We looked at several different land tours that went to not only Havana but also to other cities. We were concerned about several things we read about these trips. There seemed to be instability with their electrical service and frequent water interruptions especially outside of Havana. We then looked at several cruises where after your time ashore you would sleep and have your meals on the ship. This option appealed more to us. Because of the size and overall condition of the Havana Cruise ship terminal only relatively small ships are able to dock in Havana. The ship we were on named the Oceania Sirena holds about 650 passengers. The ships crew and support staff was about 400 so the passenger to staff ratio indicated that service should be excellent, and it absolutely was. We embarked our ship at the Miami port. We have gone on more than 20 cruises and this is the smallest ship we have ever gone on. What we really like about cruising, especially on larger ships, is the ship acts as your hotel, restaurants, recreational facilities and provides you a variety of entertainment in several different venues. I like to say that you get a lot more bang for your buck on a cruise. We were anxious to see if we would enjoy a small ship as much as the larger ones we have frequented. The Oceania Sirena After dinner we went to listen to the ships destination expert's talk on Havana. She told us many interesting facts about Havana and also things to see and to be careful of. She injected some humor into her talk as well. She told us what to expect going through Cuban immigration once we disembark followed by exchanging currency. She stressed the point that public restrooms are usually few and far between, also that we should bring some toilet paper from the ship with us. She also mentioned that in most public men's rooms there would be a toilet but no toilet seat. The last thing she told us was to be careful about drinking any water while ashore, including ice. Cuba's sanitary standards were not exactly up to ours and we really didn't want to get sick on our trip. This was a bit of a disappointment as my Wife and I were looking forward to trying a real Cuban Mojito and Cuba Libre. Not being as adventurous as we used to be we decided to not risk it and tried those drinks on the ship. Bienvenido a La Habana! or Welcome to Havana! Our ship docked in the port located directly across the street from the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis. Once we disembarked we went through Cuban immigration individually. We needed a visa in order to visit Cuba which the ship arranged for us. Once we were through immigration we proceeded to a security check point then on to a currency exchange. Cuban currency is not sold outside of the country. Cuba has 2 types of currency. The Cuban Peso which is only for Cubans and the Cuban Convertible Peso which is for tourists as well as for locals. 26 Cuban Peso's is worth roughly $1.00. The Cuban Government sets the value of the Convertible Peso as 1 to 1 against the dollar. They charge a 3% exchange rate and for dollars a 10% extra charge because of the U.S. embargo and trade restrictions. We had some Euros so we decided to exchange them. We traded 150 euros and received 163 Cuban Convertible Pesos or CUC's as they are known. Americans are not allowed to use any credit or debit cards in Cuba. No U.S. Bank can do any financial transactions with Cuba. Citizens of Canada, any European or Latin American countries are permitted to use their credit cards although many restaurants and shops take only cash so its really best to convert enough of your currency before you leave the terminal. Actually the destination expert mentioned this as well. She also had a rather interesting thing to say about the Cuban Immigration workers especially the women. They wear short skirts and usually fishnet stockings. We also found this to be correct. Two female immigration workers outside the terminal We had contracted a local cuban tour company for a 1 day guided tour of Havana. The companies name is Havana Journeys. They actually had to provide us with an official itinerary which would comply with the Office of Financial Assets Control or OFAC which is under the US Treasury Department. OFAC administers all economic and trade sanctions imposed by the US government. We were provided an Official Itinerary from Havana Journeys that was in compliance with the OFAC rules regarding American citizens visiting Cuba. I was amazed at all of the restrictions we as Americans are suppose to adhere to while in Cuba. We met our guide right across the street from the port in the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis. Our walking tour would take us through much of Old Town Havana which included the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, Plaza Vieja (Old Square), Plaza de Armas (Arms Square) and the Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square). Our guide told us a lot about Havana's colonial and contempory history. We also would see the Ambos Mundos Hotel and the famous bar, La Bodeguita del Medio which were both frequent hangouts of Ernest Hemingway. The plaza dates back to the 16th century and was a commercial center from its outset. It was renovated in the late 1990's. Today the square is bordered by a huge 18th century basilica with a huge tower, a Commerce Market Building and of course across the street is the Cruise Ship Terminal of Havana which used to be the Customs House. The bronze statue below to the left of Frederic Chopin was intended to celebrate the Polish culture and also the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth. Below to the right is a statue known as "The Conversation" that sits in front of the Commerce Market building. It exemplifies the need for dialogue in a contemporary society. Standing with El Caballero de Paris This statue just outside the entrance to the old convent is called "El Caballero de Paris" or the Gentleman from Paris. His name was Jose Maria Lopez Lledin. After arriving in Cuba in 1913 he was re-united with his uncle and sister. He like many of the people that went to Cuba in the early 20th century came to try to make his fortune. Over the years he worked in many different trades. He never married but had a son and daughter with a local woman he was living with. He was arrested and sent to prison in 1920. The crime he supposedly committed was never recorded. During his time in prison he alienated himself from most of the other inmates. After his release his family was concerned about both his physical and mental health. He would wander the streets of Old Havana but seemed to be well liked by the people of Havana. People passing his statue touch his beard with one hand, his outstretched finger with the other hand and his shoe with their foot for luck as I am doing above to the right. From here we started walking and in a short period of time after a few turns we ended up in the Plaza Vieja or the Old Square. Walking down the various streets we couldn't help notice first how narrow they were and second that some of the blocks looked well maintained, at least on the outside and other buildings appeared run down and in dire need of repair and renovation. We were told by our guide that building supplies are usually in short supply, also that since salaries are so low most people don't have enough money to fix up their homes even if the supplies were available. Most people pay no rent for their apartments but they are responsible for its upkeep. Images from Plaza Vieja Actually Plaza Vieja was originally named Plaza Nueva or the New Square. It dates back to the mid 16th century and was a residential neighborhood for some of Havana's wealthiest people. Festivals, bull fights and even executions were held there and were observed by residents that lived there from their balconies. In 1952 Bautista converted Plaza Vieja into an underground parking garage. See the picture below to illustrate just how much Plaza Vieja fell into disarray. In the 1980's Old Havana was listed as a Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO and renovation of Plaza Vieja began. We also saw numerous restaurants and other small businesses located in the square. As we walked around the square we came upon a very unusual statue. It is known as Viaje Fantastico which translates to Fantastic Trip. It's a bronze statue of a giant one legged rooster with a naked woman sitting on it holding a giant fork and she is wearing only high heals. Our guide told us that the Cuban government had been dependent on the Soviets for practically everything they imported due to the American embargo. When the Soviet Union collapsed Cuba fell on much harder times for a number of years. More and more women turned to prostitution to feed not only themselves but also their families. That seemed like a very reasonable explanation for the meaning of the statue. Images of Viaje fantastico in Plaza Vieja From here we continued on towards Plaza de Armas (Arms Square). Along the way we stopped in a Pharmacy museum which is actually still a working pharmacy. I'm a retired pharmacist so this was a special treat for me. Images from Johnson Drugstore Museum We continued on and came upon the Ambos Mundos Hotel which as I stated earlier was popular with Ernest Hemingway. He actually lived at the hotel for a number of years in the 1930's. Workers painting the outside of the hotel. Dig that crazy scaffolding, not so much! The entrance to the Ambos Mundos Hotel Our next stop was Plaza de Armas. This is the oldest square in Old town Havana. It was originally called Plaza de la Iglesia as it was named for the small church that was there until 1741. It was destroyed as a result of the HMS Invincible exploding in the harbor. The mast landed on the church destroying it. The square was renamed Plaza de Armas and it became the administrative center of Havana. It was the site of military parades, concerts and formal ceremonies and retained its political importance until the mid 20th century. In the center of the square is Parque Cespedes and there is also a white marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes. He helped establish the Cuban wars of independence and is considered the Father of the Cuban Homeland. The Parque or park has many Royal Palms and Ceiba trees. One specific thing that our guide pointed out about Plaza de Armas is that the street on the west side of the square is covered with Parquet wood which is shown below to the left. This was so that passing carriages would not disturb the governor's sleep as the building on the west side was once the governor's palace. Various images from Plaza de Armas Various images from Castillo de la Real Fuerza We walked through the Castillo de la Real Fuerza by the water which is located just off Plaza de Armas. It is a 16th century Renaissance style fortress which was the first to be built with triangular walls in the new world. It's position right on the water provided protection for the city from Pirates. Images from El Templete Just outside of Castillo de la Real Fuerza we saw el El Templete or the Temple. It was built in 1827 and commemorates where the first mass and town council of San Cristobal de la Habana was celebrated in 1519. Before continuing our walking tour we went into La Taverna del Galeon a cigar and rum shop. I'm not a smoker nor do I know anyone that smokes cigars but I did purchase a bottle of Havana Club, their famous rum. As a matter of fact I got the Havana Club 7 which is aged in oak barrels for 7 years. Images from La Taverna del Galeon We began to make our way over to Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square). On the way we passed some very interesting murals. Actually they were mosaic murals of 67 people from 19th century Cuban history and arts. It is known as the Mural de las Personalidades or Mural of the Personalities. Some of the more notable figures include Carlos Manuel de Cespedes a 19th century revolutionary, Jose de la Luz y Caballero a 19th century philosopher, Jean Baptiste Verme a French painter whose work is in both the Cathedral and the Temple and Jose Antonio Echeverria who was a 1950's revolutionary. The Mural was done by Andres Carrillo. Images from the Mural de Mercaderes (The Mural on Mercaderes Street) After spending a few minutes admiring the mural we continued on to Plaza de la Catedral (Cathedral Square). The square was originally a swamp that was drained and used as a naval dockyard. The Cathedral was built in 1727 and soon afterwards huge mansions were built there. The Colonial Art Museum is in the square as are several restaurants. In the square there is a statue of a famous flamenco dancer Antonio Gades. Image from inside the Cathedral Images from inside the Square A short walk down one of the alleys just off the Cathedral we found the famous bar La Bodeguita del Medio which was said to be one of Ernest Hemingway's favorite hangouts. According to the bars founder Angel Martinez Hemingway was not a regular patron. The bar was established in 1942 by Martinez. La Bodeguita claims to be the place the Mojito originated although this too is disputed. There is a famous framed signature and note that is hung in the bar. It states "My Mojito in La Bodeguita, My Daiquiri in La Floridita, Ernest Hemingway." There are some that dispute whether it is actually his signature. But I'd like to think that it is. It certainly adds to the charm and overall atmosphere of the bar. It's always crowded with both locals and tourists, and of course the price of a Mojito is said to be much more there. You're paying extra for having a drink in the Hemingway's favorite bar, allegedly. We signed the wall across from the bar although we were later told that at the end of tourist season it is painted over for the next tourist season. Images of La Bodeguita del Medio The happy couple signing the wall across from the bar From here we made our way to meet up with our driver for our tour in a classic car. We quickly found our car and driver was waiting for us. We were about to be transformed back in time in his 1956 Pastel blue Ford Fairlane convertible. Our driver didn't speak English so our guide was our interpreter with him. He told us the car had its original V-8 engine. He kept it in pristine condition. You could really tell he was very proud of his car. We got in and were off. Although he drove very slowly you could hear and feel the absolute muscle the engine possessed. It was truly a sweet ride. The happy couple with their ride We started out by going by the Capital building which looks a lot like the U.S. capital building in D.C. Dating back to 1929 it was used as the seat of the government until 1959 when Castro changed the entire structure of the Cuban government. We soon came upon the Gran Teotro de La Habana or the Great Theater of Havana. It dates back to 1915. Its facade features 4 sculptures that represent charity, education, music and drama. Next we were approaching the National Museum of Fine Arts. It opened in 1927 and the construction technique used Spanish Baroque with Plateresque styles conveying both grandeur and elegance. Next I saw an Art Deco building with what appeared to be a large Bat at the very top. It was the Barcardi building. For those who didn't know the Barcardi Rum family came from Cuba originally. The building dates back to 1930 and was the headquarters of the Barcardi Rum company until they fled Cuba in 1960 after Castro took possession of the company, and settled in Puerto Rico. The Barcardi family had established a Rum distillery on Puerto Rico in 1937. From there we made our way over to the Paseo del Prado. The huge and beautifully decorated promenade reminded me a lot of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Next we turned onto the Avenida de Maceo that is right on the coast. Its a curvy and very scenic ride along what is referred to as the Malecon or sea wall. It goes on for about 5 miles and ends in the Vedado neighborhood which is located in Centro Habana or Central Havana. Images of the Cuban Capital building The Barcardi building Images from the Prado Promenade Driving along the Malecon We went on past the outskirts of Havana to see Fusterlandia. It's located in the area known as Jaimanitas which is like a suburb of Havana. Considered a must see while visiting Havana Fusterlandia is the brain child of Jose Fuster. Fusterlandia is a veritable smorgasbord of mosaic tile art created over many galleries both in door and outdoor. Some of Jose Fuster's influences were Picaso and Gaudi. It truly should be seen. There is no admission cost but donations are accepted and he also has some small mosaic pieces for sale. Check out his website for days and hours open for viewing. Images from Fusterlandia On the way back from Fusterlandia we drove through what used to be a middle class suburb of Havana known as Miramar. We saw many very nice houses some of which were rather run down but our guide told us that people still lived in them. Many of the houses were converted into Embassies. One such Embassy which just happened to be the Russian Embassy looked like a giant robot. You be the judge. The Russian Embassy Our next stop was at Revolution Square. It is one of the largest city squares in the world. It occupies about 11 acres and has a giant image of Che Guevara one of Cuba's most iconic figures. Che Guevara in Revolution Square The Jose Marti Memorial in Revolution Square, a National hero of Cuba We proceeded on and went to see the Christ statue we saw on the western side of the harbor while we were at the Castillo de la Real Fuerza just off Plaza de Armas. We drove through a tunnel that went under the harbor to get to the site the statue sits on. The Christ of Havana is a large sculpture that represents Jesus of Nazareth. It is situated on a hilltop overlooking the bay in Havana. It dates back to 1953 and was created by Jilma Madera a Cuban sculpture. El Cristo de la Habana While driving back to the other side of the harbor we passed some classic military pieces on display. One particular item caught my eye, a MIG 21 fighter jet, its every little boys dream to be a jet pilot at least it was my dream. A classic MIG 21, very cool It was now time to go to lunch. American citizens are not allowed to conduct any financial transactions with any businesses that are controlled by the Cuba government. That meant that all official restaurants were off limits to us. The Cuban people are allowed to establish private restaurants and B&B's using their own residence as the site. The private restaurants are known as Paladar's so we proceeded to Restaurante Dona Carmela. The tables were in their back yard and there was a local Mariachi band playing music during our lunch. The food was very simple and wholesome. We ordered our own main course and several bowls of vegetables were brought to the table for us to share. They brought rice, black beans, eggplant and yucca which is kind of like a potato. Our lunch was quite good and reasonably priced about 18 CUC's per person. Images from our lunch at Restaurante Dona Carmela in Havana Our day tour of Havana was coming to an end. After we were dropped off back at the Cruise ship terminal we said our goodbyes to our driver and guide. We had thoroughly enjoyed our introduction to Havana. Our guide was actually a college language professor. She like many professional people in Cuba work on the side as local guides to earn some extra money. Our ship overnighted in Havana so we had an extra half day in Havana to look forward to. We had originally booked an excursion to go to Hemingway's house which was located right on the water but it was cancelled by the vendor. We booked another excursion on our ship for the second day in Havana which went to some of the same areas as our private tour took us. We actually learned some different things from the second guide so it was well worth while. Night Images of sailing out of Havana Our next port will be Cienfuegos.
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