Cultural Cuba: History, Art & Dance

WED. JAN. 30

Today, our last full day, was packed with economics, history, visual art and dance.  Lourdes, dean of economics at the University of Havana, was our morning speaker here at the hotel.  Like all the other individuals who have shared their insights with us, she was both spirited and informative. The Cubans we’ve encountered up close have been passionate about their work, candid about conditions in the country, and yet able to present them with a touch of humor.  

From her, we gained a better understanding of how wealth, or more often the lack of it, is distributed in Cuba and how rich Cubans rely upon their relatives living in the U.S. or abroad to send them money or goods.  For example, salaries for academics are low given their education, and one might make as little as 22 pesos a month. We all wished we’d had more time with her to ask more questions about the U.S. embargo on goods and about her own story. 

Hall of Mirrors under renovation like much of the museum

After our economics lesson, we went to the Museo de la Revolucion.  This is Cuba’s version of the events leading up to Fidel Castro’s takeover and what followed including the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Cuba’s engagements with Russia and the rest of the world through the 1980’s.  Outside the building, several military planes and vehicles are on display including, behind glass, the yacht Fidel Castro and 81 others came in from Mexico in 1956 to launch the Revolution.

Lunch at Ivan Justo was across the street from the museum and upstairs (as many restaurants are) and began with the usual mojito.  (I think it must be the Cuban national drink since they have appeared at every lunch but one and several dinners!)  

Today, everything was served family style. An assortment of appetizers (shrimp ceviche, hummus, fried taro sticks), followed by platters of luscious lamb stew, chicken thighs, and grilled fish plus white rice and black beans.  Dessert was a dish of rice pudding.  Normally, I am not a fan of puddings, but this was quite good with the sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Appetizers at Ivan Justo

After lunch, we walked half a block to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana. There our delightful guide, Aylet Ojeda, a student who gives tours as payback for her free university tuition, highlighted the work of Cuban artists from 1929 through the 1990’s. She shared how early artists were heavily influenced by famous artists from abroad and then over time created paintings that were more reflective of Cuban society and more political in nature. The header photo is by a Cuban artist.

Music and dance are important elements of Cuban culture, and we had the treat of a short performance by Habana Compas Dance, a professional troupe of female dancers.  Their dance incorporates aspects of Afro-Cuban music as well as flamenco dance steps from Spain.  They study five days a week and learn to play several types of drums as well as other percussion instruments such as the clava, washboard gourd, and castanets. The troupe is unique in having incorporated small side chairs into their routines as yet another percussion instrument.  Bursting with energy and enthusiasm, their short program was a welcome shot of adrenaline.

This was the day that never ended. After a brief break at the hotel, we went out again, this time to a dance studio to learn more about the steps that inform Cuban ballroom dancing.  Initially two pairs of dancers did an elegant dance, then the dances got more animated and erotic as more couples joined the floor.  

Next was a short salsa demo, and then the dancers grabbed our hands (no weaseling out here) and we ladies lined up behind the lead instructor and the men behind one of the male dancers.  With great patience, the instructor demonstrated the basic steps, then they were put to music, and we got a partner. Some of us excelled while others got by passably.  It was a fun experience!

Then, on to our farewell dinner at a glass-walled contemporary restaurant, OtraManera, that would have been at home in La Jolla. We had a choice of drinks (I went for the house white wine) and a look at the menu to choose what we wished to eat beyond the shared appetizers.  Appetizers included croquettes, ceviche, and a lovely avocado and tomato concasse.  

The Chief Penguin ordered the grilled red snapper and I had the Chinese style noodles with pork tenderloin graced with a few cherry tomatoes and broccoli florets.  Also popular with our group were several of the salads, one with green papaya, and the lamb entree.  It was a lovely meal in a lovely setting, ending with Alfredo providing a summary of what we’d done over the past five days. He was complimentary about our group and said we were a group he would be sorry to see leave.

Tomorrow we all go our separate ways. I’ve made a new friend or two, and my head is filled with images of art and architecture in this “city of columns.” I was charmed by the individuals with whom we conversed. I am also armed with a better understanding of Cuba’s history and its relations with the U.S. along with the challenges and opportunities this society faces. For sure, I’ll be sharing the magic and delight of this trip with my friends at home—it’s hard to let go! Thank you, Marlon and Alfredo.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo is of Barco negero, 1976 by Manuel Mendive.

Cultural Cuba: Miami to Havana

Saturday, Jan. 26, Getting to Havana

We spent last night at the Crowne Plaza Miami Airport hotel, a short shuttle ride from the airport. Nothing special, in fact, a rather tired property in need of updating and renovation.  But our room was spacious with a king bed and quite quiet. For dinner we walked a block to Catch of the Day, a very casual seafood bar and grill.   The Chief Penguin’s mojitos were excellent, his bass a disappointment, but the fries were good.  I ordered the shrimp wrap and cole slaw; the wrap was stuffed with yellow rice, but there was an adequate number of shrimp.  I used liberal amounts of hot sauce to pep it up.  Cole slaw was tasty and my glass of Pino Grigio was crisp and priced for happy hour!

We retired early and were up early and checked out at 6:30 am to ride the 6:40 shuttle back to the terminal.  We were glad we had taken the time yesterday afternoon to buy our visas ($100 each) and get the proper entry and custom forms.  Breakfast was at Curbside One.  Food was just so-so (western omelette and scrambled eggs and sausage), but our waitress and the host were both super friendly and efficient.

Our American flight was completely full, a mix of Americans and Cubans returning home.  It left the gate early and we arrived 20 minutes early. From the plane window you could see green fields and brown fields and expanses of open land.  The Havana terminal looked pretty basic and dated, as one would expect.  There was absolutely no line at immigration so we walked right up and were through in a minute or two!  Since we had done carry on, we breezed through baggage claim, handed in our health forms to a smiling woman, sent our hand luggage through the scanner, and then exited after we turned in our Nothing to Declare customs form.  Then we looked around for the GeoEx sign with our names, but saw no one.  C.P. surveyed the arrivals hall, I nabbed two women who looked to be tour members of ours and they were, Holli and Marian.  We waited around and at the stated arrival time, our local guide, Marlon, found us.

Next stop was lunch at Casa Mia Paladar, a private restaurant, which has only been open for 11 months.  It is in the house the owner spent his childhood and is now a very attractive white space with a small bar and lots of tiny light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. 

The menu offered a range of choices and the food was very good!  Between us we ordered the seafood plate special (lobster tail, octopus, and shrimp) in a sauce with Cuban spices, and the fish (grouper) in a creamy lemon sauce which was delicious.  The lunch group consisted of six of the eight group members plus Alfredo, GeoEx’s tour leader.  Also present were Marlon and Jocelyn, another GeoEx representative.  At the end of our meal, the owner came over and we were able to ask him a few questions. One of the biggest challenges he and others like him face is getting supplies, be it decorative light bulbs (he ordered them from Amazon for delivery to a U.S. address) or adequate amounts of chicken and other ingredients to fulfill their menu.

We stopped to change money into C.U.C.s, the special Cuban pesos for visitors, at the bank branch in a luxury hotel.  Finally, we were delivered to La Reserva, a restored private home that is now a B&B with about ten rooms.  It is lovely and elegant with a garden in the back.  

Dining area and bar at La Reserva

After doing a bit of unpacking, we took a walk along Paseo, a once elegant boulevard lined on either side with embassies and formerly gracious homes. Some buildings have been restored, but many have not.  Sidewalks and grass lack regular maintenance so it’s best to watch where you walk. The North Korean embassy and the British embassy and ambassador’s residence are exceptions and simply beautiful.   Throughout the city, there are posters, inspirational slogans, and images of Fidel Castro and other leaders of the Revolution of 1959.

Tonight we’ll meet the rest of our group, have a concert about the history of Cuban music and then go out to dinner.  I think it will be a late night.

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).