Cuba 2015, 03

We get to sleep in a little bit, meet for breakfast, and make trips to the bank to change Euros, Canadian Dollars, or USD – US dollars. The banks, after all, are not open over the weekend. Arnie and I always bring CUCs from the previous year, so if people cannot change what they need at the hotel, we can spot them enough to tide them over.

We climb aboard our bus with Tomas at the wheel and head a little across town for a dance presentation by Irene Rodriguez. It was far too short for our taste based on the last times we had seen her, but our group enjoyed the blend of ballet – Irene is Cuba’s prima ballerina – and flamenco. A few years ago, Irene took the top award for flamenco in Andalucia where her grandparents lived and birthplace of that dance form.

There is a special treat in store for us. Josee, a grand dame of Cuban society, who was able to keep her houses during the time of Fidel, welcomes us into her faded-but-elegant house. Now widowed, she tells us that while she and her husband could keep more than one house, they could only have one in a town/city as long as they did not leave Cuba. So, she kept the beach house and this one.

With no children, she is contemplating forming a partnership with an old and dear friend who wants to turn the house into an elegant restaurant with Josee as the hostess. This appeals to her, as she does not want to sell the house to someone who will turn it into government space. With new, private businesses opening up daily, many restaurants and casas, or what we would call B&Bs, this would be ideal.

We are given free access to the various rooms save her private bedroom. One can hear the piano in our minds’ eyes, played by her husband who loved music. In that same room, a chair and table by the window beg to have someone sit down with a good book.

I walk into the bathroom. Wow! Larger than most of today’s bedrooms, it features beautiful, orange/brick-colored tile, all the amenities, and a gorgeous, stained-glass window. Just like home … NOT!

The crown molding is stunning and intricate.

In talking to Josee, one learns that she and her husband were benefactors, giving back to the country they so loved, and in Josee’s case, still does.

Next, we spend time in the largest cemetery in the world, about five square miles. There are always interesting things to photograph and stories to learn about this or that familia or monument. Laid out in a grid, there are two main boulevards forming a cross and intersecting at the cathedral where the funerals take place.

One famous monument, the chapel of Catalina de Lasa, has a glass dome by designed and made by Lalique. Peering in through the protective bars, one catches a glimpse of its beauty.

There is a sad story associated with Catalina, who died young. It is briefly told if you scroll down to the second- and third-to-last photos on the linked page.

What the story does not say is that there is a law in the cemetery that nothing may be built higher than the famous Firemen’s Monument. Catalina’s distraught husband planted two palm trees that he hoped one day would grow taller than the neighboring monument. Some people say they have. I cannot determine from my vantage point. When we first came to Cuba, the trees were still not as tall as the Firemen’s Monument.

It is hot, and we look forward to lunch in a cool restaurant. We return to one Arnie and I know on a roof-top terrace, three stories above the town with an excellent view of one of the old forts across the harbor. We enjoy the food and cool breezes under the pergola and talk about photography and our observations on how happy the Cuban people generally are.

It is time to head out onto the streets again, and we walk back toward the Malecón. Others break off to do their own exploring, but we all agree to meet back at the hotel to see some of the work of our three Cuban friends, all amazing photographers by any standards, then have our first critique session with their participation..

Everyone learns a lot from these sessions, and it interesting to get the perspective and input from our three local friends.

It is time for dinner, and we break up and head off in different groups to eat. In fact, most of us just head downstairs and eat in the hotel where the food is very tasty.

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