Havana - Day 2

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Geo: 23.1168, -82.3886

Breakfast at Melia Cohiba Hotel was a buffet worthy of a cruise ship! I had oatmeal, peanut butter bread, pineapple juice and cafe. The fact that it is too early to eat is beside the point. LOL

Happily, we got our stuff organized last night before bed so we wouldn't have to scramble this morning. Our backpacks have our cameras, hats, snacks, a sweater (for me in case it is chilly on the bus), water bottles, all the essentials.
As with the few other coach (bus) tours we've been on, the front seat is the primo spot, first off, easy on and great forward views. The tour guides always have the first and second rows on the passenger side which leaves just one prime row. On this trip, the front seat will be assigned by lottery and if you sit near the front of the bus one day, then you are asked to sit near the back the next day. Sounds like a plan.

We start our first full day in Havana with an architectural walking tour. Our guide, a young woman who is an architectural student at the university, is very good. She really knows her stuff and her English skills are impressive. There was a diverse number of architectural styles seen within our short 45 minute walk ranging from Gothic to Art Deco.

I shouldn't have been, but I was surprised at the number of Catholic churches in Cuba. After all, Cuba has not always been a communist nation, and in Cuba, as in Costa Rica and most other Latin American towns, there is always a town plaza and that plaza is anchored by a Catholic church. Hmmmm...communism and Catholicism? Yes, and according to Lydea, the churches are still used as people in Cuba are free to practice their religions and they do. There are not only Catholics, but also protestant churches and synagogues. In 1990 there were roughly 10 Muslims in Cuba*; a number that has been growing and about two years ago the first mosque was completed in Havana.

I think one of the best things we were told before starting our tour was "Don't try to understand Cuba. Just accept it for what it is." Good advice if you are trying to work out communism and religion.

I'm SO excited for our next stop! We are going to Finica La Vigia - Ernest Hemingway's estate. No one is allowed in the house, but it is easy to peer into the rooms as there is no glass in the the windows. It was here, at this house, that Hemingway wrote several of his most famous novels including The Old Man and The Sea, and here, in Cuba, that Hemingway received his 1954 Nobel Prize. When we arrived at the estate, there were no English speaking guides available,so our group was led by the curator of the site and her English was fine.

We saw Hemingway's library of over 9,000 books, his mounted big game African trophies, the now empty swimming pool in which he swam with a naked Ava Gardner, and his small fishing boat, Pilar. Jeff and I split off from our group because we wanted to visit a separate loft-style building and we could see that there was no longer a line on the stairs. We climbed up - the views were wonderful! This was where Hemingway did a lot of his writing. Since Jeff and I were the only ones peering in, the very nice docent took my camera and snapped photos of everything in the room for us! So nice. I could spend hours here, but it is time to eat.

Lunch today is at a paladar that has its own organic garden which supplies their vegetables. My entree was rice and vegies; the three others at my table (including Jeff) had fish. Then they brought us a large plate of rice and beans and me a wonderful dish of sweet plantains! Yum!!
A paladar is a private restaurant usually inside someone's home -> paladars came about because of Raul Castro's economic reforms of 2011. Kind of communism with a capitalistic flavor...remember, don't try to understand Cuba...

After dessert (which both Jeff and I skipped) we had coffee and then went down to the garden. We were pressed for time so only saw the orchid garden where 27 varieties of orchids are grown. I noticed a silhouette on a leaf, pulled it toward me, screamed like a little girl and ran away. Turns out it was only a little gecko and Jeff got this wonderful photo.

Our next stop is at the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas where we are treated to a private concert by "Ele", a group of graduates. This small group performed several songs in Spanish and ended with the Beatles' "Let It Be." They sang for about 40 minutes and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon. I've loaded a video below and hope you'll be able to play it (it may open in a separate window).

Now...it is time to shop. Our last "official" stop of the day is the San Jose Arts and Crafts market where we have time to explore, see and buy locally made handicrafts. This place is huge and it is many rows of crafts in a big industrial sized building. Just the sort of thing you'd expect to see if you got off a cruise ship. It was disappointing as I didn't really see a lot of unique or handmade items. Mostly the normal souvenir-y stuff you'd see anywhere; though there was some very good art. The painting we liked were too expensive and WAY too large for our suitcases. Jeff did buy a shot glass and I bought a gift but that was it.

I said that the market was our last "official" stop of the day, which is true, but Lydea has arranged for those of us who are interested to go to the Buena Vista Social Club tonight. This is HUGE!! Two days before we left Colorado, Jeff and I watched the documentary, "The Buena Vista Social Club" which Eve and Leroy had loaned us. It was wonderful. So, the opportunity to go there in person? Well, we can't pass that up! It is an extra 50 cuc each, so kind of pricey, but, hey, we'll never be here again.

Turns out that 24 of the 27 in our group have decided to go. Since there are so many of us we'll be able to use our coach and Stevyn is going to adjust our "get up and go time" in the morning as we'll be getting back to the hotel late.

Of course, the original performers of the Buena Vista Social Club are now dead, so this is kind of a tribute show. It was sooo neat to be in the building and to hear the music. The predominate music genre performed here is "Son" which is African rhythms and Spanish melodies. The music was way too loud, but other than that it was great fun. And we got free drinks! Mojitos, anyone??
It meant a lot to us to be there.
(If you haven't seen the documentary, I highly recommend it. It is not available via streaming on Amazon or Netflix, but you can get the disk from Netflix.)

So, today, we've seen two musical performances and this will be a common theme throughout our trip.

Back at the hotel, we fall into bed.


* Just so you know, I studied up a little on Cuba before and after our trip. Some of my facts are from the book: Cuba: Latin America in Focus

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Photos

Hemingway's daily weight records
This is a photo of the wall next to Hemingway's toilet. Every morning he recorded his weigh on the wall.

Hemingway's Picasso plate
He paid Picasso $150 for this plate!