Cienfuegos

Left Habana yesterday with our amiga from Nicaragua, in a private taxi arranged by our current hosts Zunilda y Raya. Cienfuegos is a laid back place, about three hours or so by car from Habana. It has a wide paseo, with covered walkway and many old columned buildings, a cross between French and Spanish architecture, as it was originally a French outpost. It is probably best known as the home of Benny More, a famous singer in the 40's and 50's.

We are staying in a delightful casa, just outside town on Punta Gordo. We have our own terrace overlooking the bay. Zunilda and Raya are muy amable, and cook up what is arguably, the best food in Cienfuegos, and possibly all Cuba. There are several other casas here, as well as the larger and rather ugly Hotel Jagua. Said to have been built by Meyer Lansky, with help from Batista, it is right on the grounds of the magnificent Palacio de Valle, which looks like a moorish castle. The idea was to turn the palacio into a casino, similar to Monte Carlo.

Palacio from our terrace. Construction garbage detracts, but is not noticeable from the street

At the end of the Punta, there is a small park with several gazebos selling rum and sandwiches, kids frolicking around, a local hangout. Arriving in mid-afternoon, we spent a couple of hours there.

In the morning we walked around the main part of town to Plaza Marti, perhaps a mile away. Looking quite Spanish, it has a number of old edificios, and a couple of interesting art galleries. Nanette later went back and purchased a print from Annia Alonzo. We had another cup of coffee under the colonnades of one of these buildings, and listened to One Guantanamera sung by live musicians. This seems to be a ubiquitous song in Cuba, at least for tourists, although I know it from the Pete Seeger version.

Paseo, on the way to Plaza Marti

Old opera house, Plaza Marti

Bomberos (firemen) staying in shape on Plaza Marti

Nanette and Terry

Church near Plaza

Taxi servcie

After a while, it began to get hot and we strolled back to our casa where we spent the better part of the afternoon on our terrace looking out over the bay, drinking rum and cerveza. What could be more relajando?

Your's truely on the terrace

Views looking out from terrace

On another day, Terry and I took the 45 minute ferry ride to the Castillo de Jagua, at the entrance to the Bay of Cienfuegos, It was erected by King Philip V of Spain (1683-1746) in 1742 to protect the bay from pirates who prowled the Caribbean coast in those days.

View from fort looking out at the entrance to the Bay of Cienfuegos