KO and the Turk

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Art in Cuba

I was surprised to find that Cuba has a prominent art culture. This is probably because all education is free, including music, dance, art training. It appears that artists have a support system with a socialist government. 2 million tourists come to Cuba each year without many US visitors and they are the target market for Cuban artisans. There are special customs rules for US citizens to bring art home which allow for an unlimited value.

I did see government and revolution related art but it seemed, in this day, to be mostly for tourists.

poster in a hotel shop

found in a tshirt shop

painted on wall of building

found in street market - July 26th revolution

There was a special exhibit of BEARS in one of the squares. The United Buddy Bears promote tolerance, peace & freedom on their global tour. After 28 exhibitions on 5 continents, the non-profit project is in Havana for 2015. Contributions go to UNICEF. Each country has a bear that was painted by a selected artist. The most popular beats for the Cubans? Cuba and the US.

Representative bears hanging out

For some reason, there are hands forming a cigar below the belt of the bear for Cuba's bear.

Bear from Turkey - for the Turk!

Cute US bear

Art was everywhere.

we interpreted this to mean that the woman gets the last word

wall hanging

mosaic wall hanging in a city park

tobacco man outside cigar store

mosaic table top

painter at work

Sancho Panza, squire to Don Quixote in the park

Sand mural covering a 2 story, block long building. Historical people of Cuba

marble statue in Florida Hotel


not really sure what this is

Dancers are everywhere, including the pool!

Hotel Nacional de Cuba water ballet

powerful moves

fire, water, and 'walk like an Egyptian' dance

Buena Vista Social Club musicians


BVSC dancers

We had live music at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

lunch time music

musicians in old havana

Friday, January 23, 2015

Cars in Cuba

I expected to see 'some' old American cars, but I didnt expect to see so MANY! Most of the cars are worn and have lost their chrome but a large number look pretty good. Surprising considering they are held together with makeshift parts and ingenuity. There are also quite a few Russian Lada's and an emerging number of modern KIA's from South Korea.

Add caption

Near where the old cars sit to be photographed

Typical street traffic on Prada passing the Capitola

Cant miss the pink

One of the best looking cars, but not running well

Add caption

Gorgeous Ford Fairlane convertible

The inside is even nice

alot of sidecars were on the road

Add caption

Russian Lada from the '70's - they were everywhere

love the size of these cars

Add caption

We took this one to dinner one night - 3 in front, 3 in back. 1963 Chevy

sitting in the front seat. it only died once on our short trip, and it smoked alot

It originally belonged to his grandfather. He says it has the original engine

alternate forms of transportation

many pedicabs are available too

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Architecture in Cuba

I am a fan of time travel and immerse myself in books where I can participate. In Cuba, the time machine is working very well. Havana was a bustling city with much wealth in the 30's, 40's, 50's. The buildings reflect this and because there has been few resources to drive growth, these building have been able to continue standing. Though most are in awful repair. The government is now working on the main buildings in Old Havana and along Prada street.

More than 350 buildings were restored between 1981-2004 and in 1982, Old Havana was named a UNESCO world heritage site. UNESCO originally designated 444 sites in Old Havana for preservation and a little more than half have been completed.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba has a strong US history. It was designed by a NY architecture firm and is similar to the Breakers in West Palm Beach. The hotel was built on the site of the Santa Clara Battery, which dates back to 1797. Part of the battery has been preserved in the hotel's gardens, including two large coastal guns, the Krupp and the Ordóñez, dating from the late 19th Century.

Some historical highlights: Havana was the playground for US rich and famous and they stayed at the hotel. Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Weissmuller, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando and Ernest Hemingway are just a few of the names.

In December 1946 it hosted a mob summit run by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, as reproduced in The Godfather part II. By 1955, Lansky owned a piece of the hotel now managed by Pan Am's Intercontinental Hotels corporation. A casino was added in 1956. But Castro closed the casino in 1960 and the hotel fell into disrepair.

After being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982, the hotel went through an extensive refurbishing that was completed in 1992. While it is beautiful, even magical. I recommend staying elsewhere and just visiting. Fellow travelers had many issues with water and toilets in their rooms.

beautiful fixtures throughout

entrance to the old casino are bar area

Hotel logo on their china

painted beamed ceilings

a touch of cuba with moorish tilework

several clocks in the lobby

Catedral de San Cristóbal was built on swamp land- the center of old Havana. The surrounding Plaza de la Catedral became the location of some of the grandest mansions at the time. The Jesuits built this church by 1777.