Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara – a cliché to say so, but still the main attraction for a visit to Cuba. Ask anybody and you´ll get a quite similar answer: „I want to see the country before it changes“. Traveling into a Marxist–Leninist socialist state is a different kind of holiday, catapulting you straight into history . . . Tourism in Cuba has been growing rapidly since the ‘80s. Tourism – now counting more than two million visitors per year – is one of the island’s main revenue sources. But obviously there is much more to this country than history and politics.
Cuba is an educated country. Respecting elementary and secondary education, the country ranks in a range betwen 34th – 43rd worldwide; but respecting college and university studies, Cuba, with its free education system, boasts an impressive 10 percent of the population who are university graduates.
One of the first things to observe in Cuba‘s cities are the cars. It is hard to imagine a collection of unique and rare cars to rival what can be seen routinely driving down Cuba’s streets. The only country that comes close is Iran. (Car exhibitions do not count :-))
The omnipresent creativity of shops and services is unmistakable and with little added value to show for all the effort. One won’t remember seeing shop windows with buckets on display anywhere else.
And of course the Cuban cigars. Ah! The best.
Havana Cathedral
Streets of La Habana
Ubiquitous Che Guevara in streets of La Habana
La Habana Aerial View
The coastal drive of La Habana
La Habana – charming in every weather
Cars in the streets of La Habana are a treasure
And regular maintenance locally
The cheapest “taxi” in La Habana
Slightly better while still cheap taxis in La Habana
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Pharmacy
Where else in the world do you get to see a window shop like this?
Interior of a shop in La Habana
Education system in Cuba is good – children in their school uniforms
Daily life
And of course – Cuban cigars – the country´s distinguishing mark
Cigars in Cuba seems to mean more than just smoking – a usual portrait from Cuba
Santa Lucia bakery offers masterly cakes which come incredibly cheap
Outside of the touristic areas it is quite a different world
Photos: Dana xbone Hosova
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