Cuba Cruise - Day 4 - Havana, Cuba

Monday, January 11, 2016 began with interesting talk about the history of Havana before we went ashore. Our first of two tours was a walking tour of Havana. We started in the St. Francis of Assisi Square where we met up with our tour group guide and prepared for our 2.5 mile walk.

There were many statues of famous Cuban people and I got a picture of Susan with somebody famous.

Along the way, we passed by the Museo Del Chocolate where my wonderful chocoholic sister, Pat, was admiring the sign.

We wandered down many narrow streets with old cannons placed to prevent auto traffic.

There were many small squares scattered throughout the city decorated with art and/or statuary.

Our group was then seated in a local bar/restaurant where we were served the Cuban national drink, a Mojito, made with the local Havana Club rum, lime juice and sugar with a sprig of mint leaves in it. Delicious - even Susan drank one!

We saw a wide variety of vehicles as we wandered around. From antique taxis to horse-drawn carriages to CoCos. A fun place...

A taxi and a carriage

Note the different colors? Parts from other cars to complete the body.

A CoCo

There were some interesting art pieces too. Here is my favorite:

Etienne "La Conversacion"

After some lunch on board the ship, we headed out for our second tour - on a bus this time. Our first stop was at the Plaza de la Revolucion. Huge political rallies are held in this plaza. Next to the bus was a street lined with a variety of antique cars now used as taxis.

A visage of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara adorn the facade of government buildings around the plaza.





The highlight of the plaza is the monument of the Revolucion.

We then saw everything from "normal" homes to the extravagance of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba.

We even passed by Ernest Hemingway's favorite bar in Havana - the Floridita.

Our last stop of the day was at the local marketplace where I saw some cute wooden bass art (that I didn't buy).

Back to the ship to prepare for another day in Havana.