It was evident that it was going to be a hot day even when eating breakfast this morning on the porch. The sun was doing it's thing and there was nary a cloud in the sky.
But we persevered and headed into Havana Vieja with our destination for the day being the Plaza de la Catedral and the surrounding area. This morning we had the back seat of the collectivo taxi to ourselves. It almost seemed luxurious.
On the walk to the Plaza we did a bit of souvenir shopping and stopped for a lemonade frappe and then headed to the Catedral de la San Cristobal. The Jesuits began building the cathedral in 1748 but were expelled from Cuba in 1777 by the Spanish crown . The Franciscans finished the construction and consecrated the Catedral in 1789. It has a dramatic Cuban Baroque exterior with two asymmetrical bell towers and almost an excess of niches and columns. It is lovely to behold. Given the drama of the exterior the interior is somewhat disappointing. Although there is something to be said for sitting in a stone church on a hot day.
Across the plaza was the Museo de Arte Colonial. It is housed in the 18th century home of a governor of Cuba. The house has been meticulously restored and the collection is effectively displayed. The ground floor rooms are each dedicated to a specific part of the collection. For example, you will find colonial doorways in one room and wrought iron decorations in other. The Creole craftsmen were especially adept at Medio Punto (stained glass) windows. The geometric designs are vibrantly colored and displayed effectively. On the first floor (really the second) there period rooms from the 18th and 19th centuries. These represent the homes of middle class and aristocratic families. The majority of the decorative pieces were imported from Spain, France and Italy.
On Mylena's suggestion we had lunch at Paladar Dona Eutimia at the end of a side street just a few steps from the Museo. It was a bit of a challenge to get passed the menu waving hawkers touting the other restaurants on the alley but we forged ahead and kept saying "No". Our determination was rewarded as it was a lovely lunch.
We were without a reservation for this popular spot but the matre'd accommodated us with only a short wait.
Harry found a hotel lobby to sit in and compute while I walked the streets adjacent to the Plaza and explored the shops, inviting courtyards and galleries.
Then it was a hot slog back to the spot where we hail a taxi heading out of town where we thankfully got a ride relatively quickly.
Now we are we showered and revived and in for the evening. We seem to have the whole place to ourselves tonight which suits us just fine.
But we persevered and headed into Havana Vieja with our destination for the day being the Plaza de la Catedral and the surrounding area. This morning we had the back seat of the collectivo taxi to ourselves. It almost seemed luxurious.
On the walk to the Plaza we did a bit of souvenir shopping and stopped for a lemonade frappe and then headed to the Catedral de la San Cristobal. The Jesuits began building the cathedral in 1748 but were expelled from Cuba in 1777 by the Spanish crown . The Franciscans finished the construction and consecrated the Catedral in 1789. It has a dramatic Cuban Baroque exterior with two asymmetrical bell towers and almost an excess of niches and columns. It is lovely to behold. Given the drama of the exterior the interior is somewhat disappointing. Although there is something to be said for sitting in a stone church on a hot day.
Across the plaza was the Museo de Arte Colonial. It is housed in the 18th century home of a governor of Cuba. The house has been meticulously restored and the collection is effectively displayed. The ground floor rooms are each dedicated to a specific part of the collection. For example, you will find colonial doorways in one room and wrought iron decorations in other. The Creole craftsmen were especially adept at Medio Punto (stained glass) windows. The geometric designs are vibrantly colored and displayed effectively. On the first floor (really the second) there period rooms from the 18th and 19th centuries. These represent the homes of middle class and aristocratic families. The majority of the decorative pieces were imported from Spain, France and Italy.
On Mylena's suggestion we had lunch at Paladar Dona Eutimia at the end of a side street just a few steps from the Museo. It was a bit of a challenge to get passed the menu waving hawkers touting the other restaurants on the alley but we forged ahead and kept saying "No". Our determination was rewarded as it was a lovely lunch.
We were without a reservation for this popular spot but the matre'd accommodated us with only a short wait.
Harry found a hotel lobby to sit in and compute while I walked the streets adjacent to the Plaza and explored the shops, inviting courtyards and galleries.
Then it was a hot slog back to the spot where we hail a taxi heading out of town where we thankfully got a ride relatively quickly.
Now we are we showered and revived and in for the evening. We seem to have the whole place to ourselves tonight which suits us just fine.