Susan and I had the privilege to travel to Havana, Cuba on a cultural exchange visa earlier this month with Cuba Rhythm and Views, ( www.cubarhythmandviews.org ). Not only were we delighted by the classical, jazz and traditional music as well as the dance, ballet and art scene, the Cubans were the most friendly, warm, joyous and sincere people we have encountered during our world-wide travels. Their joy permeates every performance and makes every concert something special. With Los Hermanos, Aldo Lopez-Gavilan and Ilmar Gavilan as our cultural envoys, we were treated to experiences and opportunities available only by travelling with an arts focused tour.
It would be impossible to pick a single best experience as each was wonderful in its own special way. In just five days we enjoyed a classical dance performance at Lizt Alfonso, a jazz concert with Aldo Lopez-Gavilan at the Muse de Bellas Arts, a preview of Carmen at the Ballet Espanol de Cuba, the boisterous and bawdy performance of traditional Cuban music at the Buena Vista Social Club, a big band jazz performance at the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory, the Orquestra Camera de la Habana at the Basilica de San Fransisco de Asis and the spell binding improvisations of Aldo and Ilmar Gavilan at the Musio de la Musica.
We also took in visual arts at the galleries at the 5-star Cohiba Hotel where many of the island’s artists’ works are exhibited. This was a preview as we also visited several studios and galleries around Havana where the artists outlined their inspiration and demonstrated their techniques.
One afternoon we visited Fusterlandia, an amazing neighborhood transformed into an outdoor gallery of mosaic and colorful murals. Drawing on Picasso and Gaudi as inspirations this 20-year project of Jose Fuster turned the fishing village Jaimanitas into his canvas enchanting all with masterful designs and rainbow hues.
We were fortunate to dine in a number Havana’s Paladares, or private restaurants in family homes around Havana. These private homes are restored mansions or large estates where the local cuisine is forefront featuring a range of fare from land and sea. The hospitality is first rate, and the ambiance is warm and inviting, offering an inclusive dining experience.
I haven’t mentioned the universal symbol of Havana, the brightly colored 50’s era American convertibles one sees in every tourist publication for travel to the island. They are beautiful and cherished as works of art and it’s amazing that they are on the road for daily service. Given 60+ years of a US economic embargo, many cars from this era are still used for daily transportation.
We are fortunate to have been able to travel to Cuba, to meet the people, visit their cultural institutions and share time together. Our experiences were 100% positive and Cuba is a place we would go back to tomorrow. If you have the opportunity, we recommend Havana as a beautiful place to experience artistic expression with joy and dedication worthy of celebration.
All images were taken with Fuji X-T50 with Fuji XF 27mm f2.7 lens or Fuji XF 16-55mm f2.8 R LM WRII zoom lens in JPEG format, processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 14.0.1