An Amazing Restoration School and the Streets of La Habana

Last year, we were all struck by the amazing restoration going on in La Habana. Students at Escuela de Taller apprentice, then work on buildings throughout the city, restoring them to their former glory. The Bacardi Building is one example that I showed in last-year’s blog series. We were amazed at the work that had been done in the city in just one short year in a country with limited resources.

We were happy that this year’s group was equally impressed with the work that these students do. The tools are simple. Most things are done by hand. While this young man is using a table saw, his mitering is done by eye without benefit of angle tools. OSHA would have a hissy fit at the modest safety precautions, but these students take responsibility for themselves, and they are careful.

After our tour of some of the restoration studios, we discovered what is probably the last place in Cuba where the Cuban and Soviet flags fly side-by-side. When the Soviets left Cuba, they left the country in dire straits, and the Cubans understandably are not enamored of Russia, so it is unusual to find such a site still existing. We were impressed, not necessarily in a favorable way, with all the wiring criss-crossing like an elaborate spider web across the ceiling and walls.

When we met this nice gentleman standing in his doorway, a heart on the wall beside the door, none of us quite knew what to expect! Was this a house of love? As it turned out, he was a welder and invited us into his modest home. Clearly, there was no woman around, as his workshop was in disarray. Generally, the houses where we are invited in are pristine, everything in its place. That said, this was a work place, and our host was most generous to allow us in. I liked the palette offered by his standing by his door.

Sometimes when walking the streets of La Habana (or any city, for that matter), we split up, Arnie going with one group, I with the other. That way, we do not overwhelm the residents with our clicking cameras. We set guidelines that people take his/her turn, then make way for the next. People need to find their own shots, not copy those of others.

“My” group was invited into the modest home of a woman with three kids. She was patiently and gently working with her son who was having trouble with his reading homework, while her younger daughter dutifully and carefully did her homework on the bed.

Some families are comfortable, but just as in any country in the world, including the US, there are families in need. This was one such family, and our group shared items we had brought — shampoos, soap, hair decorations, pens, even some CUCs to help the family. Remember, CUCs are the Cuban currency, worth much more than the Cuban Peso. In thanks, the mother asked us if we would like to go up on the roof of her friend’s building. She introduced us to her friend, and …

Never say, “No!” She took us up, unlocked the rooftop door, and we got to roam and enjoy the city sites from above, while her friend went to work. The colors to me are muted and beautiful, particularly at the ends of the day. Two men were working on a project together below, while the city stretched beyond.

I think I mentioned in the last blog that kids play in the streets. They are savvy and stay out of the way of the sometimes-fast-moving cars as well as the bike taxis. This is a city in motion, full of energy, sights, and sounds.

When one walks the streets of any city, if one is a photographer, one is aware of everything around. Those double takes? Those come from being aware and open to what catches your eye. I love the doorways. A dark hall leads into a bright courtyard, the light from the street casting a slight glow on the hall walls.

What is it about laundry? Laundry is laundry is laundry. Omnipresent, and according to the late Irma Bombeck, it has a life of its own. Like many of us, I do it every week. It is not a glamorous task, for sure.

But there is something about laundry hanging outside on lines in other countries that draws me time and time again. Maybe it speaks to the attention to cleanliness in cities that don’t always look clean to the casual observer. La Habana is a case in point. Some of the streets are dirty, but I cannot think of a house or abode I have entered that is not spotless.

Last year, for example, one woman and daughter invited our small group in, and there was a sow in the hallways. A VERY LARGE sow. Not a whisper of pig smell was to be discerned. The place was spotless, and so was the sow.

This line of laundry, sparkling clean against the textured well caught my eye. The laundry seemed to echo the textures and colors of the building.

I never tire of walking the streets of this amazing city, the old part one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is a wonderful city to photograph.

Larger versions of these photographs and others from previous blogs may be seen at https://plus.google.com/b/116621161649335930471/photos/116621161649335930471/albums/5990265691496243105

Next: Valle de Viñales, another UNESCO World Heritage Site

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