Our last morning in Viñales was an early one, as our Casa host was quick to remind us that we had to be at the bus station at 9am sharp for our 9:30 Viazul bus to Havana. Determined to heed his sage advice, we rushed through a delicious Cuban breakfast (seriously, where does all this tasty mango come from!?) and hustled ourselves across town to the bus station… where we promptly waited around for an hour before we were allowed to board. Apparently the Cuban transportation system and the American military have something in common – a “hurry up and wait” mentality!
Viazul bus to Habana!
As we settled into our seats, we also reveled in the cool of the bus’s high-powered AC. That is, until a few hours into the ride when we realized they had no intention of turning down the arctic blasts that were gusting from the AC vents. As we watched the windows condense and pulled on our hoodies, we realized that this was a special moment: the only time we’d ever be cold in Cuba.
After spilling out of our bus-turned-ice house and into the Havana heat, we negotiated a taxi ride into the city, as the bus station is ~25-30 minutes from the main downtown area. When we walked into our 3rd and final Casa, we were surprised by the size of the doors to our room – they were practically 2 stories tall!
We had stairs up to the bathroom, with a nifty little balcony… in our room!
It was later explained to us that the old Cuban houses all had really high ceilings to help keep the air moving and the heat away from the occupants. Nowadays, many of the older buildings have put in a barbacoa (which translates to barbeque) as a mezzanine that splits these huge rooms into more manageable sizes. However, some Casas are resorting these old rooms to better reflect the old style. We loved our room, and managed not to fall down the stairs that lead up to a Juliette style balcony and the bathroom!
As soon as we dropped our bags, we headed upstairs for a quick snack before our walking tour of Havana began. We enjoyed a lime-y ceviché and guacamole with plantain chips – all washed back with some Cristal beer and whipped up with flair by our bartender turned chef, Carlos.
Then it was touring time – we were met at the Casa by our guide Annalise and taken through the most popular spots of Havana, including:
- Mansion Mall – One of our first stops was to a massive, stone mansion, with inner courtyard. It was a beautiful space, and both levels were filled with government-run shop selling art, souvenirs, and the like.
Beautiful courtyard with a Cuban flag
This was nice and cheeky — it’s a dual rocking chair for the Cuban and US presidents to use for discussions. It allows them to work together (both help rock) while not having to see eye to eye (get it?)
- Plaza Vieja, which is where the first water sources for the city were piped in. Back in the 40s it had fallen into disrepair and had been turned into a car park, but today has been restored to it’s former glory. The buildings all have pictures of how badly damaged they’d become so you really appreciate the restoration work that had been done.
Plaza Vieja, with several sculptures inside
The plaza is ringed by photos showing how far restoration efforts have come. On the left you can see the sad state of disrepair it was once in!
Crazy statue – it’s a naked woman, holding a giant fork, while riding a giant chicken. Because… why not?
Jess taking a picture of Grant taking a picture.
Recycling in Cuba! Yes!
- Plaza de Armas is ringed by the houses of noble Cubanos, and capped by the Spanish Governer’s mansion. The troops used to practice in the plaza outside, so one frustrated governer had wooden cobblestones installed in an attempt to keep the noise down. No guarantee it actually helped at all!
Amazing old stone architecture
and a wooden cobble stone street! Designed to keep things quiet for the folks inside
- Museo Revolution – Housed in what was the old Bautista Palace, this museum also is home to the balcony where Fidel announced the victory of the Revolution and now houses a museum that details the minute details of the revolution and it’s heroes.
Museo de Revolucion, featuring yet another classic car
View from the front, where you can see the balcony where Fidel announced the victory of La Revolucion!
- Ration Store – Popping into another of the neighborhood dispensaries where we learned even more about how the Cuban government ensures everyone has the basics to survive. While everyone in Cuba was quick to note that you wouldn’t get fat, or really survive well, on these government rations, they definitely are enough to keep families on their feet and seem like a great way to mitigate corruption. Not that either of us are advocating communism, but this approach to providing just enough of the basics seemed like a much better alternative to what is currently done in the US!
Chalk board detailing the ration amounts for that month
The counter where cards are presented to obtain rations, some products can also be purchased here but at much higher prices than afforded by the ration card
- Square – Near the old dock is what used to be the main trade square and it’s neighboring St. Francis Church, the old financial building (build in 3 stages, by 3 different people and looks a bit like a layer cake for it) and a statue of the “Parisian Gentleman,” honoring a beloved local character who had some mental issues that caused him to insist and act like he has a nobleman of Paris. Though homeless, he never begged and would exchange words of wisdom, bits of poetry, flowers or compliments for daily sustenance. It’s considered good luck to step on his foot, hold is hand and tug his beard – quite the ceremony!
Creative bollards — old cannons (replicas) placed vertically
View of the plaza in the afternoon, looking upon the church
Line of classic cars parked in front of the old port
Above, our candids with the Parisian Gentleman! - El Bodeguita Del Medio – Hemingway’s go-to mojito joint. This place is where the old man would pop in for his Mojitos, and is now so popular they don’t serve much besides. It also allows people to sign the walls, so the layers of pen ink are probably helping to hold the building up! It was packed with tourists, so we opted out of a drink at the time, but did pony up to the bar to enjoy the view.
Lots of scribbling, both inside and out!
A line of fresh mojitos being prepped at the bar
- Cigars – Knowing we had to buy cigars as gifts, we also picked up a “flight” of the 3 most famous Cuban cigars for taste testing: A Cohiba, a Montecristo #2 and a recommendation from Annalise – the Hoyo de Monterey.
?Porque no los tres? (Why not three?)
After 3 and half hours of walking in the heat of the day, we were whipped, and headed back to our casa to relax, prep for dinner, and have a rooftop beverage.
An typical Havana sidestreet
After a brief siesta and even quicker shower, we climbed the 3 stories to our rooftop and and cued up Carlos for a round of drinks. Jess got Carlos’ twist on a chanchacaran (which we discovered in Trinidad) and Grant had the prettiest red, white and blue daiquiri he ever did see.
Line of rums!
Super colorful drink, with Cuban colors on display
Then we hopped in a classic car and were taken to dinner at La California. We followed our aperitifs with more mojitos, and Jess settled in for lamb stuffed peppers, while Grant enjoyed fish in a red sauce. We passed on dessert in order to make sure we were ready when our cabbie said to be, but ended up waiting almost 25 minutes for him to show up. At about 10 minutes in, a hearty debate began about how long it was appropriate to wait for a booked car before giving up and hailing your own. Fortunately cooler (aka: Grant’s) heads prevailed and we waited for our very apologetic driver to tool us back home.
Once back, we couldn’t wait to try out a true Cuban cigar, so grabbed the Hoyo de Monterey and headed up to the rooftop to enjoy a nightcap and a puff. In a fun twist of events, we discovered that the Hoyos make Cristal beer taste like… juice!
Completely mellowed out by the beverages, the cigar and the warm night air, we carefully made our way down the 3 flights of stairs to our room and called it a night!
-J & G