We were able to see the Plaza San Francisco, with all its bears, in full sunlight on our first morning. And able to appreciate just how many bears there were!
They were all being overlooked and presumably blessed by St Francis!
....who was, in turn, being overlooked by the lady with a rose!
We had arranged to explore Havana Vieja with a tour guide in order to familiarise ourselves with the city.
This was quite an eye opener!
The Plaza Vieja looked like a bomb site before UNESCO stepped in!
Today most of the properties surrounding the square have been renovated,
and it is the P.E. ground for the local children's school, which is in one of the buildings around the square!
One building is still a work in progress....it is to be a 5 star hotel, but looks quite a way off before rooms are available!
We did not see any workers working on it, any time we went by!
The real eye opener was when our guide took us inside some of the very dilapidated buildings just off the square. Some of these buildings may have been affected by Hurricane Ike in 2008....but......lots seemed to be just decay over the years!
One building, where she had been acquainted with the family living there and was very concerned about their safety should it collapse in heavy rain, did indeed collapse. Fortunately the family had moved out 2 days prior to its actual collapse!
The next was however even more depressing......
The entry showed an alarming array of electrical wires.....
which somewhat prepared us for the interior.....
Around the corner was the main distribution centre for goods coming into the area.....
...but the locals did not seem to be too busy!
We passed the old perfumery where people can still have their personal perfume made!
Recycled perfume bottles are on sale outside!
We also visited Plaza de Armas with its booksellers........
And the Plaza de Catedral where we had a lunch reservation at Dona Eutemia.....
......my next Mojito...frappee this time.. the best!
The food was also good....
and the place was very interesting......
We were amused by the bread delivery across the way!
They were all being overlooked and presumably blessed by St Francis!
....who was, in turn, being overlooked by the lady with a rose!
We had arranged to explore Havana Vieja with a tour guide in order to familiarise ourselves with the city.
This was quite an eye opener!
The Plaza Vieja looked like a bomb site before UNESCO stepped in!
Today most of the properties surrounding the square have been renovated,
We did not see any workers working on it, any time we went by!
The real eye opener was when our guide took us inside some of the very dilapidated buildings just off the square. Some of these buildings may have been affected by Hurricane Ike in 2008....but......lots seemed to be just decay over the years!
One building, where she had been acquainted with the family living there and was very concerned about their safety should it collapse in heavy rain, did indeed collapse. Fortunately the family had moved out 2 days prior to its actual collapse!
The entry showed an alarming array of electrical wires.....
...but the locals did not seem to be too busy!
We passed the old perfumery where people can still have their personal perfume made!
Recycled perfume bottles are on sale outside!
We also visited Plaza de Armas with its booksellers........
The food was also good....
On our return to the Plaza San Francisco via bici taxi
........we checked out the fountain.......
and the bronze sculpture.....by day...
........and later by night........
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