{"id":1171,"date":"2017-03-31T20:18:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T20:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dreamtime-sailing.com\/?p=1171"},"modified":"2018-01-15T14:49:10","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T14:49:10","slug":"cuba-post-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dreamtime-sailing.com\/?p=1171","title":{"rendered":"First Day in Havana, Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 April 2017 – The organizers of the boat rally had arranged for a bus and walking tour of Old Havana for all of the participants.<\/p>\n

Ron and Bob took this opportunity to sip their first Cuban rums on the bus before we departed. \u00a0 \u00a0\"_CSC1206\"<\/p>\n

On the tours we learned much of the fascinating Cuban history which we all admitted we didn’t know much about. \u00a0As walked the streets\u00a0we got to see and hear the many sights and sounds that are found in Havana. \"_DSC0080\"<\/p>\n

We were intrigued by the many different styles of architecture that we saw. \u00a0You could identify which buildings were truly historic, others built in the United States heyday of the 40’s and 50’s when the United States had very active business and trade relations with Cuba and it was a holiday destination for the USA. \u00a0Other buildings \u00a0were in stark contrast with\u00a0the block style built during the\u00a0Soviet era after the USA discontinued all relations with Cuba. \u00a0The mix of architecture, makes for an interesting skyline.<\/p>\n

While many buildings were beautiful and intact, there were many that were under restoration, some damaged by hurricanes from years past.<\/p>\n

The city is full of street vendors of all kinds and if you are lucky you will see some street performers as well.<\/p>\n

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