We had a leisurely morning, followed by a wonderful brunch at Archangel Cafe. the place was adorable, the food was good, and the coffee was top notch.
Following brunch, we took a horse drawn carriage tour of old Havana. The tour itself was whatever, but it was great getting a better understanding of the lay of the land. Afterward, we hoofed it through old town in a direction vaguely towards the Abath Synagogue. Havana is beautif`ul.
Pre-revolution, there was a significant Jewish presence in Cuba. Consequently, in 1963, the community broke ground on a synagogue in Havana. However, construction was hamstrung through the start of the revolution in 1969. So, the finished building was drab and angry, surrounded by barbed wire. According to the rabbi, at the start of the revolution, everyone with the means left. Following the revolution, anyone practicing a religion was excluded from entering government service and higher education. This practice lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union, at which time restrictions were loosened. Despite the subjugation, there remains a population of a nearly 1,000 Jews here in Havana today.
Following the synagogue, we downed several rounds of mojitos at the Havana Club while discussing the finer points of index and hedge funds (the irony coming to Cuba to discuss this was not lost on us), then rendez-vous’d back at the house.
We showered, freshened up, and headed to dinner at La Guarderia. From the outside, it was completely nondescript and we would have never found it ourselves. Our cabbie himself had to ask directions twice, despite it being one of, if not the, most famous restaurant in the country.
We entered on the ground floor (accidentally detouring into some poor guy’s living room on our search for the bar), ascended to the second floor, where Dina and I waltzed on the beautiful marble floor, took some photos, and then proceeded to dinner. While considerably more expensive than other restaurants we’d been to whole here (on par with SF), the food was absolutely top notch.
- snapper carpaccio with shallots and tomato
- ropa viejo, which managed to be simultaneously refreshing and hearty
- salad verde
- ravioli con pesto y pinoles
- frijoles negro
- Moros y christians
- chocolates three ways
- Lemon custard and crust with almonds
- chocloate and strawberries
- coffee and more rum than I care to admit to
Dinner was wonderful, followed by yet another economics/political discussion. We grabbed a cab to La Fabrica (which we discovered closes early on Monday nights), then to El Zorro y Cuervo for some jazz.
Throughout the day, we were surrounded by art. People dancing in the streets just because, painting and selling their art on the sidewalk, playing music. How Cuban economy work to support that, or is it in such dire straights such that someone occasionally giving even one CUC makes it all worth it. The guide mentioned rationing, so it will be interesting to look into that further. Is it all black market, or is it more like a basic income? Internet would help this.