Casa de Conde de Lombillo (Habana Vieja) Havana

          This beautiful home is located in the Plaza de La Catedral. If you're facing the church, it's the corner to the right. Built in 1741, it was once owned by the Count of Lombillo who attained his wealth from the slave trade. At one point in the mid 1800's, the building became the site for first and main post office for the city.
           The building has been renovated in the last decade and now houses a museum on the upper floors and art Exhibits on the ground floor. When you enter you will go through a couple of rooms showing centuries old nicknacks; pill boxes, fans, combs..... Once past these rooms a lovely courtyard appears. This was once a great mansion. Upstairs is a museum showing period furniture gathered from around the city. Each of the rooms is set up as it would have been back in the day, with an exaggerated amount of chairs, paintings... only sitting rooms & dining rooms. On the lower floor, besides the smaller museum, there's always an Art Exhibit with some kind of theme like seascapes or cityscapes.... this is what I always come to see. It's a nice way to spend 20-30 minutes. The view of the plaza and church from the upper floor balcony is lovely. You have photo ops, culture & history and it's all free. mon-fri  9am-5pm    sat  9am-1pm

 











                              Facing the Catedral....

....Towards the right, the building with the blue shutters is Casa Lombillo

The Courtyard

Various Art Exhibits

Upper Floor

Upper Level Museum

View from Upper Level Balcony

Pasteleria Francesa, Habana Vieja

                 Breakfast, as we in North America know it, is not an easy find in Cuba. Except for the hotels, I have yet to find a place that does breakfast as we are used to here at home. It doesn't matter, I bring cerial from home or eat some fruit and yogurt. However, there is a place that I enjoy going to if I'm in the area and it's that time of day. The place is called "Pasteleria Francesa", next to Hotel Inglaterra near the Capitolio. If you are facing the front of the Capitolio, looking to your right, going towards Prado, after the Opera House, you will see the Hotel. Next to the hotel is the Pastry Shop.
                 The shop is not fancy and the service is neither bad or good. The coffees are just okay. I always have a cappuccino but it's basically a cafe con leche and that's fine. It's more about the pastries. This isn't France but it's not bad. There's usually a good selection of pastries, cakes and croissants of some kind. I enjoy it also because of it's location. There's always lots of movement and since I enjoy watching people it's an excellent location. If I'm planning a walking trip into Old Havana, I enjoy starting from this point. Give it a try, it's not expensive and if you're touring Old Havana, you'll end up here at some point.

Plaza de La Revolucion (Jose Marti Memorial) Havana

                 The Jose Marti Monument in Vedado, Havana, which is a memorial to Jose Marti, is that big pointed thing in the middle of The Plaza de La Revolucion. This star shaped tower is actually the highest point in Havana & stands 109 meters or 358 feet tall.
                 I've driven by this thing so many times but it wasn't until a recent trip that I finally entered it. I wasn't aware that the building was constructed in 1953, before the revolution, while Fulgenicio Batista was still in power. There was a long delay before construction duy to the resolution of the displacement of the people living on the site. What's interesting is that Fidel Castro was the lawyer representing those people & won the case. All of this is shown on the ground floor of the memorial in the room that shows the history of the memorial. There are also rooms showing the biography, writings, quotes & life story of Jose Marti. Marti's quotes are written all over the walls. There's another room that features contemporary art. On this occasion it was featuring the artist Enrique Avila. All around the lower level were lots portraits of Jose Marti done in many different ways. I've never seen so many at one time.
                 The lower level is nice if you are a history buff and I especially liked the contemporary art but the trip up to the observation deck is worth the 5 CUC alone. The view is amazing, you can see right down to the ocean. On one side you have a great view of Che Guevara portrait on the ministry of interior building with the portrait of Camilo Cienfuegos who's on the ministry of Informatics & Communications building right next to it. Directly on the other side you have a great view of the library looking towards the south. It's a spectacular view of the city all around.
                  If you have more than one day in Havana I would recommend a visit to the tower. There's parking accross the street and the cover to get in should be 6 CUC per person.

Jose Marti's quotes

Jose Marti's Biography

One of many Jose Marti Portraits

Picture of an early rally

Artist Enrique Avila

The Library

Fidel's seat

Cohiba Behike 52 & Cohiba 1966 Edicion Limitada 2011 (cigar reviews)

                  I was going to enjoy this night. I was going to smoke two of what I think are some of the best cigars available today. The Cohiba Behike 52 & the Cohiba Limited Edition 2011 or what people call the 1966's. I started with the Behike thinking it would be the lighter of the two cigars. I hadn't tried the 52 yet but if was anything like the other 2, the 1966 would be stronger.
                  The Behike had a beautiful light brown, silky smooth wrapper. It had a perfect draw with an earthy, spicy flavor. It was as complex as the 54 & 56 with the extra leaf, the medio tiempo, giving this cigar a very full body with good balance. Not your typical Cohiba but very good just the same. The burn was almost perfect but corrected itself before reaching the halfway point. The cigar picked up strength after the half and I wondered if the long ash had anything to do with it. It was beginning to taste bitter so I got rid of the ash. I know that's supposed to be a no-no but the cigar did begin to mellow a bit after that and the bitterness disappeared. It had begun to burn unevenly before dumping the ash so I touched it up with my lighter. It smoked well for a while longer but let it go at the quarter mark. A very good smoke.
                   The 1966 had a dark, oily maduro wrapper. The draw was a little tight but smokable. Very strong, full bodied, toasty, nutty, earthy flavors. I had White Port with this cigar and it semmed to go well. The cigar began to burn a bit hot & I hoped it wouldn't be like that all the way through. The burn was even. The draw did get better, the cigar cooled down and the burn continued to be even. I didn't want the same thing to happen to this cigar so I dumped the ash about a third the way down. At the halfway point the cigar was burning beautifully and tasting great. This is a very full bodied smoke and needs a little time to age. It's smokable now but this cigar is not for everyone or at least not for the novice.
                   If I had to choose between these two cigars I wouls have to pick the Cohiba 1966, I prefer the size and can't wait to taste what it's going to be like in a couple of years.

                           Cohiba Behike 52

Cohiba Edicion Limitada 2011 (1966)

Doctor Cafe, La Habana (Restaurant Review)

               Before going on my last trip to Cuba a friend of mine, Amir, recommended I try the paladar 'Doctor Cafe'. A frequent traveller to Cuba himself, he told me it was his favourite restaurant there. How could I not try it.
               It's a little difficult to find if you don't have the address and not all the taxi drivers know where it is. It's your typical paladar in residential Miramar where the only way you know if there's restaurant is by some tiny sign that's hard to see. I would also suggest you make a reservation because the place has only 6 tables, 3 on the patio & 3 indoors. The indoor tables have air-conditioning.
               The restaurant was originally opened by a doctor, hence the name. It's been around for a while, is well established and is known for it's outdoor grill and quality of food. This particular evening, two of the items they were offering were Turtle and Deer. The waiter recited the numerous offerings by memory. There is no menu because they shop for the day and don't know what's available to them from one day to the next. That's Cuba. I don't mind the menu changing daily but going for the first time it's a bit uncomfortable not knowing the prices ahead of time and I find it embarrassing to ask for them. In the end, the prices were reasonable but not cheap. We had a Chilean Cabernet that was marked up almost 3 times. The service was prompt and professional and the presentation of the dishes we had was excellent. The quality of the food was as my friend had said, very good, especially for Cuba.
               I started with the Ceviche which was a little tough but tasty & finished with the Grilled Turtle which was the best I've ever had. My date started with an Avocado Shrimp salad that was amazing and finished with the Filet Mignon which was just ok, I've had better. Both our meats and the vegetables were done on the grill and perfectly cooked. I wanted to try the Octopus appetizer but it would have been too much food so I opted for a Shrimp Cocktail for the middle of the table. Both of the Shrimp Appetizers were made with decent sized shrimps compared to the usual sizes I get around the city. One of our guests ordered a salad which was the best I've seen on the island .
                It's a comfortable place to eat & I guess, all in all, for the 110 cuc I paid, it was fair. I suppose 2 people with appetizers and main courses, with a bottle of wine, might be 60 - 80 cuc, depending on what you order. If you're counting your money, this may not be for you but if you want to eat well for a fair price, it's a must visit.

Doctor Cafe
Calle 28 #111 e/1ra y 3ra
tel. 05 268-0607 or 05 281-8263

The Grill Master

                                                           Shrimp Avocado Salad

                                                                         Ceviche

Shrimp Cocktail

                                                                      Mixed Salad

                                                                        Filet Mignon

                                                                          Turtle

                                                                  Grilled Vegetables

Our Waiter