My goal today is to visit the east side of Old Habana, which
apparently has received most of the development money, both to protect the
cultural patrimony of Cuba and to attract tourism. A big cruise ship docked
today, so there are many tourists left loose through the town.
Highlights of my rambling through the town included the
cathedral and its plaza, which are beautifully restored. Cubans are mostly
Catholics, but communism considers all religions equally bad, so there is also
a synagogue, a mosque, a Russian Orthodox church, and who knows whatever else.
After my overdose of early colonial history in Cartagena I
was eager to also explore that time period in the history of La Habana. Sadly I
didn’t meet with much success. There is a museum of the city, in a handsomely
restored building, but it was a collection of old crockery, fancy furniture,
and military paraphernalia that didn’t tell a story.
Delma had marked in my map a series of places she thought I
might find interesting, which provided a basic skeleton for my walk. I saw many
parks, the archaeologic excavation to expose the old city wall, music bands
performing for the cruise tourists, and lots of interesting looking people. I
was in a race against the oppressing heat of the early afternoon, and was doing
my best to remain properly hydrated, but eventually I gave up and stopped at
the iconic bar “La Floridita” for a mojito. The bar’s claim to fame is to have
invented the daikiri at the behest of Hemingway, and the fame that discovery has
given them was enough to justify triple the price, a packed tourist clientele,
and a very nice tropical band (they even played Guantanamera, which I am sure
they play at least once every hour). Unfortunately my mojito eventually came to
an end and I had to once again face the brutal noon sun.
I must have done something in between, but honestly my brain
was fried and I have no clear recollection of what it was. What I do remember,
however, is that Delma had recommended me a restaurant right in front of the Capitolio and miraculously I found
myself in front of it, right when I was ready to collapse. The restaurant is
really three restaurants in three separate floors, and I chose the Asturianito in the first floor, which
specializes in Spanish food (the street address is Paseo del Prado 563). It was
dark and cool, there were dozens of waiters at my service, and the elegantly
dressed capitán de meseros graciously
suggested a cold sangria while I
looked at the menu. A quick look at the prices convinced me that I had found
the perfect restaurant with perfect prices, so I ordered a jar of deliciously
cool sangria, a bowl of hearty fabada asturiana, and a dish of lamb in
rosemary sauce that was to die for. The lamb was not the chewy mutton that you
often found in restaurants, but suckling lamb that melted in your mouth; and
there was a lot of it! The final tab, including a generous tip was only 25 CUC.
I love it 😊
For the afternoon I continued my exploration of the old
city, concentrating on the small forts that protected this side of Habana Bay.
The real big fortress is on the other side of the harbor, so I took the small
boat that ferries passengers to the other side, to go pay a very limited visit
to the old fortress (now a military base), the Casa Blanca (but I have no idea if this is where Raúl Castro
lives), and a big marble Christ that looks benevolently over the city.
Goodness, it is hot here. Fortunately I came across a tiny stand that sold very
cold beer and had a very welcoming shade.
I made my way back home in stages, from shade to shade, from
mojito to mojito, and once I got here I drank five glasses of cold water while
I chatted with Maricela, or Mari, who works here and every morning prepares me
a great cup of coffee and a tasty breakfast. Nice to connect with my support
group.
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