... a wee bit of footage from my recent visit...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Old Havana
The old town is bounded by real and replica cannons and cannonballs buried in the streets. Makes for a more interesting tourist experience.
Remembrance of Hurricanes Past
Baseball-sized rocks remain embedded in this tree from a past hurricane...
Capitol building
This was Cuba's seat of government until the 1959 revolution. It was modeled after the U.S. Capitol building and is rumored to have been built 1 foot taller and 2 feet wider than that of the U.S.
1950's Havana
Still in operation, this hotel was once a casino as well during the glory days of 1950's Havana. Think Godfather II...
The Cathedral of Havana
The body of Christopher Columbus is said to have rested here for many years in the 1600's. It has also rested in the Dominican Republic and is now believed to be buried in Seville, Spain.
Cuba
- Cuba at first sight
I recently had an opportunity to travel to Havana to do some research for an article on the Cuban film industry (more about this later).
Americans are generally forbidden from traveling to Cuba due to the longstanding trade embargo in place since 1961. However, I was fortunate to have been granted special permission for this trip from the State Department.
A few interesting facts:
- Havana has a population of approximately 2.5 million
- Cuba's overall population is about 12 million
- Cuba was discovered by Columbus in 1492
- Cuba was hit hard by the collapse of the Soviet Union (who had been providing annual subsidies to Cuba in the amount of $4 to $6 billion per year)
- The difficult economic aftermath in the 1990's is still known as the "Special Period" in Cuba
- Cuba has one of the highest per capita populations of medical doctors in the world
- More than 30,000 Cuban medical professionals live and work in Venezuela, partially in exchange for beneficial oil imports from Venezuela
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