us how each technique was done, showed examples, and gave each of us a small print of his own works. I confess to not liking the one I received and changing it. His work is very dark for someone with such good humour. I also bought a small lino print of a smug cat with a fish in his belly.
Often the senior artists in Cuba establish schools to encourage and support other artists. This studio keeps only ten percent as commission from sales and is supported by the government to pay for the building and utilities. They are now giving free lessons to young people with Down Syndrome. Also, Eldertreks made a donation on behalf of their tour members.
With
our few hours free, I went to the swimming pool in a courtyard. Disappointingly, the lounge chairs were all taken on this hot day, with the exception of one that was almost underneath a large group of smokers. I used it to hold my towel and cover-up, but left immediately upon finishing my laps. As usual, time was running by fast, and I wanted to get to the roof-top bar to watch the sunset.
We were all there – our conversation full of laughs. Daniel joined us, long after the sun set, to give us another “welcome” drink. I had another great Pina Colada. Also, I brought my winter touque along to show Daniel; my description at lunch had failed to convey anything to a man who had never left the sub-tropics. Indeed, even to me the touque felt very warm to the touch. After our many questions about Cuban life style, we went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner: chicken soup, beef steak (pounded, good crust), potatoes and rice.
View map of trip to date.
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Larry Parnes
non-member comment
Cienfuegos
So when we were in the church, didn't our guide meet someone who she knew years back and they had an emotional reunion? I have a shot of the street in front of the hotel with trolley tracks. I have no recollection that Daniel told us anything about that. Can't wait for the next installment. LP