2011/03 – Cuba 2011 – Cienfuegos
14 Mar
 |
| Cienfuegos – Cuban pastime Baseball |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Hotel La Union |
Cienfuegos
One of the quietest, sleepiest days in our trip through Cuba – and not just because it happened to be a Sunday when we arrived in Cienfuegos.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cienfuegos
A city that, to me, came to represent the image of what I had always thought Cuba to be – beautiful neo-classical architecture in a well preserved historical centre, sleepy tranquillity, pretty boulevards, an inviting Malecon seaside promenade full of beautiful houses, a perfect bay, no wonder the city was called “Pearl of the South” during colonial times.
We passed the Cuban favourite pastime, baseball games, entering the city from the south and checked into our Hotel, the beautiful “La Union” from 1869.
Then we visited the city centre around the corner from the Hotel, the Parque Marti, Palacio Ferrer, the Teatro Tomas Terry. It was hot and … quiet. Just a few locals with us on the terrace arcade of the Bar Palatino where we smoked a cigar and had some Cristals while a “drawing artist” – and a good one at that – took his time to draw our caricatures.
Then we headed for the Paseo del Prado and passed the statue celebrating a famous son of Cienfuegos, Benny More aka “El Barbaro del Ritmo, still a great source of pride for the city.
After all Cienfuegos has a great musical tradition and is considered to be the birthplace of the cha-cha-cha.
We continued on the Malecon past many beautiful Art Nouveau mansions, 50’s bungalows and wooden clapboard houses to reach Punta Gorda at the tip of the Cienfuegos bay.
We parked at the very impressive Moorish palace “Palacio de Valle” from 1913, which Gen. Batista turned into a Casino and now houses bars and restaurants. From its roof terrace we had a great view over the bay and towards the south, the Sierra del Escambray where we had come from.
A highly made-up and lip-sticked former artist/singer by a piano greeted visitors, played a few chords on the piano and offered a CD with her music – regrettably it contained the Che song, so I declined the offer and left her fuming at me.
We were impressed by the city, its immaculate cleanliness, its order, the very friendly and disciplined population, the buses spotlessly clean and obviously running on schedule – so “un-Cuban”, really.
Opposite the Palacio de Valle was the “Covadonga” Paella restaurant that had been recommended to us as serving the best Paella in town – by a friend whose last visit there had been 15 years back.
It took some “convincing” the maitre d’ to give us a table, as the Restaurant was for Cubans only – but, by friendly conversation, not by “palm-greasing – he got us one. Again a Cuban exception – the city is certainly exceptional.
Regrettably the quality of the paellas had changed dramatically since the last visit and we left most of the undefined rice-porridge untouched.
We apologized, returned back to the city centre and climbed up the hotel’s roof terrace for a good view over the city and a few beers.
After a small dessert, flan casero and a cortado in a nearby Paladar, it was back again to the Bar at the Parque Marti for some rum and a cigar. A first in Cuba, the city closed early and by 10 pm we were on the way back to the Hotel’s roof-top bar for last-order Cristals, not wanting to try the Sala Terry for some music as it opened at midnight.
Well rested and after a fine breakfast we continued the next day walking the avenues and streets of this enchanting town. We bought some “for-Cubans-only” Reloba cigars at a bodega for one Cuban peso – the equivalent of a few cents and smoked them happily.
After asking around for the old Quintero factory we found it half an hour outside the city centre and were allowed to tour it, watching the highly interesting manufacturing of short filler cigars by extremely friendly rollers.
The noon-day heat was quite oppressive and we took a horse-drawn carriage to chauffeur us back to our Hotel.
An extremely attractive city, I thought as we left it headed for Playa Giron, as the Cubans call the beach on the Bay of Pigs where the failed invasion took place in April 1961.
Nino
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Palacio de Valle |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Rest. Covadonga |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Rest. Covadonga |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Old Quintero factory |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Benny More memorial |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Quintero factory |
 |
| Cienfuegos |
 |
| Cienfuegos – Our horse carriage |
| Copyright 03-2011 © Ninos Flying Cigar |
 |
Nino great pictures of Cienfuegos!! I had not seen these until now- looks like you guys had a blast. Un abrazo fuerte!
Arnold
Gracias amigo !!