Day-1

It was an early wake-up call at our hotel and a short shuttle bus ride to the Miami airport to start our trip to Cuba. At the Miami airport we get our passports checked and tickets to Havana, and prepare for our flight.



We check in at the gate for our flight to Havana and wait to board.



After a short flight to Havana we head to baggage claim and look for our checked bags. It didn't take long to find the old 1950's cars that Cuba is famous for.



A short motor coach ride and we stop at Plaza de la Revolución, "Revolution Square", dominated by the José Martí Memorial, which features a 358 ft tall tower. Opposite the memorial is the office of the Ministry of the Interior whose facade features a steel memorial of Che Guevara.



The big attraction for many of us were the 1950's classic cars parked next to our motor coach. These old cars are the pride and joy of many Cubans and the owners will take you for a ride around the plaza for a small fee.



A 1958 Ford Sunliner Convertible



After a short stay at at Plaza de la Revolución we board the motor coach and head for La Habana Vieja (Old Havana). On our way we pass the old homes of Havana and the saying "Fieles a nuestra historia" (Faithful to our history).



We pass by the El Floridita Restaurant which promotes itself as the "cradle of the daiquirí" and known as a bar frequented Ernest Hemingway.



A view of Havana Harbor, a 1959 Ford and a pink 1956 Pontiac(?).



Our tour now stops at Plaza de Armas. Havana's oldest plaza is host to numerous secondhand book stands.





In the center of the square is Parque Cespedes. In the center of the park is a white marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, a Cuban patriot & initiator of the Ten Years War against Spanish colonial rule in 1868. It's a place to sit & relax in the shade of its trees.



It was the start of Carnival in Havana and colorful dancers on stilts paraded along Calle Tacón in front of Museo de la Ciudad.



At the intersection of the pedestrian street Obispo and Mercaderes is the Hotel Ambos Mundos, which was the first residence in Havana for the famous writer Ernest Hemingway.



More sights along Obispo street



From Obispo Street we turn right on San Ignacio Street and walk to Plaza de la Catedral and La Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada (The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception).



One of the doors on the Cathedral and tables at El Patio Restaurant (near the Cathedral).



We walk along Empedrado Street to return to our motor coach and pass a horse drawn carriage.



Some other forms of horse power along Empedrado Street. A 1958 Chevy and 1956 Chevy (left) and 1954 Chevy (right)



A view of Morro Castle, the fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay. Known locally as Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro.



The cruise ships are coming to Havana. An average of two cruise ships per week arrive in Havana from the Bahamas. More cruise ships are expected as relations between the U.S. and Cuba improve.



A view of the Malecón. A broad roadway and seawall which stretches for 5 miles along the coast.



“Tribuna Anti-Imperialista” (Anti-Imperialist Plaza) located along the Malecón near the U.S. Interests Section Office (Embassy). A life-sized statue of the Cuban icon José Martí, clutching a child in one protective arm while pointing vehemently at the U.S. Interests Section Office located at the end of a plaza capped in several places by metal arches.

A ball field along the Malecón near Monumento a Calixto García.



We've covered a lot of Havana this morning and it's time for lunch. Our tour group is taken to El Litoral, located along the Malecón.



A view of the entrance from both sides. The restaurant has a view of the  Malecón waterfront.



A view of the inside of the restaurant with light fixtures made from seashells.



We soon find that Rum is the national drink of Cuba and all our meals will include at least one rum based drink. We start with a Piña Colada (with Cuban rum) which is followed by the favorite mixed drink of Cuba, the Mojito.



We start our meal with a stop at the salad bar which has everything, squid, pasta, cheese, calamari, sushi ...



Our main course, pasta with scrimp and chicken.



An excellent dessert and one person had a birthday candle in their dessert.



After an excellent lunch we board our motor coach and travel to the Museum of the Revolution (Spanish: Museo de la Revolución) located in the Old Havana section. The museum is housed in what was the Presidential Palace of dictator Fulgencio Batista. It became the Museum of the Revolution during the years following the Cuban revolution.



A SU-100 tank is on display in front of the museum and a portrait of the Cuban leader Fidel Castro (Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz) inside the entrance.



Carlos Maruri, a Cuban architect and Paul Belau, a Belgian architect, designed and built the eclectic white granite Neo-Classical building which was by decorated Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The marble staircase leading to the upper floors shows bullet holes from the failed March 13, 1957 attempt to assassinate dictator Fulgencio Batista. The spectacular doomed center of the building viewed from the ground floor.



Surrounding the upper level of the marble staircase are busts of important leaders of freedom. Simon Bolivar who liberated Latin America from the Spanish, José Martí (José Julián Martí y Pérez), a leader of the Cuban independence movement from Spain and ...



Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. He preserved the Union during the U.S. Civil War and brought about the emancipation of slaves.



The museum’s Hall of Mirrors (Salón de los Espejos) is an imitation of the French Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors. This room features spectacular frescoes on the high ceiling, graceful arches, ornate bas-reliefs and crystal Tiffany chandeliers. The room is currently under renovation.



The Tiffany chandeliers in the Hall of Mirrors have been dismantled for the restoration and a bird has built a nest in the base of the chandelier (right photo).



Some of the items from Fulgencio Batista's presidential office. During an award ceremony with US Ambassador Gardner, a ceremonial golden telephone was presented to the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, in 1957.



A figurine outside the Museum's gift shop and a depiction of the boat used to transport 82 fighters of the Cuban Revolution from Mexico to Cuba in November 1956 for the purpose of overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista.




A life-sized guerilla warfare display shows Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. A painting that depicts Fidel coming into La Havana in January 1959 after Batista fled.



A large Cuban flag hung in the courtyard and bullet holes in the walls of the courtyard.



Wreckage of the American U2 plane next to a replica of the Cuban missile which shot it down during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis are on display at the Memorial Granma located next to the Museum of the Revolution. The Memorial Granma houses the boat named Granma that was used to transport 82 fighters from Mexico to Cuba in November 1956 for the purpose of overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista.



A plane on display at Memorial Granma.



The four U.S. presidents represented at the Museum of the Revolution.



Back on the motor coach and we head for the small, working-class town of San Francisco de Paula located ten miles east of Havana, to Ernest Hemingway's Cuba house - Finca Vigia, meaning "lookout house".

Some views inside  Hemingway's house (click on image for enlarged view).













Just off from the patio of the main house is a look-out tower that stands above the trees and surrounding buildings.



At the top of the look-out is a small room with a panoramic view.



Some of the items in the look-out





The large swimming pool is now empty, but was used by many of Hemingway's guests and was visible from the look-out tower. 



Next to the swimming pool is Hemingway's 38-foot fishing boat named Pilar.




This building was once a garage, but later converted into housing for the staff of the main house.



After our tour of Hemingway's house we enjoy a drink made from fresh squeezed sugar cane and Cuban rum.



It's late in the afternoon and after a quick visit to the gift shop we are back on the motor coach and returning to Havana to check into our hotel.



We check into the Memories Miramar Hotel and immediately prepare to head to dinner in some beautiful vintage 1950's cars.



Our ride was a 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible.





Cruising the Malecón waterfront in Havana, in old cars, with the tops down, the car stereo turned up playing songs from the 50's and 60's, on our way to the restaurant. (Time travel to the past is possible in Cuba ...)



Cruising in a pink convertible and clapping to the music.



It's been a full day of exploring Havana and we arrive at the "El Rum Rum" restaurant for dinner. "El Rum Rum" is located in Old Havana, between Cuba and Aguiar Streets, just a short walk from Plaza de la Catedral.



We start out with a rum based Mojito and a Cuban (light) beer.



Mary doing battle with a lobster. (The lobster put up a good fight, but lost). Some live entertainment during our meal.



We may be finished with a great meal, but the evening isn't over yet. We board the motor coach and head to Morro Castle for "the 9 o'clock cannonshot". The habit of announcing the closing of the harbor and fortress every night by firing a cannon at 9 o'clock has become a tradition that is still followed today.



It was a full day and we board our motor coach for one last time to head to our hotel to re-energize for another day of exploring Havana.

Link to Day-2 of this tour of Havana (Click here)