Havana: Day 3

On this, our last day in Havana, we decided to go for a morning jog on the Malecón. We weren't the only joggers out there, but it was fairly deserted - at least compared to the social hub that it becomes in the evenings.

We did about four miles, which felt like a lot in the warmth and humidity. It was far enough to get us to the beautiful Cuba sign and flag by the Hotel Nacional, which I'd been trying to get a picture of for days.

We walked through our little Vedado neighborhood one last time, taking in the faded beauty of some of the old houses. The combination of hurricanes, lack of money, and lack of raw materials makes construction and renovation a difficult thing in Cuba.

After another tasty breakfast of tropical fruit, eggs, and toast, we hit the road for Cojímar, a small fishing village east of Havana where Ernest Hemingway drank with local fisherman for years.

Our guide, Gretel, told us about the history of the area, Ernest Hemingway's influence, and issues facing Cubans who want to move. This area is appropriate for Cubans who are retired or have a car, but many younger Cubans want to move to the city and have difficulty selling their homes under current laws. Things are improving, but at a slow pace.

We enjoyed walking around Cojímar.

We visited the famous restaurant / pub, La Terraza de Cojímar, where Hemingway and other famous people have imbibed rum beverages. Hemingway's table is in the corner in the below photo, but Castro and Oliver Stone ate here about ten years ago. Weird.

At lunch, it was time to test our cooking skills in the kitchen of Casa Grande, a cute little restaurant cooking traditional Cuban food.

We jumped right in with a Cuba Libre mixing lesson. Then, properly boozed up, I sliced and chopped some dorado for ceviche, and Dave helped make chicken salad. I made the mistake of thinking this was our whole meal, and very happy to have a low-calorie, light lunch. Oh, was I wrong. We went back into the kitchen to prepare pollo relleno (butterflied chicken breasts sandwiching some vegetables), seared dorado, and grilled vegetables.

I felt like we earned the meal, but I also felt at this point in the trip like a beached whale, so I had mixed feelings about the fuller lunch, delicious as it was. Oh, and at the end they also gave us fresh mango juice and huge desserts. Seriously, I thought I was going to have to be rolled down the street like Violet Beauregarde.

Bonus, though - I learned I do like rum and coke, as long as it contains some lime juice. Cuba Libres for everyone!

After we rolled back to the taxi, we went back to Old Havana to get our last cash exchanged and visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana (National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana).

Gretel gamely accompanied us and explained the evolution of art in colonial Cuba, from artists who studied with European masters to the blending of styles with Afrocuban heritage to the present, post-revolution day. It was a really fascinating museum that I would recommend to anyone visiting Havana.

More on the arts after dinner.

Our last dinner in Havana was at Il DiVino, a restaurant with an atypically large wine cellar, a fun outdoor drink area, and a full menu of Cuban treats with an Italian flair.

First things first, we enjoyed Havana Club daiquiris out on the porch with an award-winning "mixologist" who shared the history of the drink and some recipes for his upcoming competition entries.

For dinner, I had the roasted lamb with vegetables and, you guessed it, rice and beans. (I love rice and beans, but half of the calories I gained on this trip was probably from too much rice and beans. Yes, Val, you don't have to eat all that they give you. But it's so good.)

After dinner, we visited one of the great modern Havana stops: Fábrica de Arte Cubano. It's a wonderful mix of contemporary art museum, music venue, and real-life Etsy shop. 

As you peruse three stories (I think) full of fascinating and edgy contemporary Cuban art, you might walk into a room where a band is playing. Watch that for a few minutes, then check out some more art, then the next room is a shop full of bags or jewelry by Cuban designers. Then more art.

One of my favorite stories that Gretel told us was about a group of older ladies that she led on a tour of Fábrica. They encountered a photo of older women wearing nothing but their underwear, all standing in a line with their arms on each other's backs. One of the older ladies immediately declared that they should reenact the photo - right there in the museum - which is exactly what they did. Gretel and the FAC staff had to close off the area while the ladies stripped and got their mostly-nude photographs taken. Fabulous.

We caught a dance DJ on our way out and swayed to the music for a bit while I photo-bombed others around us. Eventually it was time to be dropped off at the WiFi park for our last photo upload, then to bed for an early flight the next morning.

What a day, and what a trip. I'm going to share some thoughts on the trip as a whole in my next posts, as well as advice if you are planning your own trip to Cuba.

¡Chao!