Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
The Cafetal Buenavista is a ruin of a coffee plantation located 1.5 kilometers away from the eastern entrance of the nature protection park Las Terrazas on Cuba. It was built by French refugees from Haiti in 1801. Continue reading “Cafetal Buenavista”
The Baños del San Juan are a set of natural pools in the nature protection area Las Terrazas, Cuba. From the Hotel Moka you’ll have to go three kilometers to the south on a narrow and unpaved road. Doing this trip is worth the effort as you can swim with locals in wonderful pools created by a river. Continue reading “Baños del San Juan”
If you get to the Zapata region you can find the Laguna del Tesoro belonging to Guamá, Cuba. Tourists get here to do a boat tour or visit a reproduction of village of the Taino indians. The most interesting sight is the Criadero de Crocodilos – a crocodile farm. Continue reading “Criadero de Crocodilos”
Cienfuegos is a city on Cuba with a beautiful city center in French style. The bay was first discovered in 1494 by Christopher Columbus. In 1745 a fortification was built and in 1819 the Spanish rules brought French families to the area; their influence is still visible, for example in the triumphal arch. Continue reading “Colonial Cienfuegos”
On the southern coast of Cuba, not far away from Cienfuegos you can find the Bahía de Cochinos (“bay of pigs“) with its two beaches Playa Larga and Playa Girón. The area became well known in 1961 because of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion by the United States and Cuban people living in the U.S. – today you can learn more about the Cuban view on this event in a museum at Playa Girón. Continue reading “Bahía de Cochinos”
The Valle de los Ingenios (valley of the sugar mills) is a valley close to Trinidad, Cuba located between the Sierra de Escambray and the Carribean sea. A lot of sugar mills and colonial houses form a UNESCO world heritage site. Continue reading “Valle de los Ingenios”
The Monumento al Tren Blindado is a national monument commemorating the battle of Santa Clara – the final fight before the Cuban revolution succeeded. In 1958 dictator Fulgencio Batista sent an armored train with 378 soldiers and weaponry to end the revolution. As it arrived in Santa Clara it was attacked by Che Guevara and 18 guerilleros. Continue reading “Monumento al Tren Blindado”
The Museo y Monumento Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara is a monument, museum and mausoleum commemorating the life of Ernesto Guevara and is located at the Plaza de la Revolución in Santa Clara, Cuba. It consists of a six meters high statue, a museum collecting items from the life of Che, the graves of several fighters from the Cuban revolution and an eternal flame. Continue reading “Museo y Monumento Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara”
El Capitolio in the center of La Habana, Cuba is the former parliament of the island. It was built in 1929 and served for that purpose until 1959. It is currently under restauration and in 2018 the parliament shall move back in. People often see similarities in architecture with the Capitol in Washington, US. In fact, both buildings copy the style of St. Peter’s Basilica in Roma, Italy. Continue reading “El Capitolio”
Malecón is simply the Spanish word for a wall at the shore of the ocean. Often it is a wall next to a street built afterwards in front of buildings close to the ocean. When using the word most people think of the Malecón in La Habana, Cuba – but most cities located at the shore on Cuba have a Malecón. Continue reading “Malecón”