Cuba 5 - Reflections

How can so much be packed into one day?  Havana, day one was overwhelmingly magnificent.  The history, the sights, the food, the exposure to a world stopped in time  by tyrants,  still has my head swimming with thoughts.  Unlike many cruise ports or stops where you get a 'brief snapshot' of a place, we get a second full day!

Day one showcased as much as the guide could give of old Havana's beauty.  Sad beauty,  for decay cannot be something to celebrate but it was a glimpse into a beautiful past.  People live in buildings that were once majestic and regal. They are now slums.  We glimpsed into some buildings that had been restored and what hope that must be for those who walk by or enter.

Once a mansion.

Once a thriving neighborhood

A slum today, yesterday a magnificent building in the heart of Havana.

Poor mans Taxi

Day two was filled with more insight into the real Cuba.  Just a few blocks past the area where our tour the day before had been,  we are in what most of Havana looks like.  All cities want the tourists to see its finest, everything. Today we see real life as it is lived out day to day.

This day was the sobering reminder of where this country has landed without freedom. Oh, freedom may not guarantee that life is equal, it is not equal in socialism or communism, it is impossible for that to be so.  But freedom does allow those to choose and to hope and to work towards the best they can be. 

I am going to use this blog to give you pictures that only scratch the surface of what we saw.   Photography is not my gifting, others pictures will be much better but these are mine/ours and they are part of my story.  For me a story to be told.

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength that can come from adversity.   Albert Schwitzer 

Awesome because of its age.  Sad because it reflects a time warp Cubans are trapped in.

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. Albert Schweitzer
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/adversity.html

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. Albert Schweitzer
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/adversity.html

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. Albert Schweitzer
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/adversity.html

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. Albert Schweitzer
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/adversity.html