Havana deserves a second part
In our previous article we did not leave the swarm that makes up Old Havana . Intricate streets through which they circulate american and russian vehicles from the 50s , dotted with buildings from a thousand and one origins but which have two elements in common: elegance and colonial power. Terraces, street stalls, hanging clothes and a decadence that seems to have no end characterize the old center of Havana , the area of the city that still bears reminiscences of past centuries.
At the end of Bishop Street , where the Floridita flows into, a large and stately space opens up that houses the Central Park and Paseo de Martí , known as Meadow . Two large spaces that separate Old Havana from the Center . These two arteries form the busiest and most tourist complex in the city. In the Central Park, young people gather to hunt for the Wi-Fi signal provided by the national company ETECSA and to which you can connect for a fee.
Photographing Cuba
The connection is made through cards , very similar to those used in Spain for mobile prepaid, which can be purchased in many places. there are from 1 CUC that offers you an hour of internet connection at one of the points enabled for it, such as the Central Park, some hotels and other areas of Havana. The cards are valid for all the cities of Cuba and in all there are network connection points which are almost always parks or squares enabled for it.
Raising our eyes from the mobile we can see some of the buildings with more personality and charm in Havana . Right in front of Central Park , behind the parking lot full of classic cars of all conditions and colors, the Hotel England , the oldest in Havana. Entering its lobby is stepping into the pages of a 1950s spy novel. Graham Greene or Hemingway They seem to whisper to you from their walls. We recommend having a cubalibre in the Louvre Cafe , your coffee shop.
Hotel England
With the freshness of rum on the lips, it is a good place to fabulate being part of a turn-of-the-century dance where the men wear Panamanians and wear white linen and the women wear flowing dresses over their tanned skin. Here he made Jose Marti a speech advocating the independence of Cuba at the end of the 19th century and the journalists who came to the island to cover the War of Independence.
If we return to the Central Park and turn our eyes to the left, we come across one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, the Great Theater of Havana Alicia Alonso . Although admiring the building of Baroque style , which has been recently rehabilitated, and sinks roots in the old Galician Center , is something that we will check at first glance, the most advisable thing is to attend one of their shows or do the guided behind-the-scenes tour of the Colosseum . tickets cost between 10 and 20 CUC . Alicia Alonso was a great Cuban dancer who died a few months ago at the age of 98. She was trained in Madrid Dance School and since then her career shone brilliantly.
Very close, so close that you only have to look up the street, appears the silhouette of the National Capitol . Evoking the resemblance to Washington is common in any tourist. But if we scratch a bit we'll find out that it was built during the sugar boom after World War I that made the Cuban economy flourish in a spectacular way. Actually, the architects did not want to emulate the North American Capitol but rather the Pantheon in Paris, but (it seems to me) that the copy came out somewhat far from their intentions. It has been the headquarters of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Science and Technology. Now constitutes the Cuban National Assembly.
National Assembly of Cuba (National Capitol of Havana)
Just behind the Capitol, a large pagoda-shaped arch greets you as you enter the street dragons . The Chinatown of Havana it reached the category of the largest in Latin America in the 1920s. Today there is no Chinese in it. Citizens of China left Cuba in the mid-1960s when thousands immigrated to the United States in search for prosperity . Attempts have been made to promote the neighborhood looking for its more touristic side, but beyond the legends in Chinese, the neighborhood is of no interest.
Here in Cuba the average salary is** 25 CUC per month**, about 24 euros. Those who charge the most are the doctors who do not exceed the 50 CUC . Even those who must travel kilometers to their corresponding health post do not exceed that amount. Today Cubans who want to earn a little more money have to become taxi drivers. It is the profession where, without a doubt, more is received. Yes, to prosper you have to have your own car, something that is not easy on the island . Let's say that being a taxi driver is like being directly exposed to the main source of wealth in the country are tourists.
In fact, the best thing to do to visit Havana is rent one of those old classic cars with driver parked in front of the Hotel Inglaterra like sleeping dragons that give it that air between ancient and elegant. Being touristy does not stop being effective. We choose a '52 Chevrolet driven by Ricardo. Although we could have lowered the rate a little more, we finally left it at 50 CUC for two hours of travel. There are tourists who pay up to 60 CUC for only 1 hour.
Simply Havana
On board that old buga that gave off kerosene like a small plane, we put heading to the Morro area , a military complex located at the furthest end of the port and Old Havana and considered World Heritage . Surrounded by old American-style houses, here are the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña , from where the cannon shot ceremony is held every day at 9:00 p.m.; and the Castle of the Three Holy Kings and its famous Lighthouse. From here, the views of the Malecón and Havana are fantastic . Right in front of the Christ that tries to emulate the one in Rio de Janeiro we can see the House Museum of Ché , the place where he lived during his stays in Havana.
Down the hill we headed towards the Malecon , where Cubans meet on weekends and some days of the day to fish, celebrate birthdays or even bathe in its waters, which are forbidden and not at all clean. The walk is obligatory at sunset , when couples cuddle up looking at the sea, groups of kids sing and dance to the sound of a bachata or the curious want to know what happens beyond the Caribbean. Being aware that most will end up wanting to sell you something, the Malecón is one of the best places in Havana to listen to stories of the regime , of life on the island, of economic difficulties and also stories that include traditions that are kept like gold on cloth.
leaving behind the Colonial Hotel , where Al Capone was staying when he came to Havana, we headed towards Vedado . In another time mafia territory, today it is a neighborhood of houses with wide Parisian-style boulevards and the occasional skyscraper. That seedy 50's neighborhood it is now stately and elegant within its decrepitude. There is the magnificent Revolution Square , symbol for all Cubans of the Castro stage. If we look ahead, turning our backs on Jose Marti we will see the iconic image of Che Guevara on the facade of the Ministry of the Interior . It is a reproduction of the famous photography by Alberto Korda which includes the legend Ever onward to victory.
'Ever onward to victory'
Next to her and modeled in the same style, the portrait of Camilo Cienfuegos embedded in another gray government building , in this case Telecommunications, with the motto You are doing well Fidel . Here tributes are paid to Castro but it is also a very important place for Christians, the vast majority in Cuba. In the Plaza de la Revolución, 3 Popes have celebrated mass , under the watchful eye as if they formed a revolutionary triangle of Marti, Guevara and Cienfuegos.
But in Vedado there is another flagship, another mythical building: the Hotel Habana Libre . was still called Havana Hilton when the supporters of the revolution took it over in 1959 to lead the first days of the Castro government from there. On the facade there a ceramic mural of 670 m2 and inside it houses an interesting photography exhibition in which they show images of the “bearded men” walking around the hotel facilities with their weapons back in the 60s.
Tryp Habana Libre
Cubans are very mythomaniacs In case you haven't noticed yet. 20 years ago they built a park in honor of John Lennon in Vedado . On one of the benches we find the brilliant musician turned into a statue. A good place to rest for a while and take a photo. The normal thing is that the Cuban Lennon does not have his glasses on because they have been stolen several times. But if we ask the guard who walks around there and takes care of his image, it is most likely that with a smile he will unfold the glasses of the author of 'imagine' for the simple fact of pleasing us.
Our route aboard the Chevrolet comes to an end. The smell of kerosene permeates our nostrils with the same intensity as the Caribbean rhythm to our hips . The tour is worth it because, not only do you get an idea of the dimension and depth of this city beyond Old Havana, but also because of the feeling of travel aboard one of the objects that form the heritage of the history of Cuba . Cars full of patches, painted a thousand times and with light aircraft engines. Yes, whatever we want, but at the end of the day one survivors of the revolution , a paradigm of how a country tries to overcome a thousand and one difficulties with the best of its smiles.
Vedado, in Havana
We have tried the mojitos and old clothes , we have walked its streets and hit the thread with some of its inhabitants, now it remains for us, before heading to our next stop: Viñales, to dance a little salsa to finish off our first days in Havana.
There are two places to keep in mind: the house of music Y The Guajirito . The latter may be a place very focused on tourists but, without a doubt, the art that its musicians exude is not a show. This is where the group originated. Buena Vista Social Club and today they maintain that same formation although their originals are no longer. The professionalism of the musicians and their dedication every night on stage is beyond any doubt.
In Havana there are two Houses of Music, one in Vedado and another in Miramar . It is one of the best places to dance live music because all the greats play here and they do it at a ridiculous price.** Another of its main attractions is that the clientele are mainly Cubans who want to have fun**.
Havana is pure music