I need traffic to see Havana’s frequently-mentioned
icons. Yes, I’m talking about those ‘57 Chevys and
classic car models breezing and chugging on the streets.
Surprisingly it’s also busy with Kias and Audis, and
the two WWII motorcycles with sidecars that are in the
bustling Vedado section of town.
Old is fine for vehicles, but when it comes to food
the new wave of
paladares
is more to my taste. In
Vedado, these private houses-turned-restaurants keep
rising. Farm-to-table is the standard back home, but it’s
a breakthrough concept in a country where ration
cards often rule. At the Mediterráneo Havana (Calle 13,
#406) Chef Luigi Fiori is working directly with farmers
as he whips up crisp croquettes and bracing gazpacho.
Craving water views and perfect red snapper, I find El
Litoral (Malecón 161e), a chic, nautically-themed bar/
bistro set opposite the seawall where everyone strolls.
Another discovery, the excellent eclectic menu at Los
Naranjos (Calle 17 #715e) where the piña coladas and
lobster take top honors.
Independent bookstores are a rare find these days,
but Cuba Libro (Calle 24, esq. 19) is unique indeed.
Sitting with Conner Gorey in the English-language
shop she launched in 2013, I’m impressed by the
pleasant buzz in two small rooms and mini-garden.
It’s a hub for selling, loaning and accepting donated
books. There’s also art on display, plus coffee, tea and
in-house squeezed fruit juice to sip with chocolate
chip cookies. Gorey builds community working with
schools and medical professionals in a place she
describes as an “oasis.”
Looking for contrast, I turn to the Hotel Nacional
de Cuba. Opened on New Year’s Eve in 1930, it’s a mix
of Art Deco, Arabic and neo-classical styles. Now tour
buses line up at the steps still trod by heads of state and
superstars from Hollywood and sports. I park myself
on the rattan couches in the open-air lounge that faces
the Malecón. Whether I sip coffee or a mojito, this is
Havana’s living room ringing with voices from around
the world.
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos, translation “100 fires,” sits on a finger of
land pointing into a Caribbean bay with the same name.
Today the plan includes glimpses into the 19th-century
Teatro Tomás Terry. I’ll bet all 950 seats in the multi-
tiered opera house were filled when Enrico Caruso and
Sarah Bernhardt stepped on this stage.
I recall 60s headlines about the Cuban missile crisis and
the Bay of Pigs invasion. All black and white television
watchers remember Desi Arnaz, the Cuban actor/
musician once married to Lucille Ball. Those are echoes
from the past. As the door creaks open, I’m eager to
discover what’s behind propaganda portals. I know
once the gateways swing wide, businesses will flock
here. Cuba will change. My itinerary includes meeting
fellow writers in Havana, and in the provincial cities of
Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Matanzas and Santa Clara.
Havana
As I sit under a portico in Plaza Vieja, the aroma of
roasting coffee adds to the energy in the caffeinated
cups at Café el Escorial. Halfway through a walking
tour of Old Havana’s recently-restored Spanish colonial
architecture, I relax watching school children
competing in a foot race. All dressed in bright colors,
they match the Afro-Cuban women in ruffled dresses
and striped headscarves who walk the cobblestone
streets posing for pictures. The impromptu photo
shoots cost a dollar. Once a crumbling district, it’s
now a prime collection of churches, museums and
art galleries.
Rejuvenated by espresso, I find the Hotel Ambos
Mundos where Ernest Hemingway began writing
For Whom the Bell Tolls.
His room, # 511, is preserved
complete with a Remington typewriter. Back on the
pedestrian-only streets, I pass peanut hawkers and
street musicians playing
everything from the
“Chicken Dance” to
“Ave Maria.”
OPPOSITE PAGE
(clockwise from top)
A typical
street in Central Havana; the
Great Theatre of Havana; whole
fried snapper and
tostones
(twice-fried plantain slices);
Cuban school children in their
brightly-colored uniforms;
inset
photo:
an Afro-Cuban woman
poses for the camera.
50
THE AFFLUENT TRAVELER
|
Feature Story
REJUVENATED
BY ESPRESSO, I
FIND THE HOTEL
AMBOS MUNDOS
WHERE ERNEST
HEMINGWAY
BEGAN WRITING
FOR WHOM THE
BELL TOLLS.
FEATURE STORY
FS
Photo Credits (adjacent page, clockwise from top-left):
©Michal Krakowiak / istock.com; ©Rostislav Ageev / shutterstock.com;
© Roberto A Sanchez / istock.com; ©ArtMarie / istock.com;
small inset:
©Kamira / shutterstock.com
