November’s starting and summer is becoming a distant memory. It’s time to start thinking about the Caribbean! What follows is a selection of images taken in Havana, Cuba this past January (2012) while staying at the Rancho Luna resort near Cienfuegos.
Sights From Havana, Cuba
Lonja Del Comercio De La Habana. In English – the Chamber of Commerce. Construction on this building was completed in 1909 and it housed the Stock Exchange up until the revolution in 1959. Today, it serves as an office building.
If you find yourself on any guided tour of La Habana Vieja (Old Havana), it is guaranteed you will visit this building. Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada de La Habana is the long form but it is better known as the Cathedral of Havana.
Construction finished on this structure in 1777 and it is the highlight of Plaza de la Catedral. The square is under aggressive renovation and renewal.
No photo collection of Havana is complete without an image of a classic American car. This fine Chevrolet Belair has undergone some serious restoration.
Looking north, out of the Bay of Havana. On the left is the Morro Castle or Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro. This fortress at the mouth of the harbour dates back to 1589.
Looking west along the Malecón, Havana’s waterfront. Looking north from here, across the Atlantic, the southern reaches of Florida are not far over the horizon. The urban landscape along this road is under extremely aggresive renewal.
A war zone? No. This is just one of many buildings along the Malecón that is being torn down and replaced by newer and supposedly better.
This image was taken from the 33rd floor of the FOSCA building, the tallest in all of Cuba. The pinnacle of the FOSCA building is the La Torre restaurant which offers an unbroken panorama of the city and sea.
The beigy yellow building to the left is the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. The Hotel was completed in 1930.
This is view is looking east along the Malecón with the Morro Castle in the background, on the opposite side of the harbour.
In the forefront is a statue of Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan revolutionary.
Of course, the Capitol Building (El Capitolio). Completed in 1929, the building is very similar to the United States capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Che knows baseball! Even in the rotting carcus of the Estadio Latinoamericano, the rotting politics of a time long past are prevelent. The face of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara is still to found on every street corner, even more than four decades since his passing. In fact, now that he’s the face of tourism, Che is much more popular now than ever before!
Alternative To Staying In Havana
This is an update from 2016 – We stayed at Memories Paraiso Azul Beach Resort on Cayo Santa Maria back in February. The All-Inclusive resort is affordable and has a great beach. Although you need to fly into Santa Clara and take a lengthy bus ride to the resort, there is a small airport on the island just minutes from Memories. Fly-in excursions to Havana can be taken from this local airport and are extremely reasonable in price. For more info on all the available excursions, take a look at this article: Cayo Santa Maria Excursions.
