As noted before, one of my goals in visiting Cuba was to see some great old buildings.  I was not disappointed in the least.  In fact, the buildings were absolutely amazing!  The range of structures was astonishing and their condition varied from grandly dilapidated, to characistically Caribbean, to beautifully restored. It was one of the most astonishing things I saw on my trip. 

La Anabel, VinalesA typical B & B in Vinales      The image above shows a typical B & B in Vinales, which is in the north-western part of the country.  These are residences that have rooms that are rented to visitors, just like in the US.  The ones I saw was beautifully maintained, with wonderfully friendly proprietors, and great food.  They are very confortable places to stay.  Its obvious that the owners take great pride in their residences and work hard to keep them beautiful.  Many are painted complementary colors, and reminded me, at least, of the type of residence you see in many Caribbean countries--but nicer.

Colorful houses in the city of TrinidadTrinidad B & Bs.

      The houses in the city of Trinidad, in the south of Cuba, are similar in color, but very different from those in Vinales.  Trinidad is a larger and older city.  The city has many buildings that date back to the early Spanish colonists and are quite grand.  Perhaps because it is a city, the B & Bs here are adjacent to each other.  Many also feature beautiful iron grillwork (as seen in the blue building), some of which is very elegant and intricate.  We were told that the grills were installed initally to protect the homes and were used defensively to ward off pirates and robbers.  The amazing thing about many of the buildings here is that the plain facades often hide beautiful interiors, many with almost all the conviences of any modern American home include large kitchens and widescreen TVs.  Needless to say, these were also extremely comfortable places to say.

Streetscape, HavanaA typical street in Havana, with people going about their business as usual.

      Havana is an entirely different world.  I could spend hours talking about the buildings in that city.  The image above shows a typical street scene, but it also shows much more.  If you look closely at the buildings, it is obvious that the people who build them spared no expense. With so much carved detail in so many buildings, it is clear that the people who built them were rich.  There is nothing like them in any Caribbean country I have visted.  This speaks to the fact that at one time, Cuba was one of the riches countries in the world per capita, due to sugar, tobacco, and gambling. This changed dramtically for reasons I need not go into, but the result is an architectural treasure trove of every style of building imaginable that has been largely frozen in time.  Many of the buildings are badly dilapidated, evidence of the difficult economic times the country went through in the last 50 years. Yet, money is starting to flow back in as capitalism is starting to take root and, for some buildings, the results are stunning. 

The Cuban National Theatre.Re-rising from the dust.

    The above is the Cuban National Theatre building.  Apparently, it was dark and dilapidated for many years, but it is being re-built and it is stunning.  The carving and the detail in the stonework would be the envy of any city anywhere and any country anywhere.  It is an example of the modernization and changes going on in the country today.

       Indeed, buildings in Cuba are undergoing a rapid facelift.  So if you want to see Havana and the rest of the country before it changes, I suggest you book a flight there ASAP.