Cuba part 5

This is our hotel in Havana.  This was by far the best hotel we stayed in, and Havana was my favorite part of the trip.

They served breakfast on this patio out front, but if we didn't get there by 9, it was already too hot to sit outside.

In the middle of the main square in town, we saw these people on stilts.

A few of the streets had these little squares blocked off and you could go down into a cave or something... we never did it but it seemed weird.

Posing in the shade of a building

Lots of tourists.

Milena's dad

this was a weird statue in the middle of the plaza.  A woman riding on a chicken with a giant fork.

Cooling down in the AC of the hotel restaurant

There were a few stray dogs around.  This one had some kind of a license and was hanging out in the lobby of a museum.  

Cuba part 4

Next we went to a town called Varadero, where Milena's mom remembers vacationing as a kid.  It has changed a lot in those years and is now overrun with Canadian and Russian tourists.  Here is the hotel where we stayed.

The beach in the morning.

After a little rain 

Later in the day.  The sun was so strong (yes, I got sunburned)

One day we got a taxi and drove about 20 minutes away to do some snorkeling

On a Catamaran

Dessert buffet 

Fresh mango

Saying goodbye to the beach the morning we left

Cuba part 3

Our last day in Cienfuegos, we went outside of the city to the Castillo de Jagua.  It is an old fortress built in the 1700's to guard the city from pirates.  They had a torture chamber there, as well as a tiny chapel.  Sounds about right.  

approaching the fortress.  this little church was across the street. 

crossing the drawbridge

Lookout

The view of the little town from the top of the fortress

After touring the fortress, we hired a little boat and rode along the water.  

I tried to take a panoramic shot and this is how it came out.  

Cuba part 2

The first afternoon, we walked a couple of blocks away from our hotel to the center square of town.  Like many European cities, Cienfuegos has a little square where people can sit and it is surrounded by buildings.  Here is the cathedral.

Milena's parents.  Her mom had a lot of memories of sitting in this square and listening to live music. 

The Theater

Government building

This was one of the best preserved cars I saw in this city.  They were pulling into the parking space in front of the government building so I assumed it was an important person in this car.  

Someone got a little happy with all the old names of American cars.

Statue of Jose Marti

We walked over to the bay and sat on this dock for a while.  Even though the sun was going down, it was pretty hot.  

The next morning, I woke up early and took this picture of the view from our room.  

Me in front of our hotel

Milena's dad in front of a classic car.

we went to this amazing place for lunch. It is a "paladar" which is an independent restaurant, as opposed to the government run restaurants.  They had a great view of the water (behind us in the picture) and they also had Kirkland brand salt and pepper on the table.  We asked the waiter and he said that the owner goes to the States a lot.  The umbrellas also seemed very Costco-like.

Ropa vieja (stewed beef)  I expected to see this more often, because they serve it at a Cuban restaurant here in the city that I go to sometimes, but I only saw it one other time in Havana.  But no fried plantains!!  

A fisherman.  I wonder if he was trying to catch something for the restaurant.  

I tried to take a panoramic shot

That night, we went to see the hotel where her parents got married.  I didn't take any pictures there, for some reason, but here is their website.  

Milena and me behind the hotel....