1: You Step back in Time!
One of the first things you will notice in cities like Havana, is diverse historical architecture. Spanish Colonial, art deco, art nouveau, the Revolutionary Era, neoclassicism, and many others surround you.
It’s as if you have walked off the plane into a past era. What really struck me was seeing buildings that although a bit weathered, have withstood the years so well. And right next to them would be a crumbling structure, showing a dramatic difference in the quality of their original construction.
Then you direct your eyes to the street. It’s a scene from the 1950s, boasting a surplus of classic American cars.
When the the U.S. placed the embargo on Cuba in the early 1960s, access to new American cars and their parts ceased. Those from the 1950’s lived on by being fixed up over and over. Whenever something needed to be replaced, the owners would have to makeshift a fix. Many of these vehicles may now only have the body of the original car. I imagine for someone that is a car fanatic, it would be fascinating to speak with the owners and discover what engine and parts are actually inside the “classic” you see in front of you.
Take advantage of this opportunity and take a ride in a brightly colored convertible along the Malecon.
2: Art is everywhere….
Murals, sculptures, living art, graffiti…. Cuba has it all. I would have loved to have had a few more days to just wander the streets of Havana and find more murals.
Some had strong meanings to ponder as well. Below is a political mural titled “Man Eats World” concerning the 1% and the 99%. Within the creature eating the world, the names of many huge corporations are listed.
In Vinales, we caught a ride with a local man on his horse pulled wagon to the Mural de la Prehistoria. In 1960, Fidel Castro declared this mural should be created in a beautiful valley outside Vinales. The progression from early sea creatures to humans symbolizes the theory of evolution.
Not everyone agrees with me… but I love graffiti! Whenever I see these works along a bridge or wall, I feel a spark of excitement. Its existence shows you there is a living, emoting, thinking city around you. It’s an expression of the society living within the city.
And then there’s live art! First we crossed paths with a crowd of Cuban locals waiting for a human statue of Michael Jackson to awaken. After dropping some money into his case, he came to life. The whole crowd cheered. After a couple minutes he was still once more and we moved on. As we walked away, I noticed the crowd of locals remained, waiting for another by-passer to resuscitate him with a few coins. This made me smile.
A bit later, I saw an intriguing statue and I wanted a picture with it. I ran up and put my arm around the neck and posed. I was utterly shocked when that statue pulled a gun to my throat! A moment of terror, followed by uncontrollable laughter consumed me. After a few moments he removed the gun, knelt down, and kissed my hand. I saw other live statues around the city, but I wasn’t to be fooled again. What is so puzzling, is that when I put my arm around him, he FELT like a statue.
There were also sculptures, statues, and fountains throughout the city of Havana. I was a bit surprised at how European the country felt with their presence.
And then there was this statue…. I tried to find out the meaning. The only answer I received was it has something to do with feminism. Dependless of its true meaning, this piece could be an interesting conversation starter!
3: The Music
Music is obviously a big part of Cuba. In Cienfuegos, I was lucky to watch two locals playing and singing on a park bench. This experience fit exactly how I envisioned Cuba prior to the trip.
Many restaurants and bars have locals performing while you dine. The musicians were friendly and happy to let you pose with their instruments. And if you are sitting near the performers, don’t be surprised if you get pulled up to join one of them in some salsa dancing!
Music can be found at any time. When you think it’s the end of the night, and you are walking home from the club where you salsa danced for hours… You may come upon some locals playing music and dancing in the street. If so, I recommend you join them at least for a few minutes, no matter how tired you may be!
4: Friendly Locals
In my previous post 4 “Best” Restaurants from 8 Days Around Cuba”, I mentioned Alex of Don Alexis. He is an example of Cuban restaurant owners that will do everything in their power to make you feel welcome. Another way to meet lovely, hard working locals is to stay with them. I stayed in Casa Particulars every night while in Cuba. They are like Cuban Bed & Breakfasts and give you a chance to mix with the locals. While most owners of these casas have very limited English, they are very friendly and willing to try to communicate with you no matter how poor your Spanish is. Each casa I stayed at provided free breakfast. This usually included eggs, sometimes a meat (not for me), breads, fresh fruit, and coffee or tea. Most of the time they provided way more food than I could take in for one meal. The hosts were very accommodating, even providing rum for no charge when requested!
While wandering the streets, we passed a local church. I wouldn’t have noticed it, except for the music flowing out of the open doors. I peered through the entrance and was invited to join them by an older gentleman. I was very touched by how welcoming they were to a curious tourist peaking in. The man who extended the invitation, encouraged my taking pictures and videos of their worship. Their celebration was full of joy, music, and dancing. It was hard to pull away, but it was my final day and there were limited hours left to explore this country.
Down another street, we saw a patriotic poster of Fidel. When we showed some interest in it, the man who owned it smiled and invited us to take a closer look. While photographing that poster, he started pulling out and setting up others for us to take pictures of as well.
5: Houses all the colors of the Rainbow
The homes in Vinales and Trinidad are reminiscent of a painters palette. Looking down the street, you will see a multitude of colors, especially blue, green, yellow, and variations of red. Extra charm is given to the scene in Trinidad due to the original cobblestone streets throughout the city.
In the small town of Vinales, the landscape accents the casas. The city is surrounded by lush, green hills and tobacco farms.
This small, 2 road town is incredibly peaceful. Men and women relaxing in their front porch rocking chairs smile at you as you pass by. And when an old classic car drives down the tree lined street ahead of you… you really do wonder what year it is!
Great article!! Lots of good places to check out when traveling to Cuba!
lovely photos and comments ! Makes me excited for my trip in November !
Thank you. I hope you have a fantastic trip!!