Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
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”
The Hotel Los Canayes is located in the outskirts of Santa Clara, Cuba. You’ll have to find the right road leaving the Circumvallation of Santa Clara. The hotel is a combination of Disneyland and party zone. It is a kind of reproduction of a Taino village – the former inhabitants of this area. Continue reading “Hotel Los Caneyes”
Some people go to foreign countries just to stay within their hotel, enjoy an all-inclusive program and sit most times on the beach. It’s almost equal whether your in Spain, Tunesia or Cuba then. And for tourists of that kind, Varadero is the primary location on Cuba. Continue reading “Varadero (and why I wouldn’t stay there)”
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”
Travelling to Cuba brings you the strange situation that within the country two currencies are circulating: CUP and CUC. The Cuban peso (CUP) is the actual currency of Cuba, divided into 100 Centavos. As it is a weak currency, the US dollar was used in addition on the island. Continue reading “One country, two currencies”
The hotel Riviera at the Malecón in La Habana, Cuba was my first hotel on the island. I chose this hotel not only because of its wonderful location, but also because of its spectacular history. It was opened in 1957 and its 21 floors still preserve the style of the 50s. Continue reading “Hotel Riviera”
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”
The airport of La Habana, Cuba is old-fashioned but functioning well. 70s style wallpapers, shabby toilets and a non-waterproof roof give you a reminder where you have landed. It is named after the famous liberator of Latin America, José Martí. Continue reading “Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí (HAV)”
It was an easy decision: when one of my favorite scientific conferences decided to hold the annual meeting in a hotel at the shore of wonderful Lago di Como, I wrote and submitted a paper. Some days in advance I took a flight to Milano, Italy and went with a rental car to the south.
Continue reading “Firenze, Toscana, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Milano and Lago di Como”