Cuba: A Bridge Between Cultures - Old Havana

Old Havana, Cuba: 

Old Havana, as seen from the Fortress San Carlos de la Cabaña.

January 22 – 26, 2013

Visiting Cuba since the Cuban Revolution of 1959 has been problematic for United States’ citizens. The American government frowned on people going to Cuba, and most travel by Americans was through Mexico, Canada or some other neutral country. The Obama Administration changed this by authorizing “People to People” programs and giving official permission for U.S. citizens to travel in Cuba under their umbrella- not for holiday reasons, but specifically to enhance relations among peoples and learn of each other’s cultures.

The Old Capital Building, from our balcony

Our Grand Circle Foundation “People to People” tour of Cuba: A Bridge Between Cultures, began January 22, 2013 with an American Airlines charter flight from Miami, Florida to the Jose’ Marti’ International Airport in Havana. Our large, comfortable Chinese-made bus whisked us through crowded, sometimes narrow streets to the Hotel Saratoga in the heart of Habana Vieja (old Havana). We were pleased to see the blocks of buildings that exhibited Spanish colonial and classical architecture but sad to find many in sad states of decay.

Senior Center

From the hotel over the next three days we visited the Museum of the Revolution, and the ancient Fortress San Carlos de la Cabaña. We met people at a senior center, at a Sephardic Synagogue, and while taking a walking tour of the old city. In the city we visited the Plaza de la Catedral, the Plaza de Armas, and the Plaza Vieja.

Most exciting was a bicitaxi ride through the streets to one of the city’s flower, meat and vegetable markets. Later we visited a Downs syndrome center at the Parroquia de la Milagrosa.

 
A ride outside Havana carried us to the Organic Nursery Alamar where we had an outstanding lunch, all drawn from the farm’s fresh produce. At the hotel we listened to a lecture by two gentlemen who gave us their perspective on Cuban-American relations over the last hundred years.

On our own for dinner the last night in Havana, we walked from our hotel along crowded busy streets to a charming restaurant some distance away. Without a doubt, Havana is a vibrant busy city. Most fascinating was the constant parade of 1950s, some 1940s, and a few 1930s American and European automobiles, kept running by talented and imaginative mechanics ever since 1959 when Cuba’s ability to trade was curtailed by an international embargo.

Next, we head to Cienfuegos.

That's it for now. Grace and Paul