Plaza San Francisco (Havana)

                        The Basilica and Monastery of San Francisco de Asis (where the Plaza gets it's name) were built at the end of the 16th century but a Square of some kind was here before that. It all started earlier that century when Spanish ships would stop on their way back to Spain. A market sprung up at that time, before the church, it was eventually moved to Plaza Vieja. Plaza San Francisco is the second oldest in the city. It has gone through some major restoration since the late 90's. The Terminal Sierra Maestra which faces the Plaza is where the Cruise Ships unload all the tourists. The Lonja del Comercio was the old Commodities Market, built in 1909, it was part of the restorations that were done in 1996. It's now used as office space for foreign companies involved in Joint Ventures with Cuba. The white marble fountain next to the church is called the Fuente de Los Leones (Fountain of Lions), it was carved by an Italian sculptor, Giuseppe Gaginni, in 1836. The statue in front of the entrance to the church is that of the "Caballero de Paris". The statue was made by Jose Maria Lopez-Lledin, it depicts a well-known, kind hearted street person who walked the length of Havana in the 50's, becoming quite famous. The Plaza faces the Harbour and gives it a sense of being very large. It's a beautiful spot to have a drink on the Patio of the Cafe Oriente, visit one of the Art Galleries or enter the Church and climb the Bell Tower for a fantastic view of the Plaza and beyond. This should be on the short list of places to visit in Old Havana in my opinion.

PS....there's also a bank here where you can exchange money or get some from you credit card.

Iglesia San Francisco de Asis

Taken from the front of the bank facing the Plaza from the west side

Casa de Cambio (bank)

Cafe Oriente

Hotel Palacio del Marques de San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal

Art Gallery

Statue of El Caballero de Paris

La Lonja del Comercio

Statue in front of La Lonja del Comercio

Fuente de Los Leones 

Iglesia de San Francisco

Terminal Sierra Maestra

View from the Bell Tower of the Church

Robaina Petit Robusto Edición Regional Francia 2010 (cigar review)

                 This cigar weighs in at 50 x 102 (4") but didn't make it's 2010 release. Instead, 3,500 numbered, varnished, slide boxes of 10 cigars each were released about 2 years later. A great size for our Canadian winter weather.
                  The cigar I smoked on this day was gifted to me by a friend. It was a little bumpy but otherwise smooth and as hard as a rock....I'm always worried about the draw when Cuban cigars are like this before lighting then. However, upon cutting the bumpy cap I took a pre-light draw and it appeared to be just fine and tasted a bit on the sweet side. Once lit and after taking a few draws, the burn was off. The start of this cigar was mild with wood and straw flavours. The draw was perfect and it was tasting creamy at about the 3/4" mark. A little further into this cigar and the Cream is gone being replaced by earth....yeah, what a change-up, more earth than wood. The burn seamed to straighten out only to go off again past the first inch.
                   Nearing the half I touched up the cigar with my torch and shortly after that the ash fell on it's own. It's all earth now and still mild. I had to continually touch-up this cigar, I can't stand to leave it alone to burn that way, sometimes affecting the flavour. I was able to smoke it pretty much to the end. It didn't start becoming harsh until into the last 1/4.
                    I liked it even though it was a little mild. The flavours were uncomplicated and pleasant. If I was offered to buy this cigar, I would take a box of ten for sure (anyone selling any?). Especially good for people just getting into Cuban Cigars. I'm sure it's not too expensive either.

Fábrica de Arte (Cubano) F.A.C. (Entertainment Venue & Art Gallery...) Havana

                 The title of this post is a little confusing but that's because this place is many things. It was the brainchild of musician X Alfonso who was born onto Entertainment Royalty. Alfonso's parents led the famous band 'Sintesis' which was founded in the 60's and he himself has been playing music since he was 7 years old (34 years). He had this grand idea to incorporate all artistic representations under one roof....Performance Arts, Cinema, Paintings, Video-Art, Photography, Live Concerts, Installations, Contemporary Dance, D.J.s, Exhibitions & Intranet (not internet) for chatting or surfing on your cellphone while you're there. I'm sure I missed something or they've added something since my last visit but it's safe to say that Art of some form or another fills every space of this large warehouse from floor to ceiling. The 'El Cocinero' factory, as it used to be called, was a cooking oil factory and warehouse near the Puente de Hierro (iron bridge) in Vedado.
                  They opened their doors to the public on February 13, 2014. I had been reading about this place while it was under construction and was looking forward to my visit in May. Be aware, as I found out the hard way, it's closed Monday-Wednesday. There's a 2cuc cover and you're given a card to resemble their ration book that you'll have stamped for every purchase. No money is exchanged at the beverage bar or infusion-snack bar, you pay on your way out. However, don't lose that booklet or you'll pay a flat rate of 30cuc. The place was quite full and there was sooo much going on, you didn't know which way to go first. Paintings, Installation Art, Photography and Sculptures were everywhere along the way to wherever you were going. We walked by a room that had a pair of Rappers belting out the state of affairs (or lack of it) in Cuba to a funky beat. Made me think how far Cuba has come since I started visiting 12 years ago. This kind of expression was not as well received as it is today. We kept going, walking through the maze that the Fabrica calls the Labyrinth, continually stopping to view works of art from dozens of artists some of which are famous both in Cuba and abroad. We finally made it upstairs where there was more art and one large room dedicated to Visual Arts...Plays, Cinema, Shorts and (until the Concert Hall is renovated) Live Music. There's a spacious Patio setup out back with more works of art, this is one of two smoking areas, there is no smoking allowed inside. They had some weird movie playing the night we were there. In one corner of the room they had a bar set up selling coffees, teas and munchies.
                   Having checked out the entire place, we went back downstairs to the bar, ordered a couple of drinks and found a perch where we could observe. It was then that we realized we were the oldest people there. The youth of Havana were crammed within these 4 walls but they weren't your average demographic. Here you will find the sons & daughters of the more well to do Cubans. They were up to date with the latest fashion and sporting some trendy hairstyles. We felt perfectly safe, nobody paid us any special attention. Since I'm a Cigar Smoker, the fact that you can't smoke inside is a deterrent for me but I have to make the effort to return. The Art is changed every so often, I'm sure it will have happened by my next trip. It's a really cool spot, I would recommend a visit, it's a great way to view art. I came back during the day a couple of days later hoping to interview Alfonso but he couldn't afford me the time.

Thurs.-Sun. 8pm-4am

Fabrica de Arte Cubano F.A.C.
26 esq. Calle 11
Vedado, Havana
nave.f.fac@gmail.com
tel. +53(5) 2374550   +53(5) 2638266



PS...........the art is for sale.