Havana, Cuba – Day 2
Today, we were still in Havana.
Both Tracey and I ahd been assigned tour escorting duties, but on different tours (which is a bit of a first for us). While Tracey was being sent away on an all-day tour to see some of the Cuban countryside (see Tracey’s blog for full details and photographs), I had been given a ‘Havana Panorama’ tour.
‘Panorama’, ‘City’ or ‘Highlights of’ tours are all more or less the same thing; a bit of guided walking (I turned down the ‘City Walk’ tour on account of having trailed around too many foreign cities trying to keep up with a guide who you can’t hear at the back, and who doesn’t take into account the different walking abilities of the group in question), and a lot of being driven around on a coach. This tour wasn’t any different.
It began with a guided walk through the old town, trying to keep up with the guide and not being able to hear what she was saying for all the noises around us.
It was nice to see Havana in full daylight; the buildings were just as impressive as the night before, and a particularly stunning wall mural took my eye down one of the streets we walked…
The guide took us to the Cathedral, where we were given 15 minutes of free time to explore, then led us through a park and down more streets, until we finally boarded a coach for the second part of our excursion.
We drove through Havana, passing by the enormous Christopher Columbus Cemetery and stopping off for ten minutes at Central Park, which is dominated by the government building and where the old American cars were lined up for folks to photograph or be given a ride in. At Revolution Square, huge images of Fidel Castro and Shey Cuervara look down upon visitors from the sides of nearby buidlings, and there’s a tall monument there, too, along with lots more of those old cars…
Our last but one stop was at the Hotel Nationale De Cuba, a grand hotel infamous for its association with the Mafia who conducted many of its gambling and other rackets from here when its influence was at its height. Cuba’s colourful political history is celebrated within its many rooms and halls, along with a ‘Hall of Fame’, a bar which it seems everybody who has been anybody over the last hundred years or so has frequented. Photos of actors, musicians and politicians from all over the globe, from Frank Sinatra to Leonardo Di Caprio, Peter Frampton to Rocky Marciano, Vladimir Putin to… well… pretty much everyone has been here, it seems; some who have left behind momentos and others just their names.
The final stop on our tour was to the Castillo del Morro fort on the opposite side of the harbour entrance. We didn’t have to time to explore the fort, however; this was just another ten minute photo stop before heading back to the ship for lunch.
My tour just took up the morning while Tracey’s tour was an all-dayer, so I found myself without my partner-in-crime all afternoon. I spent it working online, updating the blog and relaxing up on deck with my book.
Havana made a great impression on both Tracey and myself. It seems to be a fast-changing country with a very rich history, and I look forward to returning sometime in the future, if we get the opportunity.
