Cuba Cross Over 2014 - Havana | Monday, February 24 - 0km

After breakfast we will have a meet and greet with our tour guide. Afterwards we start exploring Havana with a guided city walk. We will visit many interesting sights of “Habana Vieja” the old part of the city. We will have lunch in a typical local restaurant. In the afternoon we will visit the community project Casa del Tango. Back to the hotel you may plan the evening as you wish. Accommodation at the Hotel Plaza. (breakfast, lunch) - Trip Notes

I headed up to Level 5 for the buffet breakfast but did not eat much – I didn’t feel like eggs but had some fruit and juice. I managed to buy an internet card for the computer centre (no wifi) – 5CUC for an hour – but couldn’t open Facebook. I got into Gmail for 10 minutes but had to finish up after 10 minutes to attend the Group meeting.

 As expected, the Group was in the lobby on time and we headed up one floor to a lounge area for introductions and a briefing in German and English as I explained to Ricardo I was not German!.

We started out by bus through central Havana to Plaza de la Revolucion ("Revolution Square"). Then back to Old Havana for a walking tour covering much of the same as I did yesterday. There was a Mojito stop in a Hotel bar for the Germans then lunch at a seafood restaurant. The fish was mai mai (my my!!)  - not so tasty.

 

 

 

 

There was no visit to Casa del Tango which apparentl has closed so, after returning to the hotel, the rest of the day was free. I caught a licensed taxi to the Sprachcaffe office in Mirimar to sort out my flight to Holguin. The agent fixed it in about 15 minutes but had no explanation for why I could not have it fixed over the last month despite many emailed requests!

I had made arrangements to meet up with Paula and Azzie Reckess but could not get through to the number Paula had asked me to call. I walked to the Mirimar shopping area and had a look inside the supermarket. The meat and fish sections were empty at 4.30pm.

I still could not get through to Paula’s tour leader so took a local old car cab to Hotel Nacionale where they were supposed to stay but they were not registered. I hung around in the lobby til 6 and in they came for the planned briefing with local Jewish historian Maritza Corrales. She was very interesting.

I joined Paula’s group for dinner at the Hotel Nacionale Restaurant. Chicken with rice. Ice cream. After a stroll through the Hotel Hall of Fame, I bussed back with them to the Parque Hotel across the road from the Plaza. I tried the internet again but could not open anything so I gave up and went to the room for the night.. 

Dinner with Paula and Azzie

Cuba Cross Over 2014 - Arrival in Havana | Sunday, February 23 - 0km

Transfer to the Hotel Plaza in the old part of Havana, where we will spend the first two nights of our trip. - Trip Notes

Breakfast at the Hotel Carribean was acceptable – fruit, juice, coffee and a one egg omelette with bread roll. I took a walk down to the water, wandered around taking photos and returned to the hotel around 10.30 to recharge my flat camera battery.

 

 

 After watching a bit of tv, which was surprisingly uncensored and in English, I checked out at noon and walked to the Plaza Hotel where there was a note from the Tour Guide Ricardo, in German, to meet at 9am tomorrow in the lobby. As it was too early to actually check in, I left my bags with the porter then wandered back to where my battery went flat to continue my photographic journey and then down Obispo, the main tourist street, to the Square and then across to the Jewish Section.

 

I found Adath Israel shul where I was approached by a 60ish man wearing a kippah and magen david around his neck. He knew a few Hebrew words and could communicate in broken English. I’m not sure if he was Jewish although he claimed to be from a Turkish Jewish father. He agreed to show me around the Jewish section including the defunct restaurant Moshe Pipiks, the occasionally open kosher butcher shop, an ex-synagogue not in the guide book, the Menorah in a small park and the Hotel Raquel. I bought him a juice and gave him a few CUC for which he was grateful.

 

 

 

I headed back to the hotel for a rest and around 6.30pm went back down Obispo to Europe restaurant for dinner. “Chicken soup” tasted like beef broth. “Breaded chicken” with cold vegetables and cold rice – thin strips with no sign of breading. Ice cream for desert. The “service” was lousy and all up it cost 11.50 CUC plus tip..

 I returned to the hotel at least with food in my stomach. After sorting the 180 photos for today, I went to reception to buy an internet card but there were none left! Apparently, there is a daily ration…