DAY 2
We arrived to Cuba as a party of four…but we felt like a party of five as we carried a backpack with us always. The backpack became known as la Mochila and Mimita affectionately nicknamed it “la 70 kilo mochila”. Each morning I packed la Mochila for the day ahead.
Cuba is a strictly cash basis country for Americans. With that being said, we traveled with a considerable amount of currency. We carried all of our cash and passports in la Mochila. Bathrooms in Cuba leave a lot to be desired. Most do not have a toilet seat or toilet paper, let alone soap or a way to dry your hands after washing. Therefore, we prepared a gallon size Ziploc with all the bathroom essentials. We also packed a few snacks in case we became hungry. In addition, la Mochila carried: an array of medicines, reading and sunglasses, a pen, Lonely Planet Cuba book, a map of Havana, a print out of our notes, chap stick, our four cell phones, Wi-Fi cards, and other miscellaneous items. In the front of la Mochila is a mesh section which housed our candy and gum for the kids. The children would spot it immediately and ask for un caramelo (candy). We took turns carrying the 70 kilogram mochila. With la Mochila packed we were ready to explore Havana.
On our way home the night before we spotted a bakery and this morning we decided to go sample some pastelitos (mini Cuban breakfast pastries) for breakfast. We attempted to order three coconut pastelitos and three cafesitos (Cuban coffee). They were out of café, but were happy to recommend a nearby spot for us. With our pastelitos in hand we headed for the new coffee house. On our way for café we spotted un mercado (market) and bought bananas, fritas (fried dough with chives) and a plastic bag of freshly squeezed orange juice. This mercado would become our morning stop.
From there we walked another block to Café Mamaine at 206 Calle L e/ 15 y 17 Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución. A few steep steps to ascend before walking into a bohemian cuban Starbucks. We sat at the counter and devoured our cafesitos and café con leche presented on a saucer with two petite spoons…one for spooning raw sugar and one for stirring. After leaving Café Mamaine we began our three block walk to Mimita’s home, as we passed a blue building we couldn’t help but notice a congregation of locals at the basement entrance. Mimita explained it was the chicken line where Cubans used their ration cards. I asked how people know when the chicken arrived. Mimita replied laughing, “It’s easy, your neighbor yells…the chickens are here, the chickens are here!” A little more café and we were off to explore La Habana Vieja.
On the left: the entrance to Café Mamaine, a coffee house with displayed original art available for purchase
On the right: their café con coconut leche brought from the United States for our lactose intolerant traveler.
Havana is a city of two million people encompassing about 280 square miles or 700 kilometers squared. The province of Havana is divided into 15 municipalities. We visited four: Miramar, Vedado, Centro Habana, and La Habana Vieja, listed from west to east. Each municipality has its own unique characteristics.
Prior to the Revolution, Miramar was home to many of Havana’s upscale residents. The large houses/mansions remain today, and are the best maintained. Many embassies line Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue). Vedado is the urban and business district and the more modern part of Havana. The main drag running east to west is Calle 23 (23rd Street) also known as La Rampa (the ramp). El Malecón borders the northern edge of this district. Centro Havana houses retail, office building and hotels. Even though it’s a smaller municipality it has the highest population density. La Habana Vieja is the most deteriorated but home to most of the forts, plazas, and churches.
We left Mimita’s house and headed for El Capitolio (National Capital Building). We were excited to view the 25 carat diamond in the floor of the main hall, which marks Kilometre Cero (kilometer zero) or from where every distance in Cuba is measured. One thing we quickly learned about Cuba is a lot of the online information is outdated or just plain wrong. As we drove up we were surprised to see the massive rafters on the side of El Capitolio, it was clear the building was closed for renovations. Luis stopped the car for a quick picture only to be informed by la polícia we needed to move on! I was on alert and remembered Rule #1 of our travel agreement, “do not call attention to yourself”. We skedaddled.
In stride, we checked El Capitolio off our to do list and headed to Almacenes San José, a building along La Bahía de la Habana (Havana Bay) where local artisans exhibit and sell paintings and handicrafts. Luis dropped us off with the promise to return whenever we rang. We explored the endless lined aisles and took mental notes of our likes. It was overwhelming and we were hungry once again. We hailed a taxi, negotiated the fare, and we were on our way, or so we thought. No less than one minute into our taxi ride the driver was pulled over by la polícia. My nerves raced! I sat in the front seat alongside my cousin while all three of my ducklings remained calm and faced forward as per Rule #2 of our travel agreement, “do not look or speak to la polícia unless you are addressed”. La polícia asked the driver for identification and although our driver handed over numerous documents, none sufficed. I took one look at my cousin and with unspoken words we visually communicated it was time for us to exit the taxi.
We regrouped and handed out some caramelos to nearby children then hailed another taxi. We arrived at Café de los Artistas Paladar located at Calle Aguiar # 22 Entre Pena Pobre y Ave de Los Misiones. Tucked away on a tiny cobblestone street, a cave-like paladar with dim lights, high ceilings and vintage artwork awaited us. We enjoyed frozen mint lemonade with a shot of Havana Club, garbanzos fritos (fried garbanzos), tostones rellanos con ropa vieja (stuffed fried green bananas with shredded beef), and pollo y atun tacos (chicken and tuna tacos). Bellies full again and time to explore!
We strolled through Plaza de Armas (Plaza of Arms), admired el Havana Cathedral, and briefly popped into La Bogetida de Medio, one of Hemmingway’s watering holes. At Ambos Mundos Hotel (Both Worlds Hotel) located at Calle Obispo # 153 esq. a Mercedes we rode the iron lift with an elevator operator to the rooftop restaurant and bar. Hotel!…Get on Wi-fi and check in back home! This feat was accomplished with minimal effort…well, minimal effort for my daughters. Email sent…and immediately off Wi-Fi to savor the sweeping views of Havana. We sipped strawberry daiquiris and a piña colada while listening to the sounds of a three piece band playing Cuban music.
Continuing with our leisurely stroll we popped into Hotel Inglaterra at Paseo Del Prado 416 Esq. San Rafael to inquire about cigars. We were a minute too late, the clerk was exiting the shop. We would have to try again another day. On the same block is el Gran Teatro de la Habana (Grand Theatre of Havana), the stage for the Cuban National Ballet Company. We peeked in the enormous front doors only to be in awe of the most stunning stairway I have ever seen. We walked past El Capitolio on our way to Hotel Saratoga at Prado 603 Esquina Dragones. Their Mezzanine Bar was right out of a movie set. Here we enjoyed french fries and Cubatas (Havana Club 7 years and coke) while listening to the resident piano player play requested tunes. Later we rode the elevator to the resort-looking pool bar which overlooked El Capitolio and el Gran Teatro de la Habana. As the clock struck 9pm, we listened for the ceremonial cannon fire, yet again it evaded us.
On the left: el Gran Teatro de la Habana
On the right: bar area at Hotel Saratoga
Time for Mimita to call Luis for our ride back to our casita. In the car my eyes would dart back and forth to each side of the street as to not miss anything. I was sure if I looked hard and long enough I could imprint my mind with this landscape to last me another 50 years. Once back at our casita, we dropped off la Mochila and walked to our same neighborhood paladar to enjoy another semi-cold cerverza and tostones. Back to our bedrooms where I fell into my bed…oops, I had forgotten about the mattress, I’ll be more careful tomorrow. No problem, I slept like un bebé (baby).
-Izzy
To continue the 10 day journey please visit other days: