| Thursday, April 14, 2005 | | | | |
| | | | Beside the Capitolio is the Teatro Nacional, |
| Hello from Cuba (13) - Exploring Downtown | | | | which is just next to the famous Hotel |
| Havana | | | | Inglaterra and in front is the Parque |
| | | | Central, where men of all ages get together |
| Hotel Habana Libre, Thursday, April 14, 2005, | | | | to discuss news related to their national |
| 3:02 pm | | | | sport. 2 days ago was the final of the |
| | | | playoffs between Havana Campo (if I am |
| The last few days I have spent quite a bit of | | | | correct) and Santiago de Cuba, the second |
| time walking around downtown Havana - or | | | | most important city in the country. Obviously |
| Habana Vieja, as they say around here. It is | | | | a huge deal in this country, and Havana ended |
| an extremely fascinating place and one of the | | | | up losing 2 to 1, but despite the loss a |
| most architecturally consistent colonial city | | | | great opportunity for the locals to party. |
| centres in the world. | | | | |
| | | | Walking down the famous pedestrian street |
| A few days ago, my local friend Pedro and I | | | | Calle Obispo, which has numerous expensive |
| went to explore the Capitolio, which is a | | | | stores for tourists, you approach the really |
| beautiful building, ironically very | | | | old historic part of Habana Vieja, places |
| reminiscent of the Capitol in Washington. | | | | such as the Plaza de la Catedral (where there |
| Built between 1926 and 1929 as the former | | | | was a mass for Pope John Paul II about a week |
| seat of the Cuban government, its | | | | ago), Plaza Vieja and, my favourite place: |
| neoclassical exterior is complemented by an | | | | Plaza de Armas. This square dates back to the |
| absolutely astounding Roman interior with all | | | | early 1500s, and houses the centuries old |
| sorts of meetings rooms, a library, a | | | | former city administration office as well as |
| souvenir shop and an Internet cafe. In the | | | | several other Spanish colonial buildings that |
| front entrance hall there is a huge statue | | | | surround a beautiful park with a statue of |
| that greets you upon entering, truly an | | | | Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, the founder of the |
| astounding building. | | | | Cuban homeland. |
| | | | |
| The park outside the Capitolio is one of my | | | | Yesterday I also had a chance to explore a |
| favourite places, despite the missing seats | | | | market that is put up every Wednesday to |
| and backrests of the benches. Yesterday I | | | | Saturday just off the Malecon, near the Plaza |
| also had a chance to visit the Partagas | | | | de Armas, where they sell all sorts of |
| Tobacco Company, a cigar factory in existence | | | | trinkets and merchandise for tourists. I had |
| since 1845. I took the $10 tour and we saw | | | | a chance to pick up a few little souvenirs |
| the tobacco rolling school where students | | | | for my husband and my colleagues and then sat |
| learn cigar production for 90 days. Later we | | | | down at a little outdoor cafe where there was |
| moved upstairs to the area where the real | | | | a young Cuban band playing traditional |
| cigars are made. Workers have quotas of | | | | old-fashioned Cuban music. The really |
| between 80 and 200 cigars a day (some of | | | | interesting thing was an organ that they were |
| which miraculously find their way into the | | | | playing that must date back to the 1920s, |
| black market...) and the workers sit at old | | | | accompanied by all sorts of Cuban percussion. |
| wooden work stations and manually roll the | | | | I really love Cuban music, but I haven't yet |
| tobacco, while at other work stations the | | | | had a chance to listen to it a lot. My friend |
| exterior leaf and later the label and the | | | | and I wanted to go and visit the "Casa de la |
| boxes are added. I really wanted to see a | | | | Musica" yesterday where they play live music |
| tobacco factory since tobacco still remains a | | | | at a reasonable price, but for some reason it |
| key industry in Cuba to this day. | | | | was closed, something not unusual around |
| | | | here. |
| Due to its architectural beauty, and not | | | | |
| surprisingly, Havana has been declared a | | | | I also had a chance to walk down to "Prado", |
| Human Heritage Site by the UNESCO and it is | | | | a long avenue with a pedestrian walkway with |
| definitely one of the most beautiful cities I | | | | trees on both sides, and two lines of traffic |
| have ever visited, despite the physical decay | | | | on both sides of the pedestrian area, |
| that is visible in so many parts of the city. | | | | somewhat reminiscent of the Ramblas in |
| | | | Barcelona. Very close to the Prado is the |
| Along these lines, I had a chance to see | | | | Museo de la Revolucion which used to be the |
| residential areas in Habana Vieja, where | | | | palace of the last Cuban dictator, Fulgencio |
| people live in extremely cramped conditions | | | | Batista, prior to the Revolution. Fidel |
| in crumbling houses, with the occasional | | | | Castro's yacht, the "Granma"which he used to |
| house that has already collapsed in between | | | | cross over from Mexico with his rebellious |
| others. Everybody's life unfolds in the | | | | companions, is displayed in a glass-encased |
| street, you see children, couples, old | | | | building just behind the palace-like Museo de |
| people, dogs and cats at all hours of the | | | | la Revolucion, and surrounded by various |
| day, people generally just sit around and | | | | tanks and military vehicles dating back to |
| chat, and the children play street versions | | | | revolutionary combat. The Revolution is |
| of "la pelota", which is baseball, the | | | | definitely present whereever you go. |
| national sport. This street life is something | | | | |
| truly different from a nordic city like | | | | I think I have seen most of the important |
| Toronto where there are only a few areas | | | | sights of the city, excluding the Plaza de la |
| where there is significant pedestrian | | | | Revolucion, which houses the Comite Central |
| traffic. And people generally don't sit | | | | and the political apparatus of the Cuban |
| around in front of their houses or apartments | | | | government. I still have to make a little |
| to chat in the m iddle of the night. | | | | excursion to that area and also take a photo |
| | | | or two of the memorial of Che Guevara, who |
| I also had a chance to see Havana's train | | | | still appears to be a very revered individual |
| station, of course absolutely packed with | | | | around here, often admittedly more so than |
| people, the port area and some rather | | | | Fidel Castro. |
| derelict industrial areas with crumbling | | | | |
| buildings. The lack of money is apparent | | | | 2 weeks is a pretty long time to spend in a |
| everywhere. | | | | city and due to the fact that I have |
| | | | completely immersed myself in the culture, I |
| On the other hand I have also had a chance to | | | | think I have a pretty good feel for La Habana |
| sample some of the beauty that this city has | | | | and I am slowly but surely mentally getting |
| to offer. I have travelled a fair bit, | | | | ready to go home. It's been great, but I am |
| particularly to historic southern places in | | | | also happy to get back home to see my |
| Europe such as Paris, Milan, Madrid, | | | | husband, my friends, to have my normal life |
| Barcelona, etc. But in my opinion Havana is | | | | back. There are only 2 and a half days left |
| in a category by itself. The colonial | | | | now for my Cuban experiment and there are a |
| architecture downtown is so consistent, with | | | | few more places to see, but I am also looking |
| almost no new buildings interrupting the | | | | forward to coming back home to Toronto. |
| visual impression. | | | | |