Walking around Old Havana is like being in a toy shop. The sounds, the colours, the smells whirl around you in every direction. There are things tinkling, and rumbling, and whizzing. Brilliant colours fly past, beside, and in front of you. Along with the luscious smells of food, there are occasional heaps of garbage, dog poop, and on busy streets, incessant car exhaust fumes that leave the air stinky.
But there are also beautiful things to see on the streets of Old Havana, wonderful natural activities of the people, children, and families.
But here is a closer look.
A dog languishing in the sun beside a bicycle taxi on a street in Old Havana.
Old stairs, alleys, old TV’s, and political posters are common sights on the streets of Old Havana…
Street Art
Beautiful architecture…
On touristy Obispo Street in Old Havana, all polished and clean…
People sitting, resting, reflecting…
One of very few churches… the Communist government does not encourage the practice of religions.
Old classic cars alongside buses and bicycle taxis in Old Havana…
Ships in the harbour…
The Old Fort along the harbour…
Spiritual icons…
Friendly passers-by…
Parks in every area…
Dancers in costume walking down the street of Old Havana…
Butcher stands are open to the street in Old Havana, and flies…
Crumbling buildings used as garbage dumps…
Street Carts and Street Booths with vegetables…
Restaurants open to the street, and cats and dogs politely waiting for scraps…
Balconies…
People waiting for the public buses…
And of course, women smoking cigars…
If you go to Cuba, spend a few days walking the streets of Old Havana – it’s actually called Havana Vieja. And Havana in Spanish is actually spelled Habana, in case you see it, and think it is a spelling error. Of course, umm, we didn’t think it was a spelling error.
The streets of Old Havana are endlessly fascinating. You could walk for hours and see something new every minute, every hour and every day. Don’t miss it.
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Love the old cars… and some of the architecture is great, but it appears rather dangerous, and perhaps even a touch creepy in areas. Were you nervous about safety at all?
No, not dangerous at all. It is perfectly safe everywhere, even in the big cities. The crime rate is zero. It is a very poor country though, and the people are poor. Despite being poor though, they are bubbly, happy, friendly and very very helpful. They will go out of their way to do any little thing for you. For example, our hostess in Havana heard me say we were trying to get tickets to a performance. She immediately picked up the phone to reserve the tickets. Then she changed into less casual clothes, put on nice shoes, and walked to the performance house to pick up the tickets at the discount price for locals. Just for us. That’s how the people are – how sweet is that? So yes, a very safe country. We walked around day and night, dark alleys and busy streets, no issues.