City Tour

Clearing up a little mystery... In English, the city is called Havana, while in Spanish, it’s Habana. You can experience Havana on foot, by bike taxi, by bus, in a horse-drawn carriage, or from the backseat of an old American dollar grin. In Havana, time seems to have stood still, and yet, not entirely. Old American cars cruise alongside horse-drawn carriages. You can still find payphones on the streets. The shops may not be overflowing with a wide variety of goods, but then suddenly, you spot an Adidas store. Long lines form outside banks and clothing shops, as they only allow a limited number of customers inside at a time—the rest have to wait outside. We kicked off our sightseeing adventure by taking the bus over to the fortresses Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro and Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana, which sit on the other side of Havana Bay. The view from here offers a great overview of the city. Back in the day, these fortresses were used to defend the island from attacks. When we visited, the buildings were hosting a large book fair that attracted a huge crowd. The area had transformed into a sort of festival, complete with food stalls, a wide selection of mojitos, ice cream, and plenty of music blasting from various speakers. There isn’t a large selection of candy, chips, and cakes anywhere in the country. However, Cubans love ice cream and popcorn, which are readily available in many places. Back in the city, we continued our tour in a horse-drawn carriage—an hour and a half for 15 CUC—taking us through the Vieja district, where we passed countless museums that we chose to admire from the outside—the war museum, the revolution museum, the art museum, and even a rum museum! :) We also saw the cathedral and the Capitolio, which is now the Academy of Sciences. Parque Central is the spot where groups of shouting men gather daily to discuss baseball. The best food is often served by the hosts in a Casa Particular. So far, we have to agree with everyone on that; you definitely won't leave the table hungry, as the portions are generous. For breakfast, we were served a large plate of fruit, a serving of scrambled eggs with grated carrot, bell peppers, and onions. Fresh rolls and a big jug of freshly squeezed watermelon juice rounded it off. It cost 4 CUC per person. Dinner consisted of three courses: black bean soup as a starter, lobster with mashed potatoes for the main course, and strawberry ice cream with rum and honey for dessert. It only cost 10 CUC, and we definitely couldn’t finish it all. Both day and night, you can hear music everywhere. People love music. Bands play in cafes and restaurants, and folks blast upbeat tunes from their open windows, which are usually wide open due to the heat.