Havana, Cuba: Day 1

Hi Loves!

In case you haven’t kept up with my social media, my most recent trip was to Havana, Cuba. I kept seeing beautiful pictures of Havana all over Instagram and I had to see such beauty for myself. I invited my younger sister to join me, and, soon enough, we were on a plane headed towards the Caribbean. I’ll be doing a series of day-to-day summaries so you can keep up with our travels. 😀

Here’s a summary of our first day in Havana!

– Breakfast –

We started off with some delicious breakfast at the “casa particular” we were staying at. A casa particular is just like a B&B (bed and breakfast), therefore, breakfast was included with our room rental. Our host cooked for us and catered to our every need. For breakfast, she served us fresh diced fruit, guava juice, coffee and sweet pound cake, eggs cooked to our liking, and toast. We couldn’t have been more satisfied!

– Museo de la Revolucion –

Later, we walked over to the Museo de la Revolucion. It’s a museum that holds many artifacts and information regarding the Cuban Revolution. The architecture, the balcony views, and the wall carvings in the ballroom are quite extraordinary and worth a visit.

– Horse Carriage –

We then rode a horse carriage around the Old Havana and stopped at all the major attractions. Although this was a lovely experience, I suggest exploring the city by foot. There’s so much to see and so many pretty buildings to admire, you wouldn’t want to miss a thing!

– Hotel Rooftops –

Before our ride was over, we stopped at Plaza de la Catedral for pictures and then walked over to Hotel Ambos Mundos where Ernest Hemingway (the novelist) once stayed at. The hotel has a rooftop with public access, so, we took the elevator to the top and gazed at the beauty of Old Havana.

– Lunch –

Our three hour ride ended when we told our guide we were starving. He took us to a restaurant that served authentic Cuban food but was way overpriced. The restaurant seemed like someone’s home with five to six tables at the entrance and a family working together in the kitchen. Each dish was about seventeen USD. I’m pretty sure we were ripped off! 🙁

– Nap Time –

The heat took up a lot of our energy so we headed to our room for a quick nap. I know, a nap? While traveling? What? Who does this? But yes, we needed one! The time difference, waking up early, all the walking, the heat, and a full belly, all contributed to our weariness. Our nap was perfect, it felt so good! We woke up reenergized and ready to continue exploring.

– Castillo de los Tres Reyes Del Morro –

We walked around and photographed the city right before we took a taxi across the bay to Castillo De Los Tres Reyes Del Morro to participate in the cannon-fire ceremony. There was once stone walls surrounding the city to protect the people from pirates and  other enemies. They used to fire a cannon every single night at 9 pm to inform the people that the gate was closing. Today, at the castle, they host a show every single day to reenact this tradition.

– La Floridita –

For dinner we went to the very popular bar-restaurant, La Floridita. The bar area is a great place to sit back, have a mojito, and enjoy the live entertainment. But, as a vegetarian, I wouldn’t recommend it for dinner. All they had available was onion soup and bread rolls. And if you’re not a vegetarian, then , of course, try it out! You might love it!