Checking out Trinidad, Cuba....

Nobody told us that Trinidad is on a hill and that the old center is off limits to taxis!!  So being left by our taxi at the bottom of the hill  to meet our guide in a restaurant at the top, was a little stressful... particularly in the heat! Hugging the shady side of the street was necessary.......

Then arriving finally at the restaurant and finding no reservation under our name  and no guide..... was even more stressful!

All worked out....in the end.... after many text messages to the tour organiser in Havana! Our local guide went first to our Casa Particular.....and eventually arrived in the restaurant! Miscommunication again.....happens a lot in Cuba!!

The restaurant Museo 1514 or the Quince Catorce, as it is called locally, was very good. We were actually happy that they didn't have a table for us inside....not being on their reservation list meant they had to find a table for us in the courtyard....on our own.... but in the shade...

Inside appeared to be filled with one large tour group! With music!
In the shade outside.... was great! As was the food...... and of course the mojito!

The city itself has beautiful buildings.....many in great condition.

And reconstruction is going on behind facades for those which need it! This will be a 5* hotel.....

....eventually.....looks as though the termination date has been changed!

 ...this old theatre is presently an outdoor coffee house....

The streets were in themselves worth the visit....... once one was going downhill!

 I was curious about this group....

...Tai chi!!

... and there were various types of transport...

....and of course there was the 4 wheel type ...... running....

.......or not!

 ....a common sight!

...and on to Trinidad,Cuba......and our 'Coup de Coeur' Casa Particular....

We knew that after sightseeing in Havana, Vinales and Cienfuegos we might need some downtime!! So I looked for a place in Trinidad which might have some exterior space.......and a swimming pool!
And we found La Casona......

This is one of the oldest fincas in Trinidad....

and it is still a functioning farm...... with the opportunity to go out riding........

...saddles at the ready......

The finca may be old....but not the rooms they offer!

..and it had some interesting objects!

We even had our own private sitting area.....

 ...where I was indeed overlooked....

This could definitely be termed a 'small boutique hotel'! It was fantastic......

The breakfast/dinner eating area was a covered outdoor area......

beside their garden..... plenty of mint to make mojitos!

....the semi outdoor kitchen was spotless......

and the pool area was spectacular.

...with an incredible view to the Escambray mountain range....

 ....and, in case you wondered, this is how you build a cactus fence!

Unfortunately we could only reserve 2 nights of the 4 we had originally wanted....and we booked in November for March.  It is popular with luxury tour groups...and we understand why!

They organised taxis for us to get into the centre...not a problem at 5 CUC ($) a ride...

Breakfast was great.....
Dinner was good......but we decided to try somewhere else the following night!!

.....and we did get to see a beautiful sunset.....

Seeing the sights in Santa Clara, Cuba... a very untouristy city!

The main park in the centre of Santa Clara was indeed bustling.... just not with tourists!
We liked it!
The Parque Vidal is surrounded by interesting buildings, some undergoing renovation. On one side there is a very old library, the Biblioteca Jose Marti .....with index cards! No computers here!
This had been the original home of the main benefactress of the city, Marta Abreu Estevez.

...quite impressive.... she left it to the city.

On another side of the square is another old theatre,  the Teatro La Caridad, similar to the one we had already seen in Cienfuegos. It was also built around the same time, 1885, and has had the same famous names visiting! This was also built by Marta Abreu..... she gave a lot to the town.... and insisted that part of the box office revenue went to help the poor of the area.....charity, hence its name!

again original chairs still in situ!

On the opposite side of the square was a pre-university school, which had been a school prior to the revolution.

The same colour of uniform is used everywhere in Cuba to denote the school level of the students.

On another side of the square is the Santa Clara Libre, formerly the Hilton..... an 11 storey hotel...... which looks a little out of place.....

.....one can just about see the bullet holes on the facade, from the fighting at the end of 1958...

This is supposed to have a superb sunset view over the city and we hoped to be able to see it. However we were not allowed to take the elevator up to the roof bar, which was right beside the reception desk until the receptionist had given us admittance cards. The lift operator got tired of holding the door open and even put the folder with the cards under her nose! However nothing would distract her from what she was doing......and after 10-15 mins wait we decided to forget about it! She suddenly acknowledged our presence by shouting 'WAIT' in a very imperious voice. We didn't!  We met quite a number of people, like her, who prior to the Cuban Special Period, i.e. before they lost their great deal with Russia....had studied in the Soviet Union. A little uncaring in the service industry! The Rough Guide describes it as cheap but not cheerful! We agree! In fairness the lift operator did try to help. He was quite a bit older so had probably not had the benefit of going to study in the Soviet Union!!

The city has a pedestrian street....

....and we were intrigued by the stores and what was in them for sale! A bit of everything.....but one had to ask for it.....not todays supermarket model!

The buildings themselves were also interesting.......

This city had more ordinary things to buy than we had seen up to now.

The square was essentially tourist free......

 ..and the back streets were traffic free!

We did visit the place where Che Guevarra won the revolution. The derailed train is still there ..... where it was toppled.....

..as is the bulldozer they used to push the train off the rails to block the junction...... which was the turning point in their war against the Batista regime...... he fled Cuba a few days later.........

I still couldn't be persuaded to visit the Mausoleum ...much to the chagrin of the guide!