Chapter 12: The Malecon

One of our favorite things we did a few times was to walk along the Malecon. It is an 8 Kilometer long sea wall in Old Havana (Vedado). One of the nights we walked along the sea spray came over the wall and the sunset was magnificent. They say when a cold front comes thru the waves are thunderous and crash over the wall into the street,forcing them to close the busy road to traffic. The Spanish forts are very reminiscent of St. Augustine and we were able to get great views from the Malecon.It is not only a tourist destination, it is a place for locals to gather and they talk or play music.Like the rest of Havana the Malecon has areas that are crumbling. I read where 14 blocks are designated as historical and are given special attention.

Chapter 11: Art : Callejon de Hamel

The most unique art district we visited was Callejon de Hamel, located in Centro , Havana. It was in a densely populated and rundown part of town with ramshackled and potholed streets. Tom liked to call it the blown up areas. We visited the area just before they had their rumba music show. We left before they started because we did not want to get stuck in the area, since we had to get our bus back to Varadero. We were told it is a raw, hypnotic with rhythmic chants and rumba music every Sunday for 4 hours. The alleys that surround the gallery has become a place for Santeria rituals. On Sundays the Santeria priests and participants dance to invoke the spirits of the Orishas, the Santeria Gods. The surrounding houses and buildings are covered with large murals in bright vivid colors. We were able to see several pieces of Local Cuban art, hand carved statues,paintings. Santeria art and attributes. What a treasure for photography of unique Afro-Cuban Art of all forms. Lots of recycled altered art. A young gentlemen escorted us around and gave us a tour. We gave him a bag of toiletries for himself & some Pesos and he was thrilled. He pointed out several things we would have missed if we walked around by ourselves. We met several of the local artists there and learned a few new techniques. They had a very unique courtyard and cafe with pictures of noteworthy visitors. One was Mick Jagger after he performed with The Rolling Stones in a free concert they did for the Cuban people.

Chapter 10: Art : Part 1 Museum,etc

We spent a couple of hours at one of the large Art Museums in Havana, Arte Universal National Fine Arts Museum. It was $10 CUC for both of us. We saw many incredible sculptures, that Tom really enjoyed.We were not allowed to photograph most of the art in the museum. We were treated to many early Cuban and Spainish artists from 1400's to 1800's. The talent exhibited by these early artists were amazing. Several paintings appeared to be photographs they were so well done. We spent a long time studying the incredible masterpieces. Mosaic mural at the bus station.Several streets have been turned into artist galleries on a unique scale.One of the areas we will feature in the next chapter.

Chapter 9: Statues,Forts & Revolution

The Cuban people are very proud of their history and revolutions. It was evident everywhere where we traveled. Most advice we read before we went was to not engage in any negative discussion against the Cuban government. Being in a Communist Country we had no trouble following that advice! The Cuban people were thrilled Past President Obama visited their country and are hoping a lot of American people will come & bring them money & goods. One man showed us a video of Obamas visit and clips of Vin Diesel when he filmed Fast & Furious in Havana.

Chapter 8: Architecture: Buildings

There are so many old buildings in Havana and Varadero. The churches and government buildings are all pretty well restored. Many tourist buildings have been restored also. We will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Chapter 7: Architecture: Part One :Doors

Some of the best sights we experienced were architectural and art related. The next few blogs will focus on those areas. It did not matter what area of the city we were in, we found unique doors everywhere. The old forts and churches were always very large. Most doors were arched. The nicest areas were usually a tourist or government building. We could tell some of the crumbling architecture was beautiful in its day. Most homes and businesses that could afford them, had metal gates on their doors and bars on the windows. This building was 2 blocks from where we stayed and many people were living there.This was also across the street from the Malecon.This is the area we stayed in. We really immersed ourselves in the culture.