Old Havana

I finally decide to get down to Old Havana. I grab a 5 buck cab ride to central part of town. My cab driver took prefers pleasure in pointing out the sites and the early day hookers. He got a kick out of himself.

Havana is build around for main plazas. My first stop for a cafe con leche is on:
Plaza Vieja
Plaza Vieja served as a civic square in colonial times. It was the site of executions, processions, bullfights, and fiestas, witnessed by Havana's wealthiest citizens, looking on from their balconies. The square was radically renovated in the 1990s.
The tallest building is the Edificio Gómez Villa on the northeast corner. Its top floor is the home of the Cámara Oscura (daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; CUC1), an optical reflection camera that revolves through 360 degrees and projects a real-time picture of Havana at 30-times magnification in a completely darkened room.
The Bar Plaza Vieja in the southern corner of the square has tables outside and is a great place to try micro-brewed beers, and listen to live bands. Here I stop ate the Cafe Taberna a homage to the great Cuban musican Beny More. I am in luck as a band will be playing this evening and the rest of my stay.

I continue my walk down the street called Mercaderes. Two blocks down to my right, I notice a old structure that seems to resemble a church. I follow my instincts and come upon Plaza number 2:
Plaza de San Francisco was the core of commercial life in Havana. Dominating the plaza is the Lonja del Comercio, a former commodities market, which provides office space for foreign companies with joint ventures in Cuba.
The baroque basilica of San Francisco de Asis towers over the square. From the bell tower (43 m/138 ft) one has a wonderful view of Habana Vieja and its harbor. The beautiful cloister of the adjacent monastery houses a museum of holy art.
The church serves as a concert hall for the world-renowned Camerata Romeu, an all female string ensemble founded by Zenaida Romeu in 1993. The basilica is said to have the best acoustics in Havana.
I had the good fortune of hearing them play. What a wonderful moment stopping from seeing, walking, doing to sit and listen to beautiful music in the middle of the day. After that event, the art work was not as interesting to me. I made a quick pass around religious vestments, tombs, chalices and paintings to go back out into the brisk Cuban day.
However, the most interesting thing to happen to me happened here. I had to go to the toilet bad. Good thing from home knowing the Cuban embargo I brought along a small roll of my own toilet paper. Now people who know my Scottevest know it can hold everything. So I just used a pocket for some toilet paper and boy was I glad I did. The bathroom in the Church had NO, None, ZERO paper, but I was good...

Walking further up the street I pass by the Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls" my favorite novel by him. The room is 511 and they of course have it preserved as a museum. Further along I pass and stop by the Museum of Chocolate. Guess what I bought? A few blocks up I came upon an open ok market and Plaza Number 3:
Plaza de Armas (Square of Arms) was built in 1584 for military exercises. Most mornings used books are sold here, mainly post-revolution editions on Cuban history. Havana's town hall is now the city museum and gives an overview of its history.
A few steps down on Calle Oficios is the Casa de los Árabes ("The Arab House"). Two 17th century mansions house a museum and the Al Medina Restaurant. The restaurant invites with the aroma of cinnamon and mint to taste Middle Eastern specialties like Ajonjolí Chicken on Couscous.
There is a significant Muslim minority who hold Friday Prayers in the Casa de los Árabes. The museum’s inviting courtyard with its arched doorways and half-moon shaped colored glass windows is modeled after Andalusian designs. The prayer house was founded by an old Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian colony. Guides are eager to show visitors around for a small fee. Qatar donated funds for the remodeling of the museum.
On this square house the wonderful 3 story Museum De la Ciudad was the former Governor General of Spain home. It houses many military uniforms, battlement, family heirlooms, art and sculpture. I walked around the square looking at the different books mostly in Spanish, talked to a few people then waled onward to the final Plaza:

Plaza de la Catedral. The cobbled Plaza de la Catedral is the most visited in Havana Vieja. The Cathedral of Saint Christopher has been described by one Cuban writer as "music set in stone". The church's asymmetrical towers, one is wider than the other, allowed the water that accumulated on the plaza (a former swamp) to flow freely through the streets.
Cathedral Square is surrounded by some of Havana's oldest buildings, the wealthiest families built their mansions here. With the cathedral towers lit up every night, it is a great spot to visit after dark. Restaurants have tables set outside, where locals and tourists relax over drinks and listen to music.
I take a seat in the Cafe el Patio before heading into the church to have another coffee. The cafe has the enviable view of sitting looking on the Cathedral. I have to be honest, I found looking at the wonderful Cathedral from the outside was architecturally more interesting than the inside.