Our Second Day in Old Havana - an Enchanting City One Must See When Visiting Cuba

Day 5- Cuban Trip

 Parque Central ( Central  Park), Old Havana, Cuba

Standing outside the hotel and waiting for the shuttle bus to Old Havana, we befriended a couple of tourists to Cuba.

They are a brother and sister team from Canada. We had a lot to talk about regarding our experience on this trip as well as other common topics.

We were dropped off at Parque Central ( Central  Park).

Central Park, Old Havana, Cuba

A beautiful park right in the middle of downtown Old Havana.

 Our original plan was to walk along the harbor front and to enjoy the water view of this enchanting city.

We decided to explore the downtown area of Old Havana.

Hotel Inglaterra, Old Havana, Cuba

After we went across the road, we were right in front of Hotel Inglaterra.

The hotel  has a spacious inviting outdoor café calling out to passersby to stop and take a break there.









We could not resist sitting down at one of its tables to enjoy what the city of Havana has to offer. 

The Lobby of Hotel Inglaterra

Before we came to Cuba, we knew nothing about the country’s history.

Musicians entertaining guests on the terrace of the hotel

We have totally fallen in love with this city that has so much to offer!

Statute of Jose Marti , Cuba's national hero, in Central Park

In the last two days, we saw the statutes and writings of Jose Marti numerous times.

Enjoying our coffee and watching the world go by

Soaking up the old world charm, we ordered our café con leche and watched the world go by.

Vintage vehicles are everywhere in Cuba!

We watched horse drawn carriages and vintage cars turned taxi picking up and dropping off customers at the sidewalk.

And these vintage vehicles are everywhere!

The Louvre sidewalk outside Hotel Inglaterra 

“The pavement outside the hotel known as the Louvre sidewalk was an animated meeting point for Havana liberals.





























It was here that the young Jose Marti advocated total separation from Spain….and General  Antonio Maceo, a hero of the wars of Cuban independence prepared plans of insurrection in this hotel.”  Pg 86, Cuba by Eyewitness Travel,  2002.

Gran Teatro de la Havana - the grand theatre in Old Havana

Gran Teatro de la Havana

We continued our exploration of the city and walked past the Gran Teatro de la Havana, with a gorgeous facade decorated with four sculpture groups.

One of the sculptures decorating the theatre

They represent Charity, Education, Music and Theater.

 It is a piece of magnificent architecture!

Inside the Gran Teatro de la Havana

Unfortunately, we could not purchase any tickets to watch a show there as they were all sold out.

The Capitolio of Ciba

Right next to the Theatre is the Capitolio building which was modeled after the U.S. Capitol in its design.

After three hundred years of neglect, many of the colonial buildings are being revived and renovated. The Capitolio is one of them.

Outside the grand theatre of Old Havana

                                                                                                                                              Who could resist enjoying a meal in this back to the future atmosphere?

Nice ambience inside the restaurant

 Upon recommendation, we had our a la carte lunch at the Nardos.

Nardos is a popular eating place in Havana

My husband ordered lamb while I preferred sea food.













The serving portion of the lamb was incredible. It was like the length of a lamb leg!

The portion size of the roast lamb was huge!

This dish portion alone could have fed a family of 6!

Because it was a la carte menu, every item was counted, the bread, the water etc were all included in our bill. What looked like a reasonable lunch at the beginning turned out to be much more expensive than we had expected.

Old Havana is a great place for a walking tour.

















We felt safe in Cuba and could walk to most places where we wanted to visit.

Sitting behind the Capital building is another older section of the city. We saw an imposing Chinese entrance gate. But there were few things beyond that gate reminding visitors of the history of Chinese immigrants to Cuba.

Lots of old buildings have been restored or are under renovations in old Havana

After eating all our meals at the resort for the past few days, we were looking forward to some Chinese food in Cuba. But we did not find any behind this Chinese gate.

One thing we did see was a lot of old buildings being renovated and restored to their former grandeur.

The arts and crafts market, Old Havana

Next we walked to some side streets with shops to get some souvenirs.

It was another interesting day visiting the city of Old Havana!


R.T.
Old Havana
Cuba
Week of Jan. 9, 2017