Havana Cuba 2019 - Day 2 - Revolution Museum, La Guarida, Biennale

On our second day in Havana, Rich and I spent the morning with our friend Peter taking a car tour of Western Havana.  Once we were done, the plan was to meet up with our friend Suzie, grab a quick lunch and drink at the famous El Floridita, before heading out to the Revolution Museum in the afternoon.  We were foolish enough to think that we could waltz into this renowned establishment, which was a frequent haunt of Ernest Hemmingway and therefore a major tourist attraction, and be able to get seating for four around lunch time.  We were quickly brought to reality as we could barely make it into the place before realizing that there was not a seat to be had.  At least we were able to take a photo of the bronze sculpture of Hemmingway by the front door, which was the major attraction at this bar, along with their daiquiris.  As it turns out, we were unsuccessful in getting a drink from any of the famous Havana bars including La Bodeguita del Medio (famous for mojitos) and Hotel Nationale, since they were all too crowded.  We did not go thirsty though, since there were icy cold drinks to be had at pretty much any eatery in Havana.  Suzie was so hungry that she declared we would eat at the next place she saw.  We waltzed into one such place on Calle Obispo that I did not catch the name of.  Peter and Suzie each had a plate of egg, rice and beans while Rich and I settled for mojitos since we were still full from the large buffet breakfast that we ate each morning at our hotel.  It occurred to me while I was sucking back my drink that while we were so careful not to drink or even brush our teeth with tap water, that we were probably ingesting large quantities of this in the iced drinks that we consumed.  The alcohol must have killed off most of any substances that might be harmful to our digestive systems since we did not suffer any adverse effects.

The Museum of the Revolution is housed in the former Presidential Palace, which was built in 1920 and was home for all presidents of Cuba from that time, up to the Cuban Revolution in 1959 when the final President, Fulgencio Batista, was deposed.  We first caught a glimpse of this beautiful building while walking south along the Plaza de Marti 13 the previous day, since the long walkway of this square leads directly to the former palace.  In front of the museum stands a fragment from a Spanish fortress built in the 16th Century to protect city, as well as the SAU-100 “auto-propelled cannon” (not a tank since it has no turret to spin the gun around) which Fidel Castro manned and used to fire upon the invading warship USS Houston during the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.  From the top floor of the museum, we could look back out across Plaza de Marti 13 and see the monument dedicated to Jose Marti.

Walking up grand steps of Carrara marble, we came across some large rooms, designed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, that remain decorated as they were during the Presidential Palace days with marble columns, ornate molding, and massive murals and frescos by famous Cuban artists painted on the ceilings and walls.  We were able to walk into the Golden Room which was decorated with yellow marble with gilded trim along the cornice molding and large mirrors flanked by candelabra-shaped lamps.  Unfortunately the grand Hall of Mirrors, modeled after the Palace of Versailles, was closed for what we thought were renovations.  But it could be that they were getting ready for the Revolutionary Art exhibit that started the week after our visit, as part of the Havana Art Biennale.  We would have loved to see both the hall and the art exhibit which looks fabulous based on the images on the website.  We were able to peek over some barriers to catch a glimpse of the beautiful dome that tops the building, plated with colourful glazed ceramic tiles.

Although most of the museum is dedicated to the events leading up to, during and following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, there were a few references to the events and heroes of the War of Independence (1895-98) that liberated Cuba from Spain.  There were even more tributes to war heroes Jose Marti and General Maximo Gomez including several busts of Marti, a replica of his bullet bag, and Gomez’s binoculars.  On the previous day, we saw several full-sized sculptures of Marti throughout Old Havana and a major monument dedicated to Gomez.

For the part of the museum dedicated to the Cuban Revolution, the main focus was on the trio of Fidel Castro, Ernesto “Che” Guevera and Camilo Cienfuegos, who were immortalized in a bronze sculpture created by Oscar Ramirez Quintero in 2010.  Castro and Cienfuegos could each be easily identified by their trademark hats but for some reason, Che was not portrayed in his iconic beret.  A bronze replica of Castro’s patrol cap was created around the same time to mark the 50th anniversary of the Revolution.  A life-sized diorama depicts Guevera and Cienfuegos possibly in the Sierra Maestra Mountains preparing for guerilla warfare in what is described by the sculpture as the “National Liberation War”.  One of the most interesting displays show black and white photos of an unrecognizable Che Guevera, heavily disguised to sneak into Bolivia to participate in its revolution, where he was captured and executed by the CIA and the Bolivian government.

Interesting artifacts relating to the Cuban Revolution included a doll that was used to smuggle messages to Che and Camilo about where to retrieve cached weapons and an example of underskirts worn by women who used them to hide arms and munitions.  An advertisement (that looked like currency) with Castro’s face on it was used to promote his Agarian Reforms, which confiscated and broke up large land holdings and redistributed parcels of land to the peasants who worked on them.  As with any military museum, there were strong propaganda messages promoting the home country and disparaging its enemies.  In this case, the enemy was (and still is) the United States, who were called mercenaries and bandits who agitated and promoted unjust aggression against Cuba with defamation campaigns, burning sugar mills and arming exiled Batista supporters.  Several displays rejoiced and mocked the Americans over the defeat of the CIA-led Bay of Pigs invasion.

Large vehicles including tanks, boats and airplanes that played a part in various military actions in Cuba before, during and after the revolution were on display in an outdoor space in front of the museum.  The Fargo fast food delivery truck used in the failed March 1957 attack on the Presidential Palace was shown, riddled with bullet holes.  The plan was to assassinate President Batista and take over the national radio station to call for a general strike.  The 42 attackers reached the 3rd floor of the palace before they were stopped and bullet holes can still be seen in the walls and stairwells of the building.  Makeshift tanks to be used in the Cuban revolution were created by workers of sugar mills by adding armor to tractors.  The remains of a North American B-26 bomber plane that was shot down during the Bay of Pigs action in 1961 is on display.  The corpse of the pilot who flew this plane remained in Cuba for 19 years because the United States would not admit their part in this aggression and therefore never claimed the body until 1979.

The highlight of the museum was the Granma Yacht, a 60-foot diesel-powered pleasure boat that sailed from Mexico to Cuba in December 1956, in an attempt to restart the Liberation War and overthrow Batista.  Led by Fidel Castro, 82 men including his brother Raul, Che Guevera and Camilo Cienfuegos landed at Las Coloradas beach.  Unfortunately Batista anticipated the location of the landing and was waiting with his troops, who quickly defeated the attack.  Although there were many casualties, the survivors escaped to the Sierra Maestra mountains where they regrouped and started the ultimately successful guerilla war.  The yacht was named after the grandmother of the original owner, thus accounting for the strange name of a vessel used in a military coup attempt. Despite its failure, this significant mission is quite important in Cuban history and is represented in various art forms. We saw a mosaic representation of the yacht in Fusterlandia which we visited the previous day, and there was a graffiti-like version on display in the domed hall of the palace.

Following our visit to the Museum of the Revolution, we had plans to have dinner with our friends Peter and Suzie.  This was one of the dinners that we had planned prior to arriving in Havana.  It was at La Guarida, the famous family owned and run paladar that was the setting for the 1993 Cuban film Strawberry and Chocolate (Fresa y Chocolat), nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.  Luckily this was one of the few restaurants that actually took online reservations and unlike the paladar Chef Ivan Justo where we went to the night before, this establishment actually acknowledged and confirmed the reservation.  To prepare for the occasion, the four of us watched the movie on DVD at home and took note of some of the architectural and decorative details of the building and interior, hoping to spot these features during our visit.  The restaurant, which opened in 1996, proudly displays photographs from the movie on its walls and makes reference to the film in its menu.  The only Cuban film to ever be nominated for an Oscar, Fresa y Chocolate deals with the illicit friendship between homosexual Diego and a young communist party member David, highlighting a call for tolerance and understanding.

In filming the movie Fresa y Chocolate, the beautiful 20th Century mansion was chosen as the location of Diego’s “hideaway” or guarida.  The movie was such a success that tourists started seeking out the building, which inspired its owners to open the restaurant that they situated on the same top two floors as Diego’s apartment.  Taking a line from the movie when Diego tells David “Welcome to the Guarida”, the restaurant got its name La Guarida.  Immediately after we entered the building, we recognized elements from the movie including the ornate metal railings of the winding marble staircase that brought you up multiple floors.  What seems to be a manifesto from Castro is etched onto the wall of the ground floor, with an opening line translating to  “That’s why you say Homeland or Death”.  Next to it is painted a mural of the Cuban flag with the image (based on the hat), of Camilo Cienfuegos on top of it.  Other familiar sights from the movie included the salon-styled hanging of eclectic artwork on the walls of the restaurant, and the blue fridge featured prominently in some of the scenes of the film.

Rich and I had agreed to meet our friends at the rooftop bar prior to dinner but unfortunately, we took too long resting and cooling off at our hotel after the visit to the Museum of the Revolution.  We made it to La Guardia just in time for our dinner reservations and missed the pre-meal cocktail.  We were also distracted on our walk to the restaurant because right there on the curb of one of the streets, we spotted a roasted pig’s head sitting in a pot and it fascinated us, so we had to inspect it for a while.  This was obviously a religious offering as part of a Santeria (Afro-Caribbean) ritual.  Finally reaching the restaurant, we climbed the 3-4 flights of stairs to reach the restaurant, and then one more flight to reach the bar at the top level.  Along the way, we were able to take note of the intermediate floors which seemed to be vacant but might have been used as residences for the owner’s family.  The roof top bar was light and airy with windows on all sides and a great view of the city, so it was too bad that we were too late to enjoy it.

Wandering around the level containing the restaurant itself, you got a feel for how large this mansion is, especially considering that there were at least three more floors of the same size below.  We walked down a long narrow hallway to get to the reception desk, and then quickly inspected the many different areas for dining including an outdoor terrace where you could view the night lights, and various rooms filled with art, including one room that contained a couple of religious sculptures similar to the ones shown in the movie.  It was difficult to choose where we might want to sit, although some options were not available since the tables had already been filled.

At first we were hoping to reserve one of the tables located in the small alcoves just beyond the windows of one of the rooms, but it turns out these tables only seated two.  We got the next best thing which was a table right by one of the open windows leading to an alcove, so we still had a view and a bit of a breeze.  It also happened to be the room with the blue refrigerator from the movie sitting in the corner.  For drinks, Rich started with a Cuba Libre (Havana rum, Cuban coke with cane sugar and lime juice) while Suzie and I opted for the delicious-looking red sangria with a large slice of pineapple that the woman in the alcove was drinking.  We also snacked on some fried plantains before ordering our meals.  For starters, Rich and I shared the fish tiradito, consisting of thinly sliced white fish ceviche coated with coconut milk and something called “tiger’s milk”, which was a mixture of lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chili peppers, red onion, clam juice and salt.  We also shared the papaya seafood lasagna accompanied with a splatter of tomato and citrus compote.  Peter’s appetizer was a tuna tartar with radish, cumin, garlic flakes and soy sauce while Suzie had the cheese ravioli with pesto sauce and pine nuts.

For our mains, both Peter and I ordered the Provencal rabbit with black olives and a caponata sauce, which is usually olive oil, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomato, Italian seasoning, red wine vinegar and capers.  Rich selected the shredded beef with a chickpea/hummus-like spread.  I can’t remember what Suzie ordered and since I didn’t take a photo of it, it didn’t “officially” happen :)  For the table, we shared an eggplant “caviar” with a tomato coulis, as well as some fried sweet potato and yuca and some steamed vegetables. Rich was the only one that tried a dessert and he selected the “coconut soup with caramelized French toast, butter and lemon ice cream” since it sounded intriguingly different.  For me, I would choose good old fashioned chocolate any time.  The restaurant washrooms featured multiple rolls of toilet paper hanging on the wall, which made me laugh since we had made such a big deal about walking around with toilet paper for fear of not finding any while in public toilets.  It wasn’t clear to me if this toilet paper display was art or for our use.  It was fun being in the restaurant that was the set for a movie which we had watched, and the food was tasty with distinct Cuban flavours and ingredients, but I preferred our first meal at Ivan Chef Justo better.

You would think that after such a long day, which began with an early morning car tour of West Havana, followed by the Museum of Revolution and then a nice leisurely meal at an iconic restaurant, that we would be done for the evening.  But we actually had one more stop to make.  While Rich and I chose to stay at the Iberostar Parque Central Hotel right in the heart of old Havana, Peter and Suzie found an AirBnB apartment further off in Central Havana.  The Havana Art Biennale was just starting the week we arrived and it turned out that there would be an opening night gala for the exhibition of a group of artists that would taking place on the rooftop terrace of their apartment building.  In fact the party would take place right outside their patio doors.  It would be a night of art viewing, schmoozing with artists, snacks and mojitos, music and dancing.  The contemporary art pieces were quite eclectic in nature and we would see the works of some of these same artists at other Biennale venues in the next few days.  We got the chance to speak to one of the artists to hear about his motivations for a piece that we liked, but his description lost something in the translation since he spoke no English.

To get to the Biennale show at Peter and Suzie’s rental apartment, the four of us crammed into a tiny “taxi” car and I could barely breathe as I was stuck in the middle in the back.  And not having properly negotiated the fare, what we thought would be a 15CUC ride became 20CUC once we arrived.  While it was easy to hail a taxi in the old town, it became a bit more dicey for Rich and I to get a ride back from this relatively remote area.  Although we had called for a taxi, we had to wait outside for a while before one arrived.  Imagine our surprise when a stretch party limo showed up, complete with strobe lights and music videos playing.  This time we wisely negotiated the fare and pre-paid before we got in.  So the two of us rode in this huge vehicle where we could stretch our legs straight out and still not reach the front seats.  The party was still raging when we left around 11pm and we found out the next day that it continued until well past 2am.