Fall tradition

It didn't feel like fall yesterday (high of 90 degrees), but we went apple picking anyway.  

Cuba part 7

Now that Hurricane Irma appears to have destroyed much of the Caribbean, including Cuba, I'll finish my posts.  On my last day in Havana, we got a guided tour of a few sights.  This is a hotel where Hemingway hung out and lived.

This is a bar where Hemingway used to drink, and apparently they have the best mojitos in Havana.  Look at the line!  This was 11 am.  

It wasn't clear what this guy was doing but he was set up with a typewriter outside of La Bodeguita Del Medio.

A stereotypical shot of Havana.

A park near our hotel with this statue of someone I don't remember. 

One of my coworkers is from Havana and asked me to find the restaurant that her parents used to run.  This is the street, but there wasn't a restaurant there anymore.  

Here you can also see one of the pedicabs.    

she didn't remember the exact address, so I just took pictures of the whole street.  There are just tourist shops there, now.  She had vague memories of the gates that go up and down, but she didn't remember much else about the street.  

This the top of the building, and you can see some broken windows.  I wasn't sure if the rest of the building was inhabited or not.  

Random graffiti on someone's house.

We were able to find a bakery.  Although the selection wasn't great, the things were tried were delicious.

This was a typical meal -- white fish and rice.  

I thought we would be able to get flan everywhere we went, but we only had it twice -- both times in Havana.

Milena's parents at dinner

Photobomb!

Fruit cart

Line up of classic cars.  Some tourists wanted to ride in these, but we chose the air conditioned cars.  

This red Oldsmobile was my favorite.  In the background, you see all the tour buses picking up passengers from the cruise ships.  

Last day... saying good bye to Havana!  We went to the "Chocolate Museum" and then I went to the airport.  Everyone else stayed another day and saw the other side of the city, which I didn't get to see, so I have a reason to go back, someday.  

Cuba part 6

Just like a lot of places in Europe and elsewhere, Havana had city squares throughout.  This is the one with the cathedral, which was beautiful.

Walking towards the plaza.

Cathedral by night (we had dinner at a restaurant facing the cathedral).

Inside the cathedral.  

I can't imagine sitting in a service while tourists come in and take pictures, but that's what happens, I suppose, when the cathedral is as beautiful as this.  

Some portraits of saints (I think)