Days of Doreese in Cuba: Day 4 Part 2

Monday February 29 2016 ~~ Day 4 Part 2

We get freshened up, pop another chocolate for some energy and say hasta la vista to our casa. We have lots to fit in this afternoon, so with map in hand, we set off toward the Paseo de Marti (Del Prado) and Capitolio Nacional.

We walk past the Museo de la Revolucion, stopping to give a scratch to this sweetheart.

One of the reasons that I hesitated to walk around at night….watch your step!

Keeping the parks tidy…

I’m not sure what this building was…it was next to Hotel Sevilla…

We arrive on the Prada….and like so many places, I can only imagine how beautiful this must have been…or...could be....

“In 1772 Don Felipe Fonsdeviela y Ondeano designed the street and in 1925 French landscape architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier redesigned the paseo, lined with trees and with marble benches. Lining the boulevard are important buildings such as hotels (including the Hotel Sevilla), cinemas, theaters, and mansions imitating styles from Madrid, París and Vienna. El Prado was the first paved street in Havana. When El Capitolio was built in 1929 that section of the promenade was removed. At the corner of Cárcel street the car dealership Packard & Cunnighamm was located, and in 1940 the radio network RHC-Cadena Azul established its studios on the Prado. Already in the 1950s rich families were moving from the Prado to Miramar, Vedado and Siboney. After the revolution the street and many of its buildings continued to deteriorate physically, to such point that many collapsed and are still in a ruined state. Nonetheless, many other buildings have been renovated. In the first decade of the 2000s the high-end Hotel Parque Central was completed, anchoring the southeast end of the Paseo.” (Wikipedia)

Side street view…

Wonderful place to walk….

Unfortunately a lot of the buildings are crumbling from age and neglect. Can you just imagine how impressive it was….

Hotel Telegrafo….

Parque Central…

Monumento a Jose Marti…

Gran Teatro….completed in 1915 and home to the Cuban National Ballet…

El Capitolio Nacional… “El Capitolio, or National Capitol Building in Havana, Cuba, was the seat of government in Cuba until after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and is now home to the Cuban Academy of Sciences. "El Capitolio" has a size of 681 by 300 ft. Its design and name recall the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. Completed in 1929, it was the tallest building in Havana until the 1950s and houses the world's third largest indoor statue. As of 2013, the Government of Cuba is restoring the building for use once again as the home of Cuba's National Assembly.” (Wikipedia)

There is a ton of construction and road repair going on in this area…jackhammers working, noise and dust. Made us very glad that we were staying in such a quiet area.

And now it’s time for our tour!

A fellow approaches us just as we see all the classic cars lined up. We ask for a 30-minute malecon tour and he quotes $20CUC…perfect!

It may not have been the fanciest classic car, but when I see that it’s a Ford Fairlane, I know it’s the one. Our family had a baby blue Fairlane in the 60s so this is a sweet memory of times with my Dad. We hop in with the driver and our guide, Moses. A very nice young man who dreams of becoming a teacher. I truly hope his dreams come true!

We drive past El Floridita and then on to the malecon, travelling along until Hotel Nacional…

We turn around and follow the malecon back towards the Bahia de la Habana…

We continue on past Plaza de San Francisco and the dock area….

As we drive past, we notice a sign for ‘Dos Hermanos’….that rings a bell! Launa and Steve told us that we just had to go there for mojitos! We arrive back at our start point in exactly 30 minutes. We thank Moses for the wonderful tour and tip him generously. Good luck Moses!

We walk past the Capitolio in search of Partagas Cigar Factory.

It’s located directly behind the Capitolio, about a block away….

We know very little about cigars, and stepping into the shop, we glaze over. Oh boy, that’s a lot of cigars!

We enlist the help of the friendly fellow behind the counter. He helps us pick out some cigars for our 2 sons at home. ¡Gracias!

I can hear those mojitos calling our name so we continue on our path, past the entrance to Barrio Chino de la Habana…

And Parque de la Fraternidad…

And in the midst of all the classic cars we see a nice shiny mini cooper!

Next stop, Hotel Saratoga….I had read that they may have a business center with Internet access.

Sure enough we take the stairs to the second floor and next to a beautiful bar area there are several computers….30 minutes for $6CUC. We tried to check in for our flight tomorrow, but it wouldn’t work. We did however, manage to send several emails to family to let them know that we were okay and having a fantastic time. We also connected via our cell phone at the same time and could text with our kids. I thought there might be some kind of delay but send/receive was instantaneous. We even took a photo and posted on Facebook!

It’s a very pretty hotel…..

And the washrooms were excellent….it’s such a treat when there are seats, toilet paper, soap and paper towels! I may or may not have ‘borrowed’ some of the tp to take home to our casa! 😀

Guests are greeted with refreshing towels…

So, I guess it could be nice to be in a cushy place like this, but I just loved our casa, and stepping outside to all the nearby construction, I’m so happy we are staying in a different area. Not to mention the huge price difference!

Now we need to get back to Dos Hermanos. It’s too far to walk….it’s hot and we’ve already walked a gazillion miles today. For $5CUC we hop in a bicitaxi. It was a fun ride!

Come along for the ride....click for video....

We hear music coming from the Havana Club Museum so we decide to start the mojito adventure there!

We find a spot and order 2 mojitos…$8CUC plus tip. Seriously amazing mojitos! I’m thirsty and guzzle it too quickly….soooo good!

Enjoy the entertainment! Click for video....

The band takes a break so we stumble/walk next door to Dos Hermanos.

Music and dancing here too!

We find a spot at the bar and order dos mas mojitos…$8CUC plus tip. Oh my, delicious!

A little HaHa....apparently it does not take much to get me tipsy! Click for video evidence....😜

The band is great here too! Another CD to add to our collection.

More musica....click for the video...

The bartender walks past with a plate of something….chicharron! He must have seen my mouth drop open as he puts the plate down in front of us and motions for us to grab some. Crispy deliciousness!

Time is slipping by….I don’t want this day to end! But I’m getting quite tipsy and it might be good to wander home and get some proper dinner!

Some sights as we wander home…..

Have you ever made an ‘under the influence’ purchase? Lol…I just had to have this painting. We bartered a bit…$20CUC. Getting it home on flights wasn’t easy, but it made it!

This is a huge mural….

What do I hear? Do I hear music? One last stop at Bodeguita del Medio! And 2 more mojitos! $10CUC plus tip. Seriously addicted to those things!

We’ve seen this fellow on a Cuba documentary….maybe Anthony Bourdain? He was funny and of course you have to pay him for the photo.

We sign our initials…will have to look for them next time!

And a pretend puff...

So many memories of this place will be etched in our minds and hearts forever…💕💕

Time to wander home, finally.....

Up the last hill to our casa…

I don’t think these mailboxes are in use any more…

The view from our door to the square…

We drop all our goodies and clean up and then walk down the little hill to Habana 61 for a delicious dinner. There’s only a short wait tonight and we enjoy chatting with a family from Sweden and a couple from New Orleans.

Mojitos are ordered!