A pedalling tour -full of contrasts

A bike ride, at least for me, is much more than just moving from one place to another. I've been thinking about this for some time, and today I'm coming to meet you to tell you about it. Many things happen between one stop and the next—I make mental notes, and inevitably, every lived and felt moment on the street intertwines with situations or events from the past.

Wait for me at that park in Vedado, where John Lennon has become an eternal witness to those who pass by or decide to enjoy it for a while. Wait for me, I'm on my way… I just heard a woman at a bus stop in Marianao complaining about pickpockets on the P10. Find a good spot—a bench with plenty of shade. I should reach you in 20 or 25 minutes, barring any unforeseen events.

I'll tell you more soon… Do you hear the dog barking in the distance? I'm just waiting for the traffic light to change... this area I'm driving through is an avenue and that's why it feels so noisy, but with a bit of abstraction you can also enjoy more natural sounds.

I'm here… let's leave the photo of the park saved in my gallery. I like the spot you chose. Thank you! 😇

That picture up there is a view of a house in Miramar. It's not one of the prettiest or best-preserved ones, but it still has charm. I stopped there for a moment, under a small tree in the median of 31st Avenue, just before reaching the intersection with Calle 10, to send a message to a relative who's helping me with this whole search for my Spanish grandfather.

I also made a video call from there to show my mom the place. I like doing this because it makes me feel like I’m bringing her along on my outings. Though, to be honest, she worries so much that sometimes I choose not to call her. She told me it was too sunny and that I should head home. She also asked if I had eaten, and that was another reason to go back—because I shouldn’t be out and about under this sun without eating… Imagine! If it were up to her, I’d stay home and never go anywhere. Haha…

I’m actually a little hungry. Do you have a snack on you? Something energetic?

😁

The neighborhood of Miramar is one of those century-old places where all kinds of things happened during its construction—lawsuits, embezzlement, and also moments of great happiness for those who settled here and for those of us who enjoy this place today, whether just passing through or living in it.
I have been passing through, but I also lived here for a time in a rental apartment… Every time I walk these streets, I remember many joyful and fun moments.

There are beautiful places I always love to visit, like the tunnel and its surroundings, which connects 5th Avenue to Calzada Street, and the Iron Bridge that crosses over the river—something I've told you about on other occasions.

The viaduct was inaugurated around 1923, and the structure of Fifth Avenue (Quinta Avenida) was designed based on the grid layout of Manhattan in the United States. The wider and longer streets—only a few, oriented from east to west—were called "avenues", while the shorter but more numerous ones were named "streets".

The Iron Bridge is the one that connects Miramar to Vedado, and I crossed it to get here. Would you like me to show you the church where I sometimes went to sit and enjoy the silence?

It is the Church of San Juan de Letrán. Adjacent to the temple, there is a Catholic Academy of Social Sciences, where many courses are offered, such as foreign languages, graphic design, and philosophy.

Belonging to the Order of the Dominican Fathers, San Juan de Letrán was inaugurated in 1926. Initially, its headquarters were in Old Havana until this Gothic-style marvel was built in Vedado district, on 19th Street between J and I.

With this, there are now two churches I still have pending to visit on foot so I can show you their interiors. I know…

I was talking about contrasts… Come with me and let's see if, on the way to Old Havana, we can find something to eat to give me a bit more energy, because cycling under this sun is no easy task… :P

How about something refreshing first, like ice cream, for example?

Here we are—right in front of Coppelia ice cream parlor on 23rd Street, just arriving at the corner of L. The security guards at the ice cream shop made a fuss because we walked in dragging our bikes… and I just wanted to ask if I could fill up a plastic container with ice cream, one of those I always carry with me. I smiled at them, anyway.

I wish this city were safe enough to leave the bike in a parking spot without it getting stolen. I miss out on a lot because of that… And if I don’t want to miss out, I just have to choose to take public transportation—keeping an eye out for pickpockets—or spend thousands of CUP on taxis, money, which I certainly have, of course. 😂 Thousands of CUP… Watch out for saying otherwise, because the Universe will vibrate at that frequency, and when you look in your wallet, all you'll find is dust.

I'm not going to advertise the ice cream shop here. They should have outdoor spaces for bicycles, so cyclists can enjoy a refreshing ice cream while keeping an eye on their beloved bikes. In fact, there should be a dedicated area just for cyclists. I’d set it up like this: anyone arriving with a bike should be able to enter immediately, place their bike nearby, and pay via transfer.

😃

I’m feeling playful… though if my plan were to stay in this country, I wouldn’t rule out a business like that. There isn't one yet. Now, look over here—this is our first skyscraper, artistically captured by me. Haha… it's the K23 hotel. Horrible. 😒

Haha… Sorry… I’ve been thinking that I don’t like how it disrupts the architectural harmony of this area.

Since we had no luck with the ice cream, let's keep rolling through these hot streets and see if we can find a place near the University where we can grab something to eat. I'm craving pizza. What about you?

We passed by a place called La Paila, a restaurant perched on—let’s say—a small rocky elevation. Vedado, before becoming what it is today, was a vast estate, beautiful, full of fruit trees, and with some hills. That’s why some streets are steeper than others.

I’m almost certain they would have let us in with our bikes, but they didn’t offer pizza or burgers. On the other hand, we probably would have had to wait longer than we can afford, and the goal is to reach Old Havana.

So we climbed Infanta, and it was nice to see how they’re renovating this place—a spot I once had access to, even climbed onto its rooftop, and took some photos from up there.

It is the Church of Our Lady of Carmen, an eclectic-style building.

Between one shot and another, I noticed that phrase I've been seeing everywhere in Havana lately. Someone has really taken it upon themselves to remind us of this message: Necesitas ser feliz (You need to be happy). Just zoom into that photo.

That’s the Infanta multiplex. I used to visit it a lot during festival season, when cinema would turn Havana into a boiling pot of emotions. You can tell how intense it was—back then, the queues for movies during the festival were monumental, and more than once, cinema windows were shattered. The Yara, right on the corner near Coppelia ice cream parlor, was one of the places where these kinds of incidents always happened. What a disaster!

There are things I don't understand, never understood and never will understand.... People were willing to trample on their equals to watch a movie. That's how we were brought up: by enduring the agony of long queues, which exhaust any sense of reasoning.

(That’s why I hate queues and crowds)
(That’s why I don’t take buses)
(That’s why I prefer cycling, even if I can’t enter many places for fear of having what I worked so hard to get stolen in the blink of an eye)

Some even lost their shoes in the chaos. I remember a professor from university—we called her Maritrini—who had one of those mishaps in a queue to get into the cinema. My memory sometimes fails, maybe it was not her... and I think she is no longer with us. RIP. 😥.

Down Infanta Street, we made our way to Carlos III—or Carlos three sticks, as I sometimes like to call it. 😅 And now, near that shopping center, I realize I’ve pedaled quite a few kilometers… It’s time to eat, damn it!

Note to self: Never forget to pack something in the backpack for the road.

My eyes were starting to blur, but even so, I noticed that Reina Church no longer wears its bridal veil. Now, it has let it fall over its shoulders.

Is it dancing like my Spanish ballerina? Slowly tapping its heels on the stage, playful, as if the wooden floor were a dance floor of hearts?

I don’t think this is the right comparison for a temple, 😏 but remember my hungry, almost delirious state… It is the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we’re not close enough to admire it just yet. We won’t be doing that either, but it is built in the Neo-Gothic style. Take whatever resonates with you—haha… That phrase, I once heard from a tarot reader in the heart of Old Havana.

The idea of building a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart emerged at the dawn of the 20th century in Havana, around 1907, due to the Jesuit fathers' need for a place dedicated to their ministry. The chosen location was Reina and Belascoaín. The concept of a Gothic-style construction raised concerns and opposition because of the frequent hurricanes that strike the island. A Jesuit brother of Basque origin, an expert in construction, volunteered for the task alongside architect Eugenio Dediot. _Wikipedia

(Just a note to let you know a little bit about its origin... seriously speaking)

Have you seen how many contrasts Havana has? 😃 This is the area where you find plenty of vendors under the arcades. It's Centro Habana, already close to the Fraternity Park and the Havana Capitol, that big gold-domed building that holds a diamond... no, no... don't get your hopes up, it's a replica. 🤣

The arcades help pedestrians shield themselves from the sun… but be careful, as many are shored up.

Mamma mia, love of my life, my heart, my very soul—thank you, Universe, finally… food! We found a place where they let me enjoy this appetizer with my bike right beside me.

Check the odometer to see how many kilometers I’ve already covered.

It’s on Reina Street, between Rayo and San Nicolás. It’s not a great pizza, just one of those cheap ones for about 1 USD and some cents, and the milkshake costs about the same. It’s a soursop milkshake. They also have mamey and banana milkshakes on offer.

I asked them to add bell peppers to the pizza. I love bell pepper pizza… Did you enjoy accompanying me on this journey? 🙃

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