January 2017 – Todd and Cindy's Travel Blog

Although much was closed for our vacation, we still saw a lot just wandering around. There is lots of music in the streets as you walk about being broadcasted from homes and by live musicians in the streets.

We have heard from some who visited Havana that they didn’t like it. It’s not for everybody. Cuba is Cuba and not Canada, the US or France. The world is a varied place, and there are other ways to live and make a country function than what most tourists are used to. Here is a view of an old Havana neighbourhood from our pool deck

That said, parts of Havana are slowly being rebuilt. New hotels are under construction and older buildings are getting facelifts (upper floor original and lower floor newly renovated).

The white building on the left is the first 5 story shopping mall in Havana; workers are almost finished the renovation. Behind it is The Museum of Fine Arts opened 1913.

Although the drink of choice in Cuba is rum, we prefer beer and wine. Bars in Havana mostly had 2 main national beers – Cristal and Bucanero (Bucanero being our beer of choice), and Presidente from DR. All are owned by Belgian-owned Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prices at the bars were really cheap compared to home. They ranged from 2 CUC to 2.50 CUC a bottle.

We discovered a small corner bar called Bar Bilbao in Old Havana. It was loaded with soccer jerseys from around the world. Apparently, it’s the go-to place when soccer matches are playing. Unfortunately, we could only get Bucanero here the first time we went because they ran out due to the holiday closures. They did offer Cristal on tap, but we declined (other places to go…).

We really liked Sloppy Joes and visited three times to kick back and relax. Established in the early 1900s, it is air conditioned and has no smoking. Their menu had 8 pages of alcoholic beverages and 2 pages of food.

The glass cupboards around the perimeter of Sloppy’s stock bottle after bottle of various alcohols from around the world. The columns in the centre are adorned with pictures of past customers ranging from actors to singers to sports figures to politicians.

In the past we have travelled to resorts in various areas of Cuba and while the beaches were excellent, the food certainly was not. We were pleasantly surprised with the foods we had on this trip. Our most disappointing restaurant was Los Nardos. It is highly rated and supposed to be really good and cheap; it wasn’t bad, just not that good. There is always a lineup to get in. We went for dinner one day and left. Another day we went for lunch and decided to wait in the line. Fifty minutes later, we were let into the restaurant where we waited another 10 minutes in the entryway. Neither of us got the meals we were expecting. My smoked pork was just ham and was supposed to be topped with cheese, not the onions it came with. Todd’s was also the wrong order – and not too appetizing looking, but after waiting over an hour, we just ate what we were given.

Twice, we went to Lamparilla Tapas and Cervesas. The first night, we met a couple from England and chatted for quite a while about our travels to different places (they had also been to Galapagos). They were vegan, so just stopped in for beers. They don’t know what they missed because the food was so good! Todd and I shared an order of roasted vegetables.

Todd had the Octopus which he said was delicious.

I went for the Suckling Pig…amazing!

We returned to Lamparilla on our final night in Havana. Todd started with fish ceviche, which I did taste….um…no thanks.

I once again had the Suckling Pig and Todd had the Lobster (good, but not as good as octopus).

Prior to coming to Havana, we watched the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives TV show, where Guy featured 5 restaurants in Havana. We went to 3 out of the 5 and were not disappointed. El Figaro is known for their Coffee Lobster which Todd was looking forward to, but because of the holiday shutdown, they had run out of lobster….We started with a mixed tapas plate which was quite good!

Todd ordered the Mixed Seafood (of course). It was a massive combination of fish, clams, shrimps, and scallops.

I had pork (of course) – Pork Chateaubriand.

Wandering among the tables in the outdoor courtyard was a cat and a couple of cute kittens. There was no way Todd could finish his fish dish, so he quickly made friends.

We ended up making reservations for Al Carbon because the one night we went, they had no room unless you had a reservation. There were a few restaurants where reservations were a must due to their popularity. We chose to sit at the bar and were soon joined by a couple (from Britain) who had just arrived and were on their honeymoon. We chatted and gave them a few restaurant recommendations for dinner in the area.

Todd and I shared entrees….no seafood because of course pork was going to be the main! We started with a delicious cheese and sausage appetizer and needed a bit more bread to soak up the yummy cheese sauce.

Then we had the Suckling Pig. It was quite different from Lamparilla’s which was pulled and wrapped in bacon. Al Carbon’s was a bar-b-qued whole pig and we got the shoulder portion with delicious crispy skin.

Our absolute favourite eating spot in Havana was Nazdarovie. We went for lunch our first full day in Havana, dinner halfway through our trip, and lunch on our final full day. Each time, we sat at the same table – on the balcony overlooking the Malecon.

This Soviet-style restaurant is a nostalgic nod to Cuba’s ties with the Soviet Union during the Cold War when Moscow was Havana’s main source of trade, and a time when thousands of Cubans travelled to the Soviet Bloc as diplomats, artists, and students. The restaurant was the vision of a Canadian, Gregory, who relocated to Havana more than two decades ago.

Our first lunch (shared), consisted of a ravioli type dish made with ground beef and topped with sour cream (Siberian Pielmeni).

We also had Cabbage Rolls (Golubets with Aji Filling). These were absolutely the best tasting Cabbage Rolls we have ever had! Before we left, we made reservations for dinner a few nights later.

We met owner Gregory (below talking to a tour group) when we returned for dinner. He told us that Guy’s team came to Havana and tested out 40 restaurants before deciding on the five featured on the show. He is very passionate about his employees and his restaurant.

For an appetizer, Todd picked the plate of pickled vegetables (Ruskii Raznosol) and I had a potato & ham salad (Olivie Salad). Both were great choices.

For mains Todd chose one of the Chef’s specials, beef cutlet strips in a mushroom cream sauce (Stroganoff de Res).

My choice was one of the featured dishes on Diners, the breaded stuffed chicken with butter and fine herbs (Cotlet a Kiev). Wow!!! So good!!!

On our final day in Havana, after a long walk to Hotel Nacional, on our way back to the hotel we stopped at a bar along the Malecon for a beer (we were hot and thirsty). While there, a group stopped in for drinks too (father and daughter from Ireland visiting with a woman friend from Iowa). They just arrived and didn’t have a clue where anything really was, so we gave them the maps we had. After that we made our way along the Malecon until we reached Nazardovie. Time for lunch… The waitresses recognized us and welcomed us back and showed us to “our table”. We ordered beers and three appetizers to share. We chose the pickled veggie plate again, “the must have” cabbage rolls, and a pierogi type dish (Vareniki Domashnie). The food was once again excellent! Hard to beat the scenery – a view of the Old Fort right form our table!

We told our waitress that it was our last day. She said she was sad to see us leave and offered us dessert on the house. We thanked her, but declined; we were full. A few minutes later she emerged smiling with two shots of vodka and caviar on a lime slice. How could we turn that down?! Good tasting vodka! What a wonderful gesture! What a wonderful place!

Although the holiday closures affected what we did, where we went, and what we saw, we had a great vacation! Havana is changing; it would be interesting to return in 10 years and see the changes. Many are affected with the passing of Fidel Castro. We saw many memorials on houses around the city for Fidel. This one in Spanish says “Farewell Commandante”.

Home for 4 ½ weeks….then Kauai and back to the Big Island…

We have just returned home from a week in Havana. Since internet service in Cuba is still in the dark ages, we weren’t able to blog while there, and knowing that, didn’t even bring a computer. We left New Year’s Eve morning and the plan was to partake in some festivities around the city. I had tried numerous avenues to book something prior to arrival, but had no luck (just told to wait until we arrived). BUT, once we arrived all the restaurants were booked; and we didn’t want to pay 200 CUC each (equivalent exchange to US dollar) for the hotel’s event. We ended up eating a burger at the pool bar, and after being up since 5AM, turned in before the clock struck midnight….Happy New Year!

We stayed at the Iberostar Parque Central Hotel on the edge of the Centro area, and bordering Old Havana (Habana Vieja).

The hotel is divided into two buildings, an old section (colonial style) and a new section (modern décor). We stayed in the old section. The Lobby/Bar area is grand. (And one of the best areas to access the limited internet…we did bring our iphones to email people).

We spent many nights in bar area relaxing after a long day. Todd thoroughly enjoyed the selection of cigars available at the hotel.

The pool was located on the 9th floor and offered amazing views of the city. In the following photo, the massive Musio de Bellas Artes is on the left and El Capitolio Nacional is on the right. If you think El Capitolio looks familiar, you would be right. It is “very” similar to the White House, except it’s a meter wider and a meter longer.

On the street beside the hotel runs the Prado – a pedestrian boulevard that stretches from El Capitolio to the waterfront where the Malecon begins. Tourists and locals enjoy walking the tiled Prado under the shade trees.

We walked along the Malecon one day about 3km down, then back. The area is a favourite for local fishermen.

On our last day, we walked 4km along the Malecon to the Hotel Nacional in the Vedado area. We wanted to take a tour of the hotel, famous from the days of the mafia and gambling…but we missed the one and only tour of the day… After a few pics, we made our way back…another 4km.

Old cars are everywhere in Havana, but they are especially prevalent along the Malecon, a favourite cruising street for tourists who have rented the service.

Little did we know that visiting Havana just after New Years Eve meant most things would be closed….for days. That meant lots of walking about to see the sites, but not going into museums, churches, and most stores. We spent a day walking around Old Havana. In a large area just outside Plaza de la Catedral, old car after old car parked while drivers chatted among themselves.

In Plaza de la Catedral the main attraction is the Catedral de San Cristobal de la Habana. The view from the bell tower is supposed to give great views, but it wasn’t open.

There are a number of life-size bronze statues scattered around the city. If you need a rest and somewhere to lean in the Plaza de la Catedral, Antonio Gades is there for you. He was a famous Spanish flamenco dancer who was well liked by Fidel Castro.

The next plaza, Plaza de Armas, is the oldest of the four colonial squares in Old Havana (established around 1520). We visited this square twice; one day everything was quiet because of the holidays, but by the end of the week, action returned. The centre of the square is shaded with palms and we wandered around the secondhand book market (even saw one seller with a storage box from Martin’s Apple Farm here in Ontario).

Also in Plaza de Armas on the second visit, the Polícia Nacional Revolucionária were on site with a display of their weapons and gear.

The next square, Plaza de San Franscisco de Asisi is the location of the Church and Convent of St. Francis of Asisi.

In Plaza Vieja, we were excited to try the craft brewery, La Factoria Plaza Vieja. We were extremely thirsty, but unfortunately, we were disappointed. They only had two beers, Shandy and Dark. They were expensive (as far as beer prices go in Havana) and not good.

Since sites were closed until the end of our vacation, we did a lot of viewing from the outside. That’s travel….you go with the flow. Below are some of the other buildings we saw:

The Bacardi Building – Built in 1930, it was the new headquarters for Bacardi. The 12-story building was Havana’s first skyscraper. Bacardi left Cuba in 1960 after the new government confiscated all their Cuban assets. The Historical Society renovated the building to its original splendor in 2003 and now it is an office building.

Taquechel Pharmacy Museum – A practicing pharmacy originally from 1898, it was restored in 1996. Its collection includes 19th-century French porcelain apothecary’s jars and items found at excavation sites in the historical center of the city.

El Floridita – opened in 1817. In the 1930s, a bartender turned owner, Constante Ribalaigua, invented the daiquiri, and it became popularized soon after by Hemingway. The bar was packed with wall to wall people every day we passed by. Hemingway’s presence is highlighted throughout with photos, a bust, and a bronze statue of him at the bar.