Homeland: Havana, Cuba
Home is where the heart is
My mom, a lover of travel and adventure, always repeats this phrase.
Despite not having lived long in this world, I've been lucky enough to travel all over my country. During my travels, I’ve visited almost all the major cities and many smaller, picturesque towns.
I've also had the fortune to travel to other countries.
But my mind always returns to Havana, my city.
Havana
The capital of Cuba, a country in constant struggle against time. It seems as if the country has frozen in time, and the capital is the greatest reflection of this.
A city that does not renounce its colonial architecture, nor can it afford to move forward in time.
I was born here 25 years ago, and I can tell you that it’s not the most beautiful city in the world, let alone in the country.
But it has something that captivates you.
For me, it’s being close to the sea, the north of the Caribbean Sea.
Those who know say that the cities north of Cuba have the best of the Caribbean—could it be true?
I don’t know much about that, but sitting on the Malecón for hours is something that cures any bad day
The people of this city also have their charm. Although life in Havana is the fastest-paced in the country, its people are special.
Children grew up playing in the streets with other kids from the neighborhood.
I was lucky that the old men gathered at the corner of my house to play dominoes.
Another thing, which although it has diminished, makes Havana, well, Havana.
The elders, of course, never let you play, but as you grew up and gained some pressure, you could sit at the table.
Although the situation in the country isn’t the best, people here continue to fight day by day to survive, and they don’t lose the smile and humor that characterize us. No matter how bad things get, how many hours of blackout there are, or if you haven’t had breakfast, you’ll always see them laughing.
And if we go out to explore the streets that Eusebio Leal cared for (the late historian of the city), in those streets, you will travel back in time, and you must be careful because they say those streets trap you. Once you go, you’ll want to visit them again.
I can confirm that!
But like everything in life, nothing is perfect.
Today, the 505-year-old lady suffers from several ailments. Ailments that have made her change and lose her splendor.
There is no street where trash doesn’t accumulate. These dumps have replaced the corners filled with people. Sometimes it becomes unbearable to breathe (depending on how long it’s been since they collected the trash).
When night falls, we are all enveloped by a great feeling of insecurity. Crime has skyrocketed in some areas of the city. Today, neighbors prefer to close their homes early.
The night barely begins, and Havana sinks into a dangerous calm. The streets look abandoned, lifeless, and you can get a scare. If we add the darkness from blackouts and poor public services, it’s not safe to be out at night.
These are the things that disgust me about my beloved city. Of course, I’ve left some things out, but they are situations that don’t depend on Cubans; rather, they depend on the bastards who run the city.
People who seem not to love this city or the country in general, but that’s a topic I don’t like to discuss because there’s nothing I can change.
Returning to Havana, of course, it’s not perfect. But it has something, that something that captivated Hemingway and thousands of tourists.
That said, if you’re coming to enjoy or fall in love with it, be prepared because, as we say here: "La cosa está dura."
Even so, wherever I go, I suppose I will always return to Havana.
The city that saw me born and grow, but that due to life’s circumstances, I will have to stop seeing sooner rather than later.
And what about you?
Does your city hold a special place? Or do you reserve that for another city?
Tell me a bit about it. It will be a pleasure to read your comments.
Read you soon!
[dahpilot]
If you want to see some of the reasons that make me fall in love with this city, you can visit these posts:
All the images in the post are my own.
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I know life there isn't easy, but as you say: its inhabitants always have a smile, that's what characterizes them, I wish that your city can one day be like the phoenix and rise from the ashes 🥰
Used to these situations, we have no choice but to accept them, but they say that a smile cures everything.
And yes, we wish the same, that one day the situation changes, but in the meantime, we smile :)
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!discovery shots
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Great work @dahpilot friend!... Well deserverd 👍
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$PIZZA slices delivered:
@jlinaresp(4/15) tipped @dahpilot
Come get MOONed!
It's true, wherever we go we will definitely miss our hometown
A wise old man once told me: Wherever we go, we must not forget where we came from
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Havana, a city of deep cultural roots and infinite beauty to be discovered in every corner. I really enjoyed visiting this place 8 years ago, and I hope to return again some day. Thank you for sharing these nice photos, and reminding me of these precious memories I had there.
I hope Havana welcomed you in the best way. It hasn't changed much in 8 years, but it's never too late to come back ;)
Did you visit other parts of Cuba or just Havana?
Havana was very welcoming, very hospitable people and a warm energy the whole time I was there. I was lucky enough to travel to around the country a bit, I remember going to Vinales, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Varadero, and maybe two other places that I can't remember the names of. Loved Cuba, I hope I can come back again soon. :)
Wow, you visited a large part of Cuba. It's something not many people do, and I love reading that you enjoyed the trip; that's priceless. I hope you can go back, even if it's a bit different, the Cuban essence remains the same ;)
It was definitely one of my favorite places to visit. I look forward to the day I can return. :)
Precious our Havana, its people, its malecon, its traditions. It hurts me that it does not have the care it deserves. You describe very well the reality that we live nowadays and that clouds everything we used to boast about with pride.
As always I loved reading you.❤️🌹🤗
I trust that better times will come; I wish it were so, our city deserves it. But well, we need to be very patient. In the meantime, enjoying what we have left is a privilege.
I also enjoy reading you, and it's always a pleasure to have you around
Thank you 🤗
Interesting place to visit. Enjoy your trip my friend. :)
Not in a trip , my hometown , and homeland mate
Hi @dahpilot, I couldn't agree more with the sentence at the top of the post. About Havana I see that it preserves things that have been lost here like the children playing in the streets. The truth is that I feel sorry to see the lack of maintenance of the city.
I don't like Madrid (mi ciudad) very much, for me it is a place to visit. And although the law says that I am from Madrid, I am from my neighborhood.
A big hug.
I have been reading about Spanish cities becoming overly touristy and forgetting about the locals; it's a shame that this happens. There's no doubt that Madrid is beautiful, but without its people, it would just be another city.
Aún así , el barrio es, el barrio, eso no tiene comparación
It’s contradictory that Havana and Cuba in general rely on tourism while neglecting everything else. In the end, it’s all about money
You are not misinformed, European cities are becoming more and more similar, they are becoming places without personality, the same stores, the same people....
I lived almost two decades in the center of Madrid, very close to the Royal Palace. Every year the neighbors organized their Fiestas de Santiago with music bands from the neighborhood. Some played "pasadobles" and others rock. All paid by the neighbors, and mainly by the bars in the area that in those days set up their bars outdoors. Nothing remains of all this. It's a pity, at least I had the opportunity to live that atmosphere.
A hug, @dahpilot.