Day. 4... walk, or ride?

No wine for my whine

(This was written in Cuba....but not posted due to a lack of Wifi.  i did clean up the language in this a little.)

     I am a little bitchy.

     Our room is hot.  The thermostat is set at 27, which has to be about 80.

      Dan and I have complained since check in and each time we are told someone is working on it or coming to work on it and even it's fixed.  Bullshit.  We are hot.

     Havana Libre is not Hotel Nacional.

     We finished our tour of Old Havana.  One plaza we were in was being renovated.  It was originally built as a commerce center in the 1500s or so.  But Batista ripped up the square and put in underground parking.  The buildings began to deteriorate.  Sometime in the past 15 years the parking was removed and the square restored.  The buildings are being restored also and before and after pictures dramatically tell the story.

     Lunch was on our own.  Dan and I joined the California girls at a neat little restaurant.  The grilled chicken was very good.

     We then toured the Cuban Art Museum, which features works of noted Cuban artists.

     Then we we to out to a fort on the peninsula across from Havana.  We took a tunnel that went under the water, which saves about 3 hours of driving.  Our guide called it one of the 7 engineering wonders of Cuba.

     We checked into Hotel HELL.  Our room was hot from the first moment we walked in.

      So, I went to the park across the street because it is famous for ice cream.  Tour leader Gail said to be sure to get in the right line.

     I went over, no line, and ate my ice cream. 

     I noticed lines and started watching.  These were Cuban people buying ice cream.  They used pesos.  I used CUCs, which meant I was a tourist.  No waiting for me.....waiting for ordinary Cubans.
     There were four seating sections...and four lines.  People were let in 10 at a time, and there were a lot of people in line.  Peso prices seemed  a lot less than the CUC prices....but that may have just been my math.

     We went to a paladar for super...Dan, Larry, Patty, Michael, Janet, Jim, Lynn, Cathrine and me.....great food.  Larry, Patty and I took a cab.  The others were getting into cabs as we took off.
     We got there just about 7 and expected the others to join us.  10 minutes went by...then 20.    Finally, after waiting half an hour, we decided to go ahead and eat, not knowing where the others were.  No cell phones, so communication was impossible.
     We sat down, enjoyed our complimentary welcome to my restaurant mojito,  and were ready to order when the other six walked in.
     We asked what took them so long and they replied:  They walked.   18 blocks.  In 85 degree heat.

 But they saved 10, the cost of the cab ride.  I guess they were told at the hotel it would cost 5, but the driver said 10 and they did not want to pay it.  They were told the restaurant was just two blocks over and a few blocks down.   More like 18.  We had a good laugh over it.

     They took a cab home.

     At Nacional, I would sit out on the veranda, enjoying the cool breeze.  At Libre, the front is on a busy street and the lobby is modern and noisy.  I ended up in a small bar off to the side of the lobby, sipping my final mojito of the day.  I must have been partially hidden, because people looked for me     and could not find me.
     And the room was still hot.

This sculpture is called coffeedral....made from coffee pots, the kind normal Cuban people use to brew.  You passed through the sculpture and touched a handle for good luck.

The inside was lined with mirrors.....easy for selfies!

Now that is a bug!!

My ice cream.... pretty yummy

This one is for CUC customers.... mainly tourists

View from Libre.....the big green area in the center is the ice cream park.

Our hotel.....

yes, they have movie theaters

I love these trees....the hanging roots fascinated me.

Houses that bordered the park

Everybody loves ice cream.... especially coconut!

Square is very attractive and clean

before and after of the building

This square was noisy, so one of the governors ordered the brick road to be replaced by wooden pavers to reduce noise....so these are actually wood!

At the fort overlooking Havana harbor

Dona Juana..... sounded like dontya wanna?  Good food. Restaurant was on the roof, first floor was owner, second floor rooms to rent and top floor the restaurant.  At least, that is what I think.

Our dining group

This is a newly renovated hotel on one of the squares