DAY 3: FUSTERLANDIA

Some brief observations about cars in Cuba.   Famously, there are thousands of American cars from the 1950's, still on the roads in both urban and rural areas.  Some barely hold together, others are serviceable and function as taxis and private vehicles, and some are lovingly maintained and seem as pristine as they had been 60 years ago on the showroom floor.  Oldsmobiles, Fords, and Chevrolets dominate the classics.  Convertibles are the model of choice, and the taxi of choice, certainly.  Only rarely does one see a sidelined '50's classic, and when spotted on the roadside it invariably has 3 to 6 fellows into the hood and underneath the chassis.

The most common trucks and passenger vehicles, it appears, are small Ladas.  The Lada is a car of Soviet Russian manufacture which flooded into Cuba in the 1970's, and which now accounts for about 30% of all automobiles there.  If our experience is a reliable indicator, Ladas also make up the majority of vehicles to be seen broken down on the roadside.

Cuban roads, at least where we went, were fine, and there were areas of active construction and repair.  More frequent than potholes were slender dips in the roads, to facilitate water flow, which necessitate slowing down to avoid hitting bottom.  The autopistas (highways, freeways) between Havana and Pinar del Rio, and around Havana Harbor landward toward Cojimar, resemble our Interstate Highways albeit a little less smooth.  Even on these major multilane highways, however, drivers must beware of horse-drawn or oxen-drawn wagons in the outside lanes, rattletrap trucks going 10 mph, and old tractors.  There are no paved shoulders on these roads, either.

Cars, bicitaxis, and sometimes animal-drawn wagons share the roads.

The day began with a short walk down El Prado.  We revisited Centro Asturianos, where a portion of the second floor, which has an appearance suggesting an abandoned ballroom, was staged for Compañia Irene Rodríguez.  Irene has an elite group of dancers, some of whom began studying with her when they were very young.  This flamenco company is famous in the Caribbean, and in Central and South America.  For one mesmerizing hour, our group sat on folding chairs, enthralled, watching and hearing stories told entirely via flamenco.  In some respects, though I'm sure this is naive, the dances resemble Irish step dancing.  The room is unairconditioned, ventilated only by windows, and the dancers were perspiring profusely with no detectable loss of energy.  We learned that Compañia Irene Rodríguez had peformed at the National Theater a few weeks previously, and all of their performances were sold out.

Compañia Irene Rodríguez

Irene Rodríguez

This video (below) of Compañia Irene Rodríguez showcases the men.  The story they tell concerns a Galician stranger who has arrived in Cuba, with his strange and provincial cultural habits and citified air, to be then confronted by the local campesinos.  We watch as challenge and competition morph to solidarity.

From Centro Asturianos it's a few blocks to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Arte Cubano). The national fine arts museum is distributed between two buildings, the other being on Parque Central.  We got a running (almost literally) commentary by curator Nelson Herrera, through the centuries of Cuban art, from Columbus' landing to the present.  Some pieces were created by artists whom we would meet in person later, and others were by legendary Cuban artists, including the incomparable Wilfredo Lam.  Mr. Herrera's presentation was energetic and intelligent.  Desafortunadamente, photography was not allowed.  Important wings of the museum which we'd like to have seen were closed, following an 8-inch rain and flooding about 10 days before we arrived in Havana.

Just down from the Museo Nacional is Museo de la Revolución.  This museum commemorates the 1959 Revolution.  It was not on our itinerary.  The museum annex is a glass pavilion in a small park.  In the pavilion is the actual "Granma," the yacht which Fidel Castro, with about ninety soldiers and hangers-on, used to cross from Cancún to eastern Cuba, ending his exile in Mexico and thus commencing the Revolution.

"Granma" in the glass enclosure, behind the airplane

The Granma exhibit has the highest government security, and is guarded 24/7.  One or more guards can be seen in the photo.  Some clever person has claimed that guarding the boat assures that no one steals it and sails to Florida.

An unannounced side trip took us to the studio of a young sculptor, who displays his work on the third floor of a dilapidated building only partly restored.  To reach his loft requires a precarious climb up a narrow stair.  I cannot remember his name.  He is an example of the new school of "recycle" art.  He collects old metal, particularly plumbing, heating, and machine parts, and does unusual sculptures with these parts.  He delivered a nice oral statement of his artist's vision, which was translated to us by our guide.

Looking down from sculptor's studio to front door
Miraculous that he can get all those metal pieces up here

Gallery is on 3rd floor

Jaimanitas is a small coastal town west of Havana, really a Havana suburb.  Per rumor, Fidel Castro retired to Jaimanitas, and lives in an unassuming home here.  Dave read an article from February 2013, in a UK paper, wherein the reporter claims to have come to Jaimanitas, and to have conducted an interview with Fidel at his home.  Our Cuban guide would say only that Fidel lives "very close to here."  The town is home to Cuban artist José Fuster, called just "Fuster" by everyone, including his own son.  Fuster is mostly a ceramics artist, but also paints and dabbles in a few other things.  Fuster's 3-story home, and its courtyard, make a veritable gallery of his ceramics.  From various angles and levels, a short tour of Fusterland:

Fuster's whimsy is oozing out to adjacent homes and streets, as Fuster and family, neighbors, and volunteer "artists" add to the pieces, serially covering walls, benches, steps, and corner murals.  It is obvious why Fuster has been named "The Cuban Picasso", and why he is important to this little community.

Only one way to be, dudos.

Fuster's neighbors play dominoes.  Dave was invited to join, but he
was down to only a few CUC's at this point (see painting, downstream).

Dominoes

Could be Central Texas, but isn't

We lunched at Fuster's home, in the front courtyard:  the usual mojito, beer, lobster, Moros y Cristianos, yuca, potatoes, and flan.  Fuster himself was out of town, but we parleyed with his son, whose English is good.  Many in our group purchased Fuster tiles.  Some bought paintings.  MJ and Dave snagged this painting, which Dave in particular loves.  It is an irreverent presentation of the voyage of the "Granma."

The Fuster purchase

Briefly, Dave (and friend Jonathan Viscoli) tried to fob off this photo as a Fuster abstract, which we could not afford.  It wasn't actually for sale.

Fuster's palette

From Jaimanitas we retraced to Havana, along the Malecón (seawall).  We passed a modern building that represents the United States Interests Section.  We do not have an embassy in Cuba.  During the Elián González episode in 2000, Cuba constructed Plaza Tribuna Anti-Imperialista, AKA Plaza de la Dignidad, next to the Interests Section, to accommodate large crowds protesting in full view of the Americans.  The US then mounted a large electronic screen, on the wall facing the protesters, displaying continuous visual pro-American propaganda.  The Cuban government responded by erecting numerous flagpoles, at staggered intervals, effectively blocking the video screens to viewers in the Plaza.  Is this high level statesmanship, or what?

Plaza de la Dignidad

José Martí cradling a representation of Elián González 
and pointing defiantly toward the US

Back to Habana Vieja, where a tunnel under the mouth of the harbor connects with Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña, across the water to the northeast.  Perched on the bluff above the water facing north is the famous El Morro (full name "Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro), built in the late 1500's.  Its long history records repulsion of pirates, French troops, and English troops.  The lighthouse dates from the mid-1840's.  We did not have time to stop here.

Our purpose this afternoon was not historical, but artistic.  The second of the forts, to the southeast a little ways and much the larger, is San Carlos de la Cabaña (Fortaleza de .......).  It was hosting the FIART, an annual folk art exhibit and market.  The artists and merchants are dispersed over the grounds, and throughout old barracks and office areas.  This is a 3-day festival, of which we saw only the grand opening.  The Cuban National Anthem, a brassy military tune of great power, particularly mega-amplified as it was, set things in motion.

San Carlos de la Cabaña, landward side

Setting up for FIART

The "I" barely shows, but it does.

Paving stones are concave, to slow recoil.

There is occasional access from the parapet to the water.

From La Cabaña north to El Morro and the lighthouse

How it was back in the day

A lone fisherman below the parapet

One cruise ship in the harbor

Seguridad para la Ciudad

The Christ of Havana,  at 11:30

The La Cabaña fort was completed around 1775.  It is huge, with a deep moat.  Given the size and location, nobody ever attacked it directly.  Periodically, it has been a prison for troublesome political activists from the parties out of power, and it has a discouraging history of intermittent bunches of executions.  After the Revolution, Che Guevara commanded from this fort, and a number of imprisoned Bautistos came to their ends at La Cabaña.

We were fortunate to experience a very dramatic sunset, from the fort, looking west across the bay to the skyline of Havana:

A very brief break at the hotel was enough for a Pártagas and a Havana Club 7 Year.  Then, the group clustered at the front sidewalk, and spectacularly, one by one, a queue of reserved taxis, every single one a classic American convertible, took us on.  I think we had 7 or 8 cars.  Ours was a 1953 Chevrolet.  The open air more than offset the fumes from a corroded exhaust and rough tuning.

It's OK.  The cabdriver's taking the pics.

And here is what came next:

Of all things, we were chauffered in a taxi caravan, along the Malecón, Havana's seawall boulevard, down past the Hotel Nacional and then 180º back to Habana Vieja.  Each taxi had its unique klaxon, and we rattled along, all the while evoking laughter from the pedestrians and hangers-about, with our instrumental cacophony of "Old Susanna," "Camptown Ladies," and "Dixie."   This must be said:  Cubans are a lighthearted, easily amused people.  On a more somber note, this also:   MJ and I had noted at sunset, looking at the skyline, the striking absence of lighted windows, all over downtown Havana.  We sensed the same, driving along the Malecón, except for the hospital and a few hotels.  Many buildings are, apparently, just facades.

The taxis deposited us down by Plaza de la Catedral, and we went as a group through the plaza, past Restaurante El Patio (we didn't eat here, but isn't it lovely?), and to La Boguedita del Medio for supper.

Restaurante El Patio

La Boguedita del Medio

La Boguedita del Medio, now a government-owned establishment, has been the hangout of famous drinkers, and has been visited by all manner of illustrious persons in its long life.  Notably, Ernest Hemingway toggled back and forth between La Boguedita and El Floridita over by Parque Central, holding the strong opinion that the mojitos in these bars were better than elsewhere in Havana.  Fortunately for him (or, in the long run, unfortunately), La Boguedita is only a block or two from Calle del Obispo, and the Hotel Ambos Mundos, where he stayed frequently when in town - easy walking distance.  La Boguedita is said to be another one of the bars "that Hemingway fell down in."*

              *Thanks to Lonely Planet, Cuba, 7th edition, for this paraphrase

Hemingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in Rm 510.

Hemingway's presence remains, from his signature on the wall to the mural behind the bar.  Indeed, notable visitors over the years have inscribed all the walls in La Boguedita.  It is fun to browse around and to try and find recognizable names.  So, can you identify the famous couple in the photo below? You may put your guess in a comment.

The food at La Boguedita cannot have been particularly memorable, inasmuch as we can't really remember it.  Probably a capable rendition of the Cuban cuisine.  The place, however, has a house band supremo!  TradiSon.  These guys shake the soul and body with superb Afro-Cuban music.  In a very crowded and intimate venue, with very little room for maneuvering, folks still get up and dance (particularly if snagged by Viviana, see below).  We met TradiSon ever so slightly in Santa Fe last summer, but connected a little better this time around.  They are masters of engaging, and then recruiting, the audience to join in.

TradiSon, minus one

Then a short walk over to and up Calle del Obispo, with lights spilling from doorways and windows, music and people everywhere.  Soft landing to a long day.