We begin our day with a lecture by an American journalist who has called Havana home for a quarter of a century. He offers insight into important economic, political and social changes on the island and share colorful stories about being a reporter in Cuba. Frank is the author of the book “Cuban Revelations.”
Following the lecture we have a walking tour of Havana Vieja (Old Havana). We visit the Plaza de Armas, a scenic tree-lined plaza formerly at the center of influence in Cuba. It is surrounded by many of the most historic structures in Havana as well as important monuments. Continue to the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, a massive fortress built between 1558 and 1577. Visit the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. The palace currently houses the Museo de la Cuidad and was the former residence of the Spanish Captains. On to the Plaza de la Catedral and the Catedral de San Cristobal de La Habana and Taller de Grafica Experimental. The Taller is more than Havana’s printmaking workshop. It is a studio, a school and most of all, an art institution that preserves and develops the sophisticated art of print making with relative freedom of spirit and form. Lunch at Paladar Los Mercaderes. After lunch we see the Plaza de San Francisco, a cobbled plaza surrounded by buildings dating from the 18th century, dominated by the baroque Iglesia and Convento de San Francisco dating from 1719. Wander through the Plaza Vieja before heading back to the hotel at leisure
Tonight we experience a demonstrative lecture on Cuban Music by Professor Alberto Faya at Bar Asturias. Alberto Faya is a singer, guitarist, and composer for Cuban and international TV and radio. He gives us an overview of the influences that make up Cuban music, with the assistance of a jazz trio.
Dinner follows at La Terraza just upstairs of Bar Asturias before we return to our hotel for the night.
(B,L,D)
Hotel Parque Central
Neptuno, esquina Prado y Zulueta, Havana, Cuba, Havana 10100, Cuba
Tel. +53 7 860 6627