5 Days in Havana (Part II)

The second day of our stay in Havana was a busy one; art, architecture, history and views. We did it all!

View from the rooftop of Camera Obscura

Our first stop of the day was the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which featured an amazing display of Cuban Art, from the Colonial era all the way up to modern paintings and sculpture. It was really nice to escape the bustle, and heat, of the city for a couple of hours and to check out some amazing artwork from Cuba's best. It was also interesting to see how the paintings reflected Cuba's history, with old Colonial landscapes depicting life in Cuba in the 18th century, early-mid 20th century paintings that spoke up against the oppressive regimes of the time, and Revolutionary pop art featuring the familiar faces of Castro, Guevera and the rest of the bunch. The building itself was very modern, and a great place to relax for a bit.

Souvenir print we picked up in Bellas Artes

For lunch we hit up Sloppy Joe's, which we just happened to see from one of the windows of the museum. Reopened in 2013 after 48 years, Sloppy Joe's was a popular spot in pre-Revolutionary Havana, and favourite of the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ernest Hemingway and Ava Gardner. It's now a big tourist destination, serving up a huge menu of cocktails and, of course, Sloppy Joes (apparently its the birth place of Sloppy Joes, but this is disputed).

After lunch we hopped onto the open top bus tour. It was a great way to see parts of the city that would otherwise be difficult to get to, and only cost us $5 each. While the tour was in Spanish, the real highlight of the trip was the opportunity to see Havana's famously eclectic mix of architecture. No two buildings in the city are the same it seems, with every architectural style represented, and buildings in all sorts of lurid colours and in varying states of disrepair. There hasn't been much development in the city since the Revolution, and many formerly grand buildings are in pretty bad shape these days. While there's a certain charm to the dilapidated suburbs, it would be great to see these buildings returned to their former glory. 

The bus also gave us a chance to take in the 4 distinct generations of Cuban vehicles: cars from the 50's, still going after all these years (often very beat up and coughing out thick black smoke), boxy Ladas from the Soviets, newer Japanese cars and modern vehicles from China (including the bus we were on). We also found the roads surprisingly empty, and later learned that there are only 38 cars per 1000 people in Cuba, compared to 800 per 1000 in the USA. This contributes to Cuba status as one of the most eco-friendly countries in the world, though you wouldn't think it looking at the gas guzzling monsters from the 50's. It also explains some of the extreme car-pooling we witnessed.

The main sight on the tour was Plaza de la Revolución, a huge square featuring a towering monument as well as the famous sculpture of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. A similar sculpture of Che's best bud, and popular local boy, Camilo Cienfuegos can also be seen in the square.

Plaza de la Revolución

After 2 hours of touring the city we got of the bus back in Old Havana and checked out a few more spots on our list. First off was Castillo de la Real Fuerza, one of Havana's many forts. After fending off another pushy tour guide we were able to explore the fort at our own pace, climbing up onto the walls, and taking in the view from the top of a bell tower.

We also managed to stop by the underwhelming Mural "Museum" for a few minutes. We weren't really sure what it was all about, but it was free, and is apparently housed in what is perhaps the oldest building in Havana. After that it was on to see a miniature model of the city, which was incredibly detailed and very interesting to study. Finally, we stopped by the Camera Obscura located at the top of a building on Plaza Vieja. This gave us some great panoramic views of the city, and we could even see that monument in Plaza de la Revolución that we had seen up close earlier in the day.

We ended the day with a much deserved drink on the roof terrace of our Casa, and headed out for dinner at a restaurant which, unbeknownst to us, was putting on a Flamenco show that evening.

In case you missed it, here is the link to our first blog post about this trip:
5 Days in Havana (Part I)

And here are the rest of the posts from our trip:
Viñales Valley Wednesday
5 Days in Havana (Part III)
Varadero Weekend

And here are a few more pictures from Havana Part II: