Viva Cuba - Havana

Cuba is fascinating, beautiful, unique, special, different, and sometimes a little exhausting. I did some research on the history, politics, and culture of Cuba beforehand, so I knew it would be a little different. But traveling to Cuba is like taking a little trip back in time: old rattling cars and trucks everywhere, horse-drawn carriages as means of transportation, ox carts in the fields, weak internet in a few places with prepaid cards, a difficult transportation system... Additionally, you could clearly feel the impact of socialism and the US embargo: the majority of the population is poor, many shelves in supermarkets are empty, when there is something special to buy, long lines form in front of the stores, there are 2 different currencies, most people try to get money through tourists, sometimes there are shortages of staple foods like eggs and flour.

And yet, Cuba has a very special charm. There are great landscapes from karst rocks to jungles to dreamy sandy beaches. Cuba is the land of cigars and rum, music is played everywhere and salsa is danced, and people seem to be able to live creatively in this system.

The capital Havana was one of my favorite places in Cuba. Most of the old houses and palaces in the old town were restored, there were great squares with cafes and restaurants. In the center, on the other hand, the real life of the Cubans took place. The houses were in very bad condition, some even crumbling, music was playing everywhere, men were sitting outside on the street playing dominoes. In the evenings, most bars and restaurants had Cuban live music, plenty of cheap cocktails, and of course salsa.