Many buildings in Havana are undergoing extensive renovations, often with the assistance of UNESCO.
Government-sponsored street entertainers are common in the tourist areas of Havana.
The Museum of the Revolution is housed in the former mayorial residence in Havana. Behind this statue of Lenin in the main entrance is a long series of bullet holes made in the marble during an early and ill-fated attempt to overthrow the Batista regime. The rebels quickly died in their attempt to assassinate a leader who was not even home at the time.
Dr. Al Wolff is a seasoned world traveler, who always delights in photographing children in the places he visits. During our visit to the Museum of the Revolution, a member of our group overheard a teacher asking his students what they wanted to be when they grow up. One young Cuban answered, "a tourist!"
We learned that the current goals of the Cuban Revolution are:
- World peace
- Solving the world’s economic crisis
- An independent, free, and sovereign Cuba
- Universal university education for all Cubans
- Freedom for five Cubans now in U.S. prisons
We had a wonderful dinner one evening in a restaurant in downtown Havana. Sugar for the drinks was pressed in a small sugar mill right in the restaurant. The recipe for this particular drink is:
rum + sugar + rum + mint + rum + lime + rum
We eventually figured out that a rum and Coke was very heavy on the rum because rum is cheaper than Coke in Cuba. When Cuban bars "water" the drinks, the result is a much stronger concoction.
Many in our group were enjoying their meal so thoroughly that they did not notice the peacock and peahen resting almost directly above our tables!
Alma Mater is a statue at the main entrance to the University of Havana.
To the right, students between classes at the university, which has developed exemplary programs for foreign students of the Spanish language. They may soon be available for transfer credit for U.S. college students.
