CUBA

               OLD HAVANA

Old Havana was designated a UNESCO site in 1982, and UNESCO has been instrumental in helping restore Habana Vieja. Slums are sometimes hidden behind colonial facades. Architecture in the old city included 1600s  pre-baroque, 1700s baroque, and 1800s neo-classical and neo-gothic buildings.

There are numerous old buildings and mansions many of which now  house museums. At one time shipbuilding here was the largest in Latin America. Many of the high ceilings in old buildings were built by shipwrights and resemble an inverted ship’s hull. We did see many beautiful ceilings. If one wanted to take pictures  in museums you were required to pay a dollar to someone or other---often an attendant.

Colonialism, capitalism, and communism have merged into one. One-fifth of Cuba’s population lives in Havana.  The tree lined boulevards of this once wealthy city are tranquil and the least threatening of any in Latin America. Music was everywhere---all the time—in the many parks, on the streets near or in the restaurants. That was nice. At no time did I feel uneasy, threatened, or intimidated anywhere in the country. Policemen or guards, not sure which, were seen on street corners in Old Havana. They were usually in pairs, conversing, bothered no one and any guns certainly were not visible or threatening.

On the east side of Havana Harbor lies Regla, a small fishing village that didn’t look very prosperous. Riding through an industrial and railroad area we saw many ship containers, large and small, and oil storage tanks. In colonial days that area developed into a smuggler’s port. Pirates made a living stealing off American yachts anchored in the harbor. It was also the setting for Havana’s bullfights. Today the main electricity generating plant for Havana is located in Regla, as well as petrochemical works. There is a well preserved church in the area.  Facing the waterfront the church was built in 1810. The gilded altar under an arched ceiling is legendary.

Castro’s policy concentrated on rural rather than on urban areas. When there was a housing shortage, a building campaign removed the unhealthy shanty towns. After the Russians pulled out, supplies and money to improve buildings were lacking and such areas began to reappear. In 1959 Castro closed the strip clubs, brothels, and casinos. Wealthy Cubans started an exodus. Tourism stopped, and the hotel and restaurant businesses suffered tremendously.

One afternoon we attended a lecture at the Hotel Mundo where for $2 a day Hemingway lived in room # 501. Historic and nostalgic.

Education through college is free in Cuba. Many teach school for the required number of years and then leave teaching to work in the tourist industry---where the money is. Every day when we returned to our hotel room the TV had been tuned to the BBC. Obviously the maid had been listening to the news while she worked. Was she an ex schoolteacher? Very possibly.  School children wore uniforms and whenever we saw children they were well behaved. Cuba’s literacy rate is high.

I loved old Havana and wished to have an extra couple of days to spend there.