| Before and after the program in the provinces, time was spent in
Havana. It would have been easy to spend two-weeks learning about
the diversity and activities of the city. There are several
universities, commercial districts, sports complexes, industrial areas,
libraries, a wide variety of cultural venues and all kinds of rules and
policies for how things get down. There is no way to cover it all,
so here are a few anecdotes for which there are pictures that go along.
 This
is not a picture of the United State Capitol in 1958 (note the cars), it
is a picture of the Cuban National Assembly in 2000 and virtually
unchanged since 1958. The building is modeled after the U.S.
Capitol.
 Havana
is a gem of a city with quaint narrow "old world" pedestrian only
streets, wide boulevards, museums, churches, art galleries, craft markets and
a lot of life. Specially events seem almost common place. Here a fife
and drum corps plays in the plaza in front of the main Cathedral.
 Cuba
has had a significant Chinese population for a century. The Chinese
were originally brought as laborers in the sugar cane fields. When
they started to move to the city they tend to live near one another and
eventually developed a Chinatown. The district shrank after the
revolution, but effort are now being made to revive it. It is now characterized
by restaurants and vendors.
 Christo
watches over the harbor and the city. Cubans gather here to be at
the base of the statue, to look at the view and to relax in the park near
by. There is often music here so it is not unusual to see a couple
dancing. Being self-conscious doesn't seem to be a common trait of
Cubans.
 Havana
is a city of sound -- a lot of it music -- a disproportional amount.
 Perhaps
this is because while Havana has ordinary urban traffic noise, there is
less of it so it is easier to hear the music. Or perhaps it is
because there is just more music in Havana. Or perhaps it is a
little of both
 It
is hard to tell whether the gravel in the streets of old Havana is from
the building crumbling or being restored, or some of both. There
is a lot of restoration work going on and the Havana Office of Historic
Preservation is very active and influential.
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