Our last full day in Havana

Wednesday, September 23. Our last full day was filled with more surprises. I will discuss our morning lecture later, but afterward we were supposed to go to the art Museum of Cuba to see their collection of Cuban art.  Unfortunately, a water main break caused the museum to close. Instead we headed a little ways out of downtown to Finca La Vigia, the house Ernest Hemingway owned here for more than 30 years. It was quite lovely—livable, and charming, and set on large grounds that made it a real retreat even today when small working-class housing entirely surrounds it. 

Finca La Vigia

What a lovely spot to enjoy afternoon tea!

This tower featured guest quarters

Hemingway's bedroom

Dining room

The plaque is a Picasso!

The library

Living room

The pool, dry now

Hemingway's boat, Pilar

Far from his favorite bar, Hemingway supposedly kept a cab on standby to get him home safely after a night of drinking

Squeezing sugar cane to make juice

Once again we had a wonderful lunch at a Paladar in Havana. We then visited Havana's large Central Park. Features of the park include something called the hot corner where baseball aficionados gather to argue vociferously about the game. Rows of Cuba's famously preserved 1950s era American cars can also be found here. Of course they're found everywhere in Cuba, but these are mostly taxis and beautifully preserved with colorful paint jobs and enterprising cabbies. We had a great time photographing them before we retreated to one of the slightly cooler hotel lobbies that also surround the park.

Central Park--the "hot corner"

Transportation from a long ago era

More transportation--50s era

Aren't these fun?

The Opera House

The Capitol

José Martí memorial

The Cuban flag

Choice of taxis

The Opera and the taxis

Our last event of the afternoon was a chance to sit down with four young working Cubans for conversations in which they told us more about their lives, their frustrations, their successes, and their dreams. In some cases they contradicted what we have previously learned, but they contradicted each other as well. Our visit with them was a bit of a reality check but it also confirmed our general impressions of the Cuban people.

We returned to the hotel with just enough time to shower and change for our final dinner in Cuba. When we gathered in the lobby we were told that our bus wouldn't start and therefore taxis have been called to transport us to tonight's Paladar. Imagine our delighted surprise when we found six shining classic convertibles waiting at the door for us. Off we went, horns blaring, drag racing along the malacón. Eventually we parked on a quiet side Street where we could have our pictures taken with these wonderful vehicles. As the pace of restoration picks up, someday the shabby Cuba we have visited will vanish, but I can’t imagine that these classic American cars will suffer the same fate. They are truly part of the Cuban experience and treasured by visitors and Cubans alike. Piling back in to our chariots, we were taken to the restaurant. Alas, for the first and only time in Cuba, we had a truly dreadful meal. Carol and Elaine immediately Took that restaurant off the acceptable list. Too bad for them, but really, they so deserve their fate. I don't think anyone was able to eat more than a bite or two of the chicken, Fish, or pork they had ordered, and even the side dishes we're tasteless and poorly prepared. Very disappointing after all the wonderful meals we have had elsewhere, but at least we have many happy memories of the food in Cuba. The desert in this restaurant was the best part—two cakes, one in honor of my birthday over a week ago and the other in honor of the 62nd wedding anniversary of Pete and Florence, whose long marriage we were all happy to celebrate.

Our '57 Chevy--or maybe '56?

Pat, Henry, Barbara and me ready to go!

Hey look, kids, I'm driving!

Barbara's turn

Paparazzi in an Edsel

Draggin' on the Malacón

Checking out the Edsel

David behind the wheel

Under the hood--the ORIGINAL motor

Back to our morning lecture, which was about US/Cuban relations by a very knowledgeable man who has served many years in the Cuban diplomatic corps. He confirmed what all of us seem to believe, that the embargo, which was intended to destabilize the government and bring Cuba to its knees in order to get rid of Fidel, accomplished nothing except to confirm Cuba's low opinion of our government and make the hardships endured by the Cuban people even more harsh than the failed economic policies of Socialism had already done. It is clear to Cubans and visitors alike that as an economic system socialism does not work. Nevertheless, we have been surprised and positively impressed by the success of the social programs put in place by the socialist government here. The Cuban people are highly educated, benefiting from free education from preschool through university and even on to graduate degrees. That program has been so successful that it has created an interesting problem of its own. Until sometime in the 80s or 90s, nearly every Cuban child, even those who might not have considered going to college anywhere else, did go on to university. Suddenly the government and the people realized that they had an extreme shortage of plumbers, electricians, and other members of the skilled trades. That contributed to the decay of Cuban infrastructure. Now young people must pass a test in order to go on to college, and trade schools have been developed where are those whose interests lie in that direction can be trained in these necessary skilled crafts. As a side note, Cuba also sponsors schools of the arts. Children are selected as young as 8 or 9 years old to participate in these schools, which ensure that Cuba has a continuing stream of young artists and musicians to fill the ranks of state sponsored professional companies and workshops devoted to the arts. In addition to free education, Cubans also benefit from free medical care from birth to the grave. From the beginning of the revolutionary government, training doctors was a high priority. Family doctors were trained and put in place to serve groups of 120 families throughout Cuba. Doctors here make very low wages, live among those they serve, and know them as neighbors and friends. The emphasis of medical care is first on prevention, and with doctors living within the community as they do, people can easily be nagged into having essential tests and vaccinations performed. The doctors know who is overweight, who is drinking too much, and other details we can more easily hide from our medical personnel. They are also highly respected as educated people and are often consulted about non-medical issues such as what a teenager ought to major in in college. In addition to family practitioners, Cuba produces specialist in all medical fields. They are justly proud of their medical system and even export doctors to Third World countries all over the world. I'm sure these doctors have a much easier time winning hearts and minds then do our military personnel. Our Cuban guide told us that Cubans are well aware of the failures of the socialist economic system, but they also treasure the social benefits of that system and hope that in the future, as the country turns more toward a free market economy, the two systems can be combined with the best of both. Cubans are pragmatic, educated, clever, and ingenious in a uniquely Cuban laid-back way. We came to feel that if anyone can find a path forward into an egalitarian and socially just lifestyle functioning in a healthy economy it will be the Cubans. They seem to be a very resilient and optimistic people. Despite the great poverty we saw in Cuba, you don't see any homeless people, you don't see people clothed in rags. You do see rundown homes and streets, but the homes are neat, the porches are washed clean, and the dirt yards are swept. You see almost no litter and no graffiti. You don't see people who seem to have lost hope in the future. You see people who work very hard, who make do with very little, who greet today with a smile and tomorrow with optimism. Without doubt, Cuba defies every stereotype we arrived with. These are clearly not a down-trodden or oppressed people. None of us probably felt hardy enough to want to live in Cuba, but clearly the Cubans think their future is going to be better than their past. They don’t expect miracles or magic wands, but they seem to believe that better days lie ahead for them. They are truly delighted that President Obama has opened relations with Cuba and are already entertaining many parties of American politicians and business people who are now reaching out to them. We were all thrilled to see and photograph the newly opened American Embassy with our flag flying in the breeze.

The newly opened Embassy of the United States of America in Havana

At the end of the day we were repeatedly urged to tell our friends, family, and fellow Americans to be sure to visit Cuba. I can happily do that, not because I was asked to, but because as long as you pack your flexibility, everyone visiting Cuba will find a warm welcome in a land of many surprises.

The Hotel Nacional de Cuba