Our cruise to Cuba included an overnight in Havana. It was a busy two days. One of the striking things about Havana were the colorful buildings--and of course the cars. After a lengthy bus tour of highlights (Havana Highlights) we stopped at the Christopher Columbus Cemetery.
The cemetery is home to beautiful marble statuary but the highlight of the stop was the story that the guide told about one very significant grave that is visited frequently for unusual reasons. The story is in this post about the cemetery.
Our next stop was to the Fortress of San Carlos one of the many built by the Spanish. Our excursion did not include a ticket to explore the inside but we were able to wander the courtyard and of course visit the cigar shop and see the 295 foot long cigar on display. On our was back to the ship we passed a military museum of sorts that had remnants of an American U2 plane shot down during the Cuban missile crisis. Link: San Carlos Fortress
The evening in Havana was highlighted by a trip to a hotel of historic interest that included a connection to Lucky Luciano and the mob. The evening was to be our cultural exchange time. It included quite a fancy show that was very entertaining. Link: Hotel Nacional and Parisien Cabaret
A second day in Havana had us on a walking tour of Old Town. Our first encounters were with people in costume wanting us to take a picture for money of course and then there were the "good will ambassadors", the wandering dogs. There is quite an interesting story about these dogs. Link: Old Town
Havana was a favorite of Hemingway's. As part of our tour we stopped at the hotel he made famous there and looked up at where his room was. Inside was an old elevator==still working. It looked like something out of a 40s movie. Click here to see more: Hemingway
The tour of Old Town ended at the Plaza de Armas which dates back to the early 1500s when Havana was first established. Click on the link and learn why there is a wooden street there. Plaza de Armas
And of course the question always posed to us when we say we've been to Cuba is, "Did you see the cars?" Oh yes, there were the cars. Click here to see The Cars!
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