#HavanaCityGuide

[amibrazen]

Havana Travel Guide: Things to do in Havana Cuba

Calling all wanderers. Our Havana Travel Guide is here to unveil the hidden gems and must-visit spots in Cuba's beloved capital. Join us on an unforgettable adventure through Havana's vibrant streets and embrace the magic of this enchanting city.

[umabonecaciumenta]

Havana Travel Guide: Things to do in Havana Cuba

Experience the beauty of Havana, Cuba with our ultimate travel guide. From exploring iconic landmarks to indulging in mouthwatering cuisine, uncover the secrets of this captivating city.

[xhownu]

Havana Travel Guide: Things to do in Havana Cuba Calling all wanderers. Our Havana Travel Guide is here to unveil the hidden gems and must-visit spots in Cuba's beloved capital. Join us on an unforgettable adventure through Havana's vibrant streets and embrace the magic of this enchanting city.

[myhavana-club]

Walking down Havana streets

An afternoon strolling through the streets of Havana is sheer delight! Pictures are more attractive than word, so welcome to Havana and enjoy your walk along Carlos III Avenue:

Clémence.

[preprod-havanaclub-blog]

Cuban railways

[nicomatt-blog]

Cuban railways

[myhavana-club]

Lien, an example of a Cuban entrepreneur woman

Have you ever heard about the Versus 1900, a new trendy restaurant in Vedado (Havana district)? Did you know that there is an ecological spa in Havana? I learnt it a few days ago and many thanks to Lien for telling us more about it!

The story began in December 2013. Lien wanted to change her life doing something that makes sense, something with passion. She asked herself, “what kind of job do I really like?”. Doing something from the heart was obviously involving her husband. “What can we do together that makes sense?”.

 Lien and his husband

She loves architecture, design and decoration, he is keen about food and cooking. Why not creating a restaurant? Speaking with their friends they found the perfect place in Vedado: an old colonial house, built in 1900: it gave the name of the restaurant Versus 1900. She totally fell in love and decided to restore it. She studied Art History and had plenty of ideas to make her dream house. In March 2014 the project started. She obtained all the required licenses in September, made various works during more than six months with Raul Mancina, a great architect. They respected all the original construction.  The floor is still the original one, they refreshed the woods and the doors. They created a new modern rooftop with mattresses that creates a cosy and trendy atmosphere; which is quite rare in Cuba. The restaurant has been open since October 2015.

The pictures often tell more than the words. I let you discover this amazing restaurant:

And what about the food? I had the pleasure to eat at the Versus 1900 and to meet the Chef Vladimir Febles Fuentes, in his kitchen. Now I can say: yes, it’s so good!!!! Vladimir made cooking studies in Cuba and started his career working for a Mediterranean Cruise. For twelve years he has been inspired by Italian, French and Spanish cooking styles. When he came back to Cuba he worked successively at La Guarida and La Fontana, two of the best restaurants in Havana.

Vladimir and his team

 Because a good idea never comes alone, Lien decided to create a healthy spa at the same time. Why? She wanted to change her life because she was sick, she had an endometriosis and needed to be closer to the natural world, rejecting all the chemical products. Her friend convinced her to launch the first ecological spa in Cuba and she accepted the challenge! In September 2014 they found the local and opened it at the end of October 2014. They didn’t have many things to restore. It was a very modern place. They painted it, put the air-conditioned, decorated it and it was ready to start! The spa is called Lien Martinez, it’s a very relaxing area with a pure white and fresh atmosphere (which is very positive in Cuba!). This beauty center offers services of manicure, massages, peelings, fitness treatment, depilation, etc. all with 100% natural products.

 “Changes are important. I’m always creating something, watching what is missing to try to make something better. There are too many things to do in Cuba!” said Lien.

What are the next steps in Lien’s entrepreneur life? Well, in summer she plans to change the decoration of the rooftop in a marine’s theme. Oh, and did I told you that she opened another restaurant during the last Art Biennial, in June 2015? It’s a French-Cuban fusion restaurant, called Los Naranjos, in Vedado too. And did I told you that Lien was a model? She loves fashion. Why not organizing a defile? She also likes traditional music, ballet, art, photography. I’m sure it’s just the beginning of the story! She has the passion to create.

“I’m very curious and I always want to learn more about many things. I wish I can study communication in September.” she confessed me.

As Lien said, “Cuba is changing a lot. A modern Havana is growing with new technology, new way of thinking and new mentalities. Nowadays there are thousands of people with great new ideas who want to do something. The history has to be written by the Cubans.”

 Thank you Lien and good luck for your future projects.

 If you are passing by Havana don’t forget to have a break there:

Versus 1900, Calle Linea e/ D e E, +537 835 18 52

Lien Martinez, centro estético: Calle Calzada #307 e/ H e I, Vedado, +537 832 81 77

 Clémence.

[myhavana-club]

Before Uber and all the sharing car options, the Cuban “Maquina”!

As many countries in the world, in Cuba taking a cab, renting or buying a car is very expensive. Bus, subway, sharing car, there are plenty of transport options in Western countries. What about Cuba?

Another concept exists in Cuba, the collective transport in vintage car known as a máquina, which means machine, or almendron, which means almond. Let me explain about this transport.

When you see a vintage American car with a taxi sticker on the window it’s not a real “taxi”, it’s a “maquina”!

Do you want to join me for a ride in a Maquina? Ok, let’s go!

It’s a real headache to understand how local transports work.

1.       Where can you find a Maquina?

You have to go to one of the streets where there is Maquinas’ traffic. Here are the major streets where you can find a Maquina:

-          Galiano, near the Capitolio and Zanja in Havana City Center,

-          Línea, Calle G, and calle 23 in Vedado

-          Tercera, Septima and Calle 51 in Miramar

-          Calle 19 en playa

 2.       How to stop a Maquina?

In Cuba, there is no indication on bus stops for the maquina. We just have to do a signal to the driver to stop the Maquina. How? Making a hand signal to bus drivers who respond in return with another hand signal. Thanks to this, Cubans can pick up the maquina they want.

Let’s start easy, just raise your hand and watch the maquina’s driver, as does the guy in front of me:

One, two, three… 10 maquinas have passed by without even seeing us.

3.       Wait

-          It’s the rush hour, all the maquinas are full! He tells me (understanding that I was waiting for a maquina too). We could wait from 15 to 30 minutes here... Well, I’m Alejandro, nice to meet you.

Great, it’s finally working! A very beautiful black Chevrolet 52 stops and we go inside. The car is huge and quite comfortable!

4.       But… to go where?

Each maquinas follows a predetermined road and most often goes straight ahead along the street: from the beginning to the end of Tercera, then from the beginning to the end of Linea, and then to Capitolio, etc.

Actually, the only potential difficulty remains in finding the road changes (?). Thanks to Alejandro, here is the meaning of the different signals you have to learn to understand where a maquina is going and to make the driver understand where you want to go:

-          The index finger pointed downward: I’m going straight ahead along this street.

-          The index finger pointed upward: I’m going to Havana City Center (or anywhere, just point the finger to the direction where you want to go):

-          Show three fingers of one hand: I’m going to Tercera

 5.       Price

The maquina is very cheap! At 50 cents Cuc (=0,50 USD) a ride, you can go far from the Vedado to the Capitolio for instance.

To conclude, it is very fun to hang around in a maquina. It’s probably not the quickest way to go to your destination but it’s definitely one of the best way to feel the Cuban spirit, to hear the Cuban stories and Cuban “chismes” (ie gossips), to live like the Cuban people!

Thank you Alejandro for your help!

 If you want to go quickly somewhere, I would not recommend you to try those transports alone but with a local who knows how it works. You are shy or in a hurry? Don’t worry, there are other options to choose when visiting Havana: the classic yellow taxi, the classic taxi, the bici-taxi (bike taxi), the coco-taxi (replaced by a moped bike), or the horse cart. What kind of transports should you use, and where? Let’s have a clear overview:

http://myhavana-club.tumblr.com/post/109488037631/transport-in-cuba-almendrone-macina-coco-what

Clémence.

[preprod-havanaclub-blog]

Butcher’s shop #CubaInsider

[preprod-havanaclub-blog]

Street views

[preprod-havanaclub-blog]

The art is in the street #CubaInsider

[preprod-havanaclub-blog]

Callejon de Hamel in #Havana #HavanaCityGuide

[preprod-havanaclub-blog]

El Che, Avenida del puerto #Havana #Cuba #streetart #CubaInsider

[myhavana-club]

Papito's model: where cultural, social and economic issues converge in one little street #CubaInsider

In 1986, Papito was 16 years old. He already had many ideas in his mind and he had a passion: cutting hair! It was in his DNA and he was in love with this universe. He was also passionate about the history of barbers and his job—Papito says “passion”—allowed him to express his artistic abilities. He wanted hairdressing to be recognized as a real art expression. Cutting hair isn’t just a business; it’s a link between art, history and people's life. A barber is responsible for a person's look! Little by little, he started to expand his concept.

   In 1999, he built a real Barber Live Museum— his own hairdressing salon, where we can see collector's items such as old barber chairs, scissors, and cash register from other centuries, etc.

    After having built his salon, he decided to restore “El Callejón” (his shop's alley) as the vibrant place where all the neighbors of Santo Angel come together.  The Arte Corte was born. It refers to a cultural and social project that is gradually expanding, like a snowball effect!

    Arte Corte now involves all the neighbors, from the youngest to the oldest.

     The list of the projects developed in this street is quite long: an art gallery, children's playground, football tournament, multigenerational dancing party, recycling project, restaurants, shops, etc. What is happening in the “Callejon” is the perfect combination between private and public activities. Papito insists on the importance of micro activities: everyone has a role to play, even the smallest ones. It is the sum of many small actions that leads to big changes. We like to think that the future of Cuba depends on this logic— preserving human values as solidarity, passion, motivation in a social and cultural way.

  Oh! I almost forgot: Papito created a free hairdressing and barber school on the street, giving young people from the neighborhood who didn’t know what to do to discover his passion, to study it and to find a job.

    Arte Corte is a project that directly benefits the neighborhood as a whole, not only socially and culturally but also economically. The dynamic of this model could serve as a positive example that could be replicated.

   Now the street has been renamed “Callejon de los peluqueros” [Hairdresser's Alley] and Papito still has many ideas for the future! Papito, a dreamer-entrepreneur!

 Clémence.

[myhavana-club]

Interactivo at Bertolt Brecht #CubaInsider

Interactivo is a Cuban band with loads of personality and the Bertolt Brecht is a major venue for young Cuban people and attracts the best of up-and-coming Cuban musicians. The union Interactivo/Bertold Brecht happens all the wednesday's evenings from 11pm to 2am and it is always amazing!

     It's easy to lose count of all the outstanding Cuban musicians who have played with, toured with or recorded with Interactivo. Some of them are stars in their own right, some are just beginning to make their name. When you put all of them together Interactivo looks like a team of all-star athletes or an army of comic book superheroes who have put aside their own natural competitiveness to fight for a common cause.

   Except, in Interactivo's case, the musical superheroes are having too much fun to think about fighting.

  Last week I had the chance to meet Francis del Rio, one of the pillars of the Cuban fusion scene. More than a singer, Francis is a poet who paints, a dandy who dresses like "a clown" (his own words) and also great dancer!

   I let you discover more about Francis del Rio and Interactivo here:

http://havana-cultura.com/en/music/francis-del-rio

http://havana-cultura.com/en/music/interactivo

 Clémence.

[myhavana-club]

Bookshop in Plaza de armas  ‪#‎CubaInsider

Clémence.