Habana Vieje...

Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, another father of the homeland.

Our stay in Havana was only 5 days, but a couple of times our Lindblad expeditions took us into the very picturesque old town, Havana Vieja, which is the "core" of the city and was founded by the Spanish in 1519. The old town borders the large natural harbour which is Havana Bay and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Bell tower of the Catedral de San Cristóbal.

A bride and groom pose for photos in front of the Cathedral.

Leadlighting in the Cathedral.

The cobbles of the Piazza de la Catedral.

Old Havana became one of the jewels in the Spanish empire, and was an inevitable port for the treasure laden Spanish Galleons as they sailed from the New World back to the Old World. The city was sacked and burned by French pirates in 1555, which prompted the Spanish to mount decent fortifications, which we have seen, as well as rebuild the city.

The beauty of classical architecture.

Fully restored exteriors are a delight to the eye.

Two very common modes of transport in Havana, old cars and horse drawn carts.

Habana Vieja is blessed with a number of open places linked by narrow alleyways of rough cobblestones. Traffic access seems to be restricted (no doubt, by decree) and sometimes enforced by bollards made from buried cannons! The ones we took note of were Plaza de la Catedral, Palzuela de Santo Domingo, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de San Francisco and Plaza Vieje, assuming we got the names right!

A Cuban rations store where limited amounts of specified essentials are sold at low prices,

All the ration stores we saw seem to have very low stocks and variety.

Touts abound, mostly people wanting you to take their photos for a fee. There are licensed models too, young ladies in garishly colourful traditional Caribbean style dresses. They cover their faces until you pay them some agreed fee. There are some beggars.

Old canons make effective road closures.

You feel totally safe in Habana Vieja and indeed in Havana generally. Crime rates are reported to be very low, claiming to be the safest in Central and South America, maybe partly because punishment is so severe? That said, we Americans got a mixed reception in Havana. Some people snarl and curse "Americano!" but mostly the Cubans we encountered were polite, friendly, interested and welcoming. (The USA has really only allowed its citzens here for a few short months, so the gloss hasn't worn off yet.) A few people were very positive, saying things like "at last you have come!". Cuba's revolution has its supporters and opponents!

Souvenir stalls are ubiquitous in Old Havana, a sign of more to come. Revolutionary themes are common.

Magnificent building in the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis.

Remnant of old city aqueducts.

Our group aside, non-American tourists are pretty thick on the ground in Habana Vieja, mostly Europeans and Canadians. Accordingly, the city is replete with stalls and shops selling souvenirs and cheap trinkets. Many of our co-travellers sought out more expensive artworks, and found them too. Cigars and rum were popular purchases.

Our old-town restaurant one night. Talking to us (L-R) are guide Lazaro, expedition leader Jeff and the owner.

Our restaurant from outside. We were on the floor above the ground floor.

We enjoyed a 3 hour walking tour of Habana Vieja, although at the end we were hot, exhausted and thirsty! Another night, we came in to dine at a very up-market restaurant in a fabulously restored old building with extraordinarily high ceilings. Lindblad seem to have found many such privately owned restaurants. They seem to be at the vanguard of Cuba's relaxation of strict socialism and prohibition of private enterprise. At this and other places we dined, the restaurant owner would talk to us. We suspect that they are terrified that the liberalisation allowed so far will be undone by political change in the USA.

The colorful Old Square of Old Havana.

Children from an adjacent school undertook PE in the crowded square.

Watching the passing parade of locals and tourists.

This eccentric sculpture is one of many public artworks in Habana Vieje.