Post #775640 by mikehooker on Thu, May 4, 2017 3:57 PM

Part 3.

Back to old Havana for some more exploration. The taxi dropped us here.

We grabbed a quick bite near the Plaza de la Catedral, checked out said Cathedral, then realized we were right next to La Bodeguita Del Medio so we went in for mojitos. Gotta say, history aside, this was rather disappointing. Not only were the drinks very expensive (by Cuban standards), they were the worst we had on the whole trip. The bar area is tiny and it was overcrowded so we quickly gulped and moved on.

Meandering down old brick roads, we came upon Museo Armería 9 de Abril where we saw Che's rifle and Fidel's pistol, among other relics of the Revolución.

A couple blocks further was Museo Del Chocolate which lured us in with its wonderful aroma. The "museum" was little more than a chocolate shop but we couldn't resist buying a box of 12 truffles to share, which we were obliged to eat on the spot because they wouldn't last 5 seconds in the sweltering heat. Onward we strolled to Plaza Vieja where we pondered this sculpture of a bald woman carrying a fork on a cock...

And I was positively enamored with this building undergoing some serious restorations.

There was a planetarium in the plaza that had the nicest A/C of any building we'd been in. They said we had to purchase tickets from a booth outside but no one was manning the station so we ventured through a back alley and found ourselves at the Havana Club museum.

At the recommendation of many, we didn't bother with the tour, but we did check out the bar area and gift shop. I freakin' LOVED the tile floors in there.

Dos Hermanos was right next door so we sat at a table and had drinks. Nothing special there so we strolled on and came across the Old Havana Aquarium which piqued our interest. Sadly, this "Aquarium" was not unlike what you'd see at any box store pet shop in America. A line of fish tanks with nothing especially exotic. I believe this only set us back 1 CUC and atleast it got us out of the heat for a few minutes.

Feeling famished, we headed towards Hotel Ambos Mundos where Hemingway spent some time writing in the '30s. The guide who gives you the tour of Hemingway's room had passed out in there so we didn't disturb her.

An old school lift brings you to the rooftop restaurant where we got some more drinks and grub.

I might add, we seemingly drank constantly and I watched the stiff pours going into all our cocktails yet none of us ever really felt more than a tingle of a buzz. Perhaps we were just sweating out all the toxins before they affected our motor functions.

Anyway, up on the roof you get a nice view of the surroundings.

We walked back to the Paseo del Prado to scope out the Capitolio.

The Gran Teatro de La Habana next door was superb.

Time to hitch a taxi back to our casa for our customary siesta before dinner.

We went to a place called New Georges for lobster, lamb, and... rabbit. And of course more cocktails. While it turned out to be the most expensive meal of our trip, it was easily less than half of what you'd expect to pay for similar fare in America. It was right off the Malecon so we got to ogle the Riviera at night.

Stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion!