Cuba: A Bridge Between Cultures - Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos, Cuba

January 26 -28, 2013

Hotel Union, in the city center.

On our fourth day in Cuba, we departed for a drive to Cienfuegos (the city of a hundred fires) about 160 miles from Havana. The highway was wide (four to six lanes in places) and well maintained but almost empty. Ruby Gatins, our guide, explained that gasoline in Cuba is quite expensive, and that keeps travel to a minimum, a problem we had not notices when we saw the traffic in Havana.

Concierto Sur Chamber Orchestra

We checked into the Hotel Union and began with a walking tour of the area. Dinner was at the Casa Verda next to the Bahia de Cienfuegos (Bay of Cienfuegos, which is a large port on Cuba’s south coast. We discovered that frequently while at restaurants a trio or quartet would appear to serenade us, always with a compact disc ready for purchase if anyone wished. Among other things, in town we listened to the Concierto Sur, a Chamber Orchestra of young people, and over the next days we visited the studios and homes of six artists. These artists spoke about their work, and exhibited samples.

In Cienfuegos we discovered ‘paladares’ or privately run small restaurants. These are appearing all over Cuba and are introducing an aspect of private enterprise and limited capitalism in an otherwise communist country where everything is owned and run by the government. The ‘paladares’ are among the reforms of Raul Castro, Fidel Castro’s younger brother, who is now in power.

As we were about to leave Cienfuegos, the street near our hotel filled with hundreds of students, all in their school uniforms, marching to celebrate the birthday of Jose’ Marti’. Marti’ is celebrated throughout Cuba as the spearhead of Cuban independence in the late nineteenth century. His statues are seen frequently and he is a genuinely popular figure.

Next, we head for Trinidad, Cuba.

That's it for now. Grace and Paul