At last, here are the first pictures from my trip to Cuba! Daniel and I spent a long time planning beforehand which route to take and what we wanted to see along the way. One thing was clear: as much as possible, somehow from west to east. Because taxis there are pretty expensive, there was really only one option – and the coolest one too: drive ourselves, through every pothole.
Rental cars in Cuba are a story of their own, though, especially if you only book six weeks before the holiday. By then there are practically none left, because more and more tourists have the same idea and the number of rental cars isn’t growing with them. So we changed our plans: after a few days in Havana, fly to the east and roll up the country from behind, so to speak. More on that in the next posts – in the end we even found this solution nicer. Throughout the whole trip we stayed in casas, that is, with locals. That’s much nicer and more authentic, and the state hotels are sinfully expensive anyway and only rarely good.
Our Air France flight from Zurich to Havana was nothing special, and we were glad when we finally arrived late at night. Our first casa was on the edge of the historic old town, La Habana Vieja, and the next morning we set off at a leisurely pace to explore the first streets. The colours were special, the people very likeable, and everywhere the old classic cars were rattling along – let’s not talk about the smog. It’s amazing how the Cubans keep these cars running. We were, however, to see plenty of broken-down ones on our way through Cuba.
The first walk took us towards the old town and the water, past well-known squares such as the Plaza de la Catedral and the Plaza de Armas. The first mojitos to salsa music of course tasted excellent, and towards evening we were on the Malecón, the famous seafront boulevard, to watch the sunset and the old bangers driving past. Thanks to jet lag we went to bed early, but this first day had already whetted our appetite for everything that lay ahead.
Che Guevara peeling off the wall – one of our first sights in Havana.Laundry on the balconies of a colonial house in La Habana Vieja.A sailing ship on a tile by the door, a painted wall beside it.A blue classic car rolls past a church tower beneath the palms.Classic cars, passers-by and a church with onion domes – the old town in the morning.Fists up and a big grin – the people here are wonderfully friendly.Almacen – no parqueo: a weathered wooden door that leaves no room for doubt.A statue of a monk against an old wall and posters of Leo Brouwer.Through the dark archway, the dome of the Capitol shines.A print workshop and a concert in a church nave – Havana indoors.Across the rooftops to the harbour of Havana, where the ships lie.A fountain from above, paths radiating across the square.White balconies against a deep blue sky in the old town.Yellow arcades and a vertical Taberna sign.Café Habana, a bicycle above it as its emblem.Between white walls, an ornate corner façade with a dome appears.Gold and saints: an altar in a church of the old town.A white Mercedes with Cuban plates – amazing how they keep these cars running.Two women in an alley, a Café Express sign beside them.The cathedral on the Plaza de la Catedral, seen through the stone arches.The curving baroque façade of the cathedral.Looking down on a cobbled square in the old town.Red tiled domes, the sea and the Morro at the harbour entrance behind.Rooftops of the old town all the way to the dome of the Capitol.A blue classic car in a courtyard and its fender up close.A classic car in front of Che graffiti and an equestrian statue on the Malecón.The Castillo del Morro with its lighthouse at the harbour entrance.Two anglers on the rocks, the Havana skyline behind them.Crumbling colonial façades with classic cars passing in front.A folder under one arm, the other hand raised in greeting – and a blue classic car behind.Bicycles in the alley and the grille of an old truck.A green classic car rattles past the arcades.Parked in a neat row: classic cars in the old town.Chess on the wall, a few onlookers around.A red classic car in front of the Capitol in the evening light.The sun sets over the Malecón, the old cars driving into the backlight.Classic cars reflected on the wet Malecón, the sky glowing.The sky blazes above the Malecón and the fortress at the harbour entrance.A pedestrian crosses the Malecón as a classic car rushes by.To finish, the Basilica of San Francisco de Asís glows in the night.
