FIRST DAY IN LA HABANA
We were all downstairs by 8AM for breakfast. The families that run the hotel cook and serve breakfast for the guests. We were seated in an interior courtyard surrounded by art in a very friendly setting. We enjoyed omelettes, fruit, breads and good strong Cuban coffee. We went over our plans for the day and by 9AM everyone was outside to meet Carlos our new driver. Carlos drives for the the Episcopal Cathedral. He picked up up the church van and we had a 15 minute ride along the Havana waterfront to the Cathedral. It was overcast and raining a tiny bit. At the Cathedral we took a tour and saw the new construction which is due to complete in the next few months. Pepe, the Head Sexton, was out of town but we met with his assistant, Edit, and Bishop Griselda met with us for 30 minutes. She was thrilled to hear about our success and spoke with us about coordinating more projects through The Friends of the Episcopal Church of Cuba (FECC).
We toured the church, saw the existing water filter system and the church sanctuary. After we said thank you to everyone who helped us coordinate the trip we said goodbye and headed out for a tour of Havana.
Carlos drove us to Revolution Square, the Hemingway House, around the Capitol and past Central Park. He dropped us off and we took our time on a walking tour through the center of the city. We stopped by Floridita, home of the first daiquiri, the original Bacardi headquarters and so many beautiful sites. Rail explained everything pre- and post-revolution. Raul recommended an excellent local restaurant for lunch. It was on the 4rth floor across from the Capitol. The food was excellent and the prices were very inexpensive. Carlos had to stay with the van but we brought him a pizza which he enjoyed. As the day went on our group split up and made plans to meet for dinner at 6PM. Carlos went home and we took off walking. At 6PM we walked a few blocks from the hotel to a restaurant recommended by the hotel and it just happened to be on the same street where Raul and his wife live. Some of the group ate quickly, as they had to leave soon to catch a showing of Swan Lake at the ballet. The rest of the group took their time and then went for a walk after dinner. We met up again with everyone at 10PM and went to the top of a five star hotel for drinks. The view from the rooftop cafe was amazing as it looked directly across at the Capitol building. We enjoyed the view, finished our drinks and then walked back to the hotel for the night.