Cuba - Havana - Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón

"Once described as an 'exercise in pious excesses,' this cemetery (a national monument), one of the largest in the Americas, is renowned for its striking religious iconography and elaborate marble statues. Far from being eerie, a walk through these 56 hallowed hectares can be an educational and emotional stroll through the annals of Cuban history", to quote Lonely Planet.  The Cemetery Colón is a nice bike ride from downtown and was definitely worth seeing.  Constructed in 1876, the size of the cemetery, 57 hectares (140 acres) and numbers of graves, one million, are astounding.

 The cemetery church

Cuba - still more Havana

One day I cycled to the Plaza de la Revolución, one of the largest plazas in the world at 72,000 sq meters.  It was started before the revolution by Fulgencia Batista, the US supported dictator of the day and completed in 1959, the year Fidel came to power.  It is surrounded by what I think is called brutalist architecture, imposing, grey buildings, the seat of the communist party government buildings. 

Opposite the memorial are the offices of the Ministries of the Interior and Communications, whose facades feature matching steel memorials of the two most important deceased heroes of the Cuban Revolution: Che Guevera, with the quotation "Hasta la Victoria Siempre" (Until the Everlasting Victory, Always) and Camilo Cienfuegos (sometimes mistaken for Fidel Castro, with the quotation "Vas bien, Fidel" (You're doing fine, Fidel).

 The plaza is dominated by the José Martí memorial. José Martí was a poet, journalist and father of the Cuban independence movement and one of the most iconic personalities of modern Cuban history.  

 From the Plaza I rode in a big loop following the bus line.  As I rode toward home along the Malecon, I noticed a big fancy building up above and went to investigate.  It turned out to be the Hotel Nacional, a big hotel built in the 1930s where notable movie actors and dignitaries stayed during the heyday of the US supported dictators, people like Hemingway, Errol Flynn, Winston Churchill, Tyrone Power, etc.  Now a UNESCO site, it's a state hotel with allegedly crappy rooms, underpaid staff and 1% guests from near and afar swilling rum, puffing Cuban cigars and living large.

Viva la revolution!

Meanwhile..........

 

 

Plaza de la Banderas - Plaza of flags. Funny, only one flag flying: Cuban.  hmmmm.....

None of the above, por favor.

.  

"If you triumph, there will be militias in Cuba"

Cuba - More random Havana

The Malecon is a highway that parallels the shore for many kilometers built in 1901 during the American occupation of Cuba as protection from the ocean waves.  What were once elegant colonial buildings along the Malecon are now hotels and crumbling semi-ruins, still inhabited.  There is little access to the water and traffic whizzes by on the four lane highway making crossing perilous especially as there are no crosswalks or traffic lights for most of it.   

 

 Fishing is popular from the Malecon........... hope springs eternal.  Apparently the water is very polluted so it's probably a good thing that fishing isn't good.

 A photo shoot   

 Can you say "cruise ships"

 Public art on the Malecon

 Look who's here

  Some beautiful trees

Banyan trees

The University of Havana

That pretty much encapsulates my first couple of days in Cuba. Further explorations to follow.