We concluded our Cuba trip with a good few days in Havana, a huge sprawling city which comprises of Habana Vieja (the old town), Centro Habana and Vedado (mainly residential). We were staying with a friend of a friend, Lorenzo, in his penthouse studio apartment. The space was originally an art gallery, with white walls displaying various artworks, three terraces for people to discuss artsy things, and an excellent sound system. However, once the state prohibited this kind of private enterprise, the gallery was closed and now is essentially just a very lovely place to live. Needless to say, living with Lorenzo gave us a unique experience of the city as well as an insight into what young people think of the situation in Cuba. As he was a designer who seemed to know all of Havana, we bustled around from his various friends’ shops, bars, clubs and had an excellent time!
We were based in Vedado which meant we explored the nearby John Lennon park (they are obsessed with the Beatles!), the Revolution Square (which fills with thousands of people on rally days) and wandered past the university (weirdly similar to UCL with its Greek columns). We also headed to the Museo de Bellas Artes to see the Cuban contemporary art which was WONDERFUL. The Revolution Museum was under renovation which was a shame but we did go inside to marvel at the impressive Presidential building.
We ate well in Havana, arriving to vaca frita (fried shredded beef) with yerbabuena lemonade (like mint). Throughout our stay we munched on Lorenzo’s great cooking which began with a local dish of beef mince, olives, fried egg and spices (which had been noticeably absent during the majority of our trip). At one point we also found a grill and ordered every meat on offer, it was a dream.
It was very hot, 41 degrees for the majority of the day, but we still managed to wander around the Old Town and explore various plazas. We saw the Capitolio building, which is the Cuban (larger) copy of Washington D.C’s Capitol. I couldn’t help but see the irony of the Cuban state declaring its independence and revolution by constructing a building that mimicked the very forces of power they had been struggling against. Havana is famous for the malecón (promenade) which runs the whole way round the city, where the fishermen spend their days and many people gather in the evenings. We spent a lot of time here, hence the photo.
Lorenzo sorted us out in the evenings after work, firstly taking us to the Cañonazo ceremony in the castle (where young men spend their military conscription acting out the English firing the canon every evening, reminiscent of how they protected the city for the period when they were here). A rooftop bar then led into an impromptu street art tour by night (Havana is very artsy). We had some cracking sunsets from the malecón and the roof of the apartment. One night we were knackered after so much wandering but ended up at a hidden club in the Old Town, and perked up after a few Ron Collins. To give you an idea, there was a platform in the middle of the small room where the good dancers would strut their stuff whilst often suspending themselves from the handles that were attached to the ceiling. We took some tips and continued bopping about in the corner.
To finish off, we spent our last night watching an Interactivo gig, which to our surprise only started at 1am. Perhaps more like a jam, the 21-piece band improvised their way through a fusion of jazz-salsa-Cuban music and got everyone on their feet (even us!). It was absolutely amazing: singers, keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, bongos, percussion, violin, trombone, trumpet, saxophone, flute… Havana you’re fab.
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