Viva La Vida Cuba: Vedado

The restaurant turned out to be a lot further away than I had anticipated. For lunch, we would be eating at the Shanghai Restaurant, located in the Vedado District. To get there requires driving through Centro Habana (Central Havana). Victor drove the bus along the Malecon Promenade, a main roadway that hugs the northern coastline. The Malecon was originally designed to be a grand pedestrian walkway by the Americans in 1901. Tall hotels & residential towers line this promenade, trying to emulate the Miami Beach skyline.

The architecture of Havana began to change as we drove, going from Hispanic-Andalusian to the styles associated with the Soviet Union. Tour Guide Tony talked about the layout of the city centre & pointed out several important buildings such as the Hotel Nacional, and a state hospital where Michael Moore filmed several scenes for his documentary Sicko.

After driving for some time, Victor drove off the main road and parked the bus near an abandoned dilapidated building that Tony humourously dubbed the Canadian Embassy. The Shanghai Restaurant had reserved an entire corner for our tour group, and my parents & I shared a table with a couple from Halifax. From what I remember, we had a fine chicken dish with Cuban beer. While we ate & talked, a stray cat wandered from table to table, looking cute in the hopes of getting food. And of course, there was live music. The musical trio didn’t become a problem until the lady started asking for tips & if we wanted to buy their CD. There’s also a cigar/rum shop in the same building for those wanting to buy genuine Cuban cigars & rum. I didn’t step inside but I’m guessing the prices were cheaper than back at the tourist resorts.

With lunch out of the way, we headed back into the heart of the city towards Plaza de la Revolicion (Revolution Square). On the way, we passed one of the main entrances to Columbus Cemetery, also known as the Necopolis de Colon. The ‘Dead Centre of Havana’ is in the shape of a square and one of the largest cemeteries in the world, with 53,360 plots spread across 135 acres. We’ll have to wait until the next trip to visit this place.

Upon arriving at Revolution Square, we were only given 5 minutes to photograph the square & the monuments surrounding it. The sun was shining brightly, clearly letting me see that the square needed to be repaved. It is here where military parades & official celebrations are held every year, with up to a million people attending to hear their leaders speak ‘forever’ about whatever. The previous leader, Fidel Castro, likes to talk a lot and his speeches have last for several hours. One of his speeches at the United Nations clocked in at 4 hours & 32 minutes!

In front of the square stands the 139m (458ft) tall Jose Marti Memorial celebrating Cuba’s national hero. It is a five pointed tower made of grey marble that was completed in 1958. At the foot of the tower sits an 18m (59ft) statue of Jose Marti. If there was time, I would have taken the lift to the observation deck. Directly opposite the Memorial is the Ministry of Interior, a building famous for having a huge bronze wire sculpture of Che Guevara that was erected in 1995. Next to the building is the Ministry of Informatics and Communications (MINCOM) building that also has a bronze wire sculpture but of Cuban revolutionary Camilo Cienfuegos. But the most appealing building for me was the Ministry of Defence, which sits next to the Jose Marti Memorial. Maybe next time, I’ll get to see Parliament.