3.10 - LA HABANA VIEJA EN LA NOCHE

Now La Habana Vieja does beckon

But the hour no-one seems to reckon

As the darker it gets

Seems that everyone forgets

That the Cars are in the other direction

Tally Ho with your work on Nantucket Earl… the less adventurous amongst us are relying on your wordsmith skills.

We now find our Expedition cavalry charge approaching the statue of Marti and of course another group photo is in order as still more have joined the trek, all jockeying  to push Tia a little ways along.  And… yes, everyone has a camera and wants the same shot…

8 cameras, 16 shots [an extra for each “por Si a caso”] and multiple 1..2..3.. WHISKEYYYYYYY’s later the procession starts to break up before the main entourage heads into La Habana Vieja - the children have school tomorrow and have far to go to get home.

 "Expedition Montalvo" now heads for the Centro Asturiano Museo de Bellas Artes, where Tia once taught, more pictures on the door step and a turn at the corner reveals La Floridita, the legendary hangout of Hemingway, and purported birthplace of the “Best Daiquiri” in La Habana.  Cameras firing in all directions including at the Havana Club, the Casa del Ron Y del Tobaco Cubano next door… And La Pina del Plata Bar-Restaurant on the opposite corner before they all crowd inside La Floridita for the obligatory pic with the statue of Hemingway leaning on the bar at his official spot at the corner of the Bar.

Of course Chucky spots a trio of tourists trying to take their own picture with the Famous Daiquiris, Cigars and Toasted Plantain chips, and jumps in to oblige them.  Cigars flare, Daiquiri's are hoisted, Grins all around, and he then turns to snap pics from every angle of the bar and “Expedition Montalvo” is on the move again.

With Prima in the lead pushing Tia down the center of the cobble-stoned streets [not an easy feat], the Montalvo clan moves ever deeper into La Habana Vieja in search of ancient memories and places of interest from the Museo de 28 Septembre CDR – [Ranked #238 of 417 things to do in Havana by Lonely Planet]  A venerable building dedicating two floors to a rather biased dissection of the nationwide Comites de la Defensa de la Revolución (CDR), the somewhat commendable neighborhood-watch schemes, or grassroots spying agencies. [Ok, not such a big deal unless you're into the politics of it all as Prima and Ramon are],
Then on to to the Lobby full of memories in the Hotel Florida down the street.

A brief stop is made to grab a handful of Bucanero’s to fortify those concerned that as they march ever closer to the Plaza De Armas, they are further and further away from 109 Trocadero and the cars.  The sun is setting, the chill is rising but yet they push on to the Boutique Hotel Ambos Mundos that keeps Heminingway’s room as a shrine, past the Castelo de la Real Fuerza and onto the Havana Cathedral Plaza which is now about 1.5 km from the cars with the streets between there and where they are now all ripped up with no safe way to push the wheelchair home.
But... not before Illy stops cold and starts cursing "the Bastard is still following me" pointing at a memorial plaque to Giussepe Garibaldi dedicated by Jose Marti on the 130th anniversary of the Liberation of Italia [only those that followed NOWAT TOSCANA 2011 will remember she was continually running into statues of or references to Garibaldi all over Tuscany including an elusive street we needed to turn onto to get to Villa Il Pianaccio]

After a quick pit stop for the Ladies [well not so quick, it required dragging the wheelchair up 3 sets of steps to get inside the restaurant on the Cathedral Plaza, with the ladies room at the other end of the building and a Tia on a cane… you get the picture]

Meanwhile the decision was made [one of the few rapidly agreed upon] for Chucky, Doug and Ramon to hot foot it back to 109 Trocadero for the cars while “Expedition Montalvo”  pushes on north along the only decent street to the Tour bus parking lot along the Malecon, opposite El Moro where the guys can pick them up.

As the entourage heads north, the boys set out for 109 with Ramon in the lead at almost a gallop….

 ”Whoa big Fella… this aint a race, the cars will still be there so lets ratchet back and enjoy the view along the way”.  After several streets dodging sewer excavations, adventurous moto's, and a couple of hookers, they eventually pass the Museo de Revolucion and the Memorial where the Yacht Granma is enshrined in glass [The Yacht Castro took from Mexico to launch the Revolution], into and out of the Hotel Sevilla for blurred picture, and 20 minutes later arrive at 109.  Now it’s two lefts around the corner, south onto the Prado, girare-U – north on Prado, east on Malecon over the Bridge to the port, right into the bus parking lot and… No Montalvos.  Now what?  Ramon is in a panic, Doug is circling the wagons and Chucky makes a wrong turn into the blocked off street leading to the Police Headquarters.

Another girare-U and he stops, gets out and surveys the landscape, spotting “Expedition” making their way back towards him…they had decided to walk all the way to the Malecon and wait… [Ok… NOT the agreed on plan – but what's new with this bunch]  With the wheelchair safely in the trunk they all squeeze into the cars to drop off Prima and Ramon at 109 and head back to the 55 Linea to figure out what to do for dinner, now that it was approaching 8:00 PM.

Once back at Casa de Maria La China, and a rather hasty discussion on where to eat, then Maria recommends the Cafeteria in the Hotel Nacional, just 2 block away and they set out pushing Tia down the street [more lousy sidewalks, only to find that the entrance to the hotel is up a Verrryyyy steep hill.  No problem… Doug didn’t get enough power walk from the Cathedral to 109 so he runs Tia and the chair up the hill just making it before running out of gas.  Down the long driveway to arrive at 18 steps up to the lobby   Surely there is an easier way in and the nice cab driver waiting for a fare directs them through the parking lot, up a zig-zag ramp to a side door that is locked.  Not to worry… the parking guard has spotted them and runs up with a key and they start the search for the cafeteria, which is at the other end of the hotel lobby… downstairs, they find  the elevator and while half the group is lollygagging around the lobby, Doug gets Tia into the elevator, the rest take the stairs and they invade an empty Café shop, arrange a few small tables to seat 8 and settle in.  It takes a while to get menus, then more waiing to get drinks, and an even longer wait for sandwiches that Doug swears they were making One…At…A…Time.  By 10 PM they send out a search party for the waiter, the sandwiches and more beer.  The food finally arrives, the Cuban sandwiches more bread than meat, the other fare not much better but they were too hungry to care.

Post “dinner” it was a stroll through the lounge, a peek at the patio overlooking the Malecon, back down the hill to 55 Linea and it was crash and burn time for “Expedition Montalvo” .  Chucky of course had to finish documenting the Arrival posts for uploading at Hotel Nacional’s internet office in the morning. By 2 AM he surrenders to glazed eyes and aching back and its off to Zzzzzzzzz land.

We'll join The Wacky American Tourist's Cuban Holiday{?} tomorrow as the Girls head to the Beach, Chucky and Doug do banking and hassle with the Internet and more fun and frolic on the Isle of Cuba, just 90 mile from Key West, but light years away from sanity - the land where time stopped on New Years Day 1959 [and he has a ton of pictures of the cars to prove it].

HASTA LUEGO,

Uncle Chuck & The Happily Counting Zzzzzz’s
Cuban Lady

Eatin’ Cuban Sandwiches ‘n’ Drinkin’ Bucaneros in Hotel Nacional’s cellar