Conde de Villanueva LCDH (Havana) Nov.2015

                      November is the month of the Cigar Aficionado in Havana. The third week of this month every year for more than a decade, is when the Partagas Encuentro takes place. Many converge on the city at various times during the month with the majority being the week of the Encuentro. Besides participating in the Encuentro's events many of us go to our favourite cigar shop or shops and do some buying, have a smoke, hang around, see who else might drop in and maybe do this in a few shops throughout the day. It's a great way to spend an afternoon if you enjoy smoking cigars. One of those shops that's within walking distance of the Partagas Shop is the Conde de Villanueva. I had the pleasure of visiting several times before during and after the Encuentro this past November. It's a great spot to meet up with some fellow BOTL and share in something special that the shop is featuring this month. They always have something special going on for the Encuentro knowing that many of the people that come for Partagas also come to see Reynaldo and Jorge, two of the best rollers in the city. This shop is known worldwide for the quality cigars that are rolled here with a unique blend that is preferred by the seasoned cigar smoker. They've always had different vitolas leaning towards the large and always packing a huge punch. The last few years has shown an increase in large sizes and also some milder blends for us guys that found their cigars a bit too strong. I tried a couple of their vitolas while I was there and they didn't disappoint. If you're ever strolling through Old Havana, drop in and say hello for me. Go straight through to the courtyard and up the stairs to your right....you can't miss it.




Conde de Villanueva
Calle Mercaderes 202 esq. Lamparilla
Habana Vieja, La Habana
07-862-9293

Santa Clara (Villa Clara Province)

                  I have to confess, this wasn't to be a thorough visit of Santa Clara. Besides visiting the Che Guevara Mausoleum, which was my priority, we came to see some Casas in the center of town, my driver's purpose for being in this city. The time we spent in and around the main square, Parque Vidal, was limited. I did manage to take a few pics to give you an idea of what the city looks like. The so called 'downtown' of the city isn't very big and from the town square it's only a few minutes in a car and you're already out in the country. There were a few tourists but compared to Havana they're almost nonexistent. You'll find a larger concentration of tourists around the Che Monument but you'll find a bunch of Cuban tourists there as well. The Che monument is a huge attraction, he's buried here along with 16 of the soldiers that fought with him in Bolivia where he died in 1967.
                  Santa Clara is the Capitol city of the Villa Clara Province and has the fifth largest population in Cuba with approx. 245,000 people. It sits almost in the center of the country. The original inhabitants came here for that reason, wanting to get away from Pirate attacks in Remedios which was closer to the sea and easily accessible by land. The city was founded in 1689 by 175 people from 9 families (138 being from 2 large families) as well as a priest and a governor all having left Remedios. In the beginning they supported themselves via the raising of livestock and the spin-off businesses associated with it. However, centuries later the more lucrative tobacco and sugar industries took over as the main sources of income for the area.
                  There is a lot of Revolution history around these parts and you notice it long before you reach the city. Once you enter the Villa Clara Province the Che Guevara Billboards abound, his face is everywhere. The final battle that ended the Revolution took place near the end of 1958 in Santa Clara with the rebels being led by Che with one column and Camillo Cienfuegos with another. The defeat of his army in Santa Clara proved to the decisive battle for the overthrow of Batista's goverment, he fled the country within 12 hours of hearing the news on Dec.30, 1958.
                   As I said at the beginning of this post, I was rushed and I know I've missed a few of the more important buildings and monuments but I'm sure I wouldn't have had to go far from where I was in the town square to see them. I would come back and spend a couple of days touring around this small city and the outskirts. It's a nice place to visit if you want to get away from the hectic big city.

former city hall now Marti library

Palacio de Justicia

Statue of José Miguel Gómez (1858-1921)

Museo de Artes Decorativas

Che Monument

Motivos y Razones Restaurant Bar (Havana) A Visit

                   The last time we visited this restaurant was about a year ago but that wasn't because we didn't like the place, it's just that there are so many restaurants to go to in Havana that it's taken this long to return....and that was only because we were literally walking in the area and it was time to have lunch. Located behind the Hotel Presidente on Calle F that runs parallel to Ave. de Los Presidentes, we were coming from the Napoleonic Museum near the University. We remembered the ribs being amazing and they didn't disappoint us....and so cheap. Everything on the menu is reasonably priced. One of their specialties is the roast chicken, so I thought, why not have that for my main course after my appetizer ribs. I couldn't finish the chicken (half chicken) that was the best chicken I've eaten anywhere in Cuba. I know, you might say "It's only chicken" but sometimes, as this was the case, you want something simple and you want it to be good. As us frequent travelers to Cuba have found out, they can screw up the simplest things down here. My date had the fish filet with the shrimps that she was quite happy with. Once again, except for the horrible service, this restaurant was a pleasure to eat in. The service isn't always this bad, the last two times we came our servers were very pleasant. The meal with desserts and drinks (check out the bill below), including the 10% gratuity which the restaurant adds, was 27.45cuc, I consider that very reasonable. If you're in the area don't hesitate to try this place.

PS.......if you prefer a non-smoking air-conditioned environment, they also have another closed section (we were on the patio section) with a different (more formal) menu that's only slightly more expensive. Since I smoke cigars I'm always looking for a space where I can ply my vice. The restaurant is actually called Motivos y Razones, one section being called one and the other the other name...I don't remember which is which but the names translated mean "Motives and Reasons".





Restaurant Bar Razones
Calle F no.63 e/3ra y 5ta
Vedado, Havana
tel. (53 7) 8328732
cell (53 5) 2366080

Terrible Waiter

Ribs

View from Patio