Naranee joined Catriona and David for a walk along the Malecon before a 9am breakfast. After breakfast the three of us walked to the main square where we went inside the cathedral and saw the cross that Christopher Columbus left after he found the new world. We also went up to the bell tower as John and Lorna told us they had just climbed up there and there was a man fixing the bells. We had a good view over the town from that vantage point. We decided to have a hot chocolate at the chocolateria but there was such a long queue we decided to find somewhere to buy food for lunch knowing there was nothing to buy at the airport. At the shop the lady had to write down everything purchased into a little receipt book. It took us quite a while to purchase an icecream and some wafer biscuits for David. We headed back to the Casa and checked out. David left behind his running shoes which had come apart on the El Yunque hike and Catriona left a pair of zip off pants as the zipper kept on breaking. As the people are quite poor they will mend them and use them of find someone to give them to.
Our flight back to Havana was at 1:30pm. The airport and runway were very small and only 2-3 people were allowed into the room where the security checks took place at any one time. The two hour flight was in a 44 seat French built plane and was quite smooth.The domestic airport we arrived in had an outdoor baggage claim area and a corrugated fibreglass roof with pieces missing. Back at the Hotel Nacional we had a drink overlooking the Malecon with Ted and Heather, then John and Lorna arrived as it was starting to rain so we moved up to the veranda of the hotel until it was time to head out for dinner. Romey met us with his friend who drives a tour bus and he drove us to dinner. It was his birthday so he joined us for dinner and we sang happy birthday to him in Spanish then English and his desert had a candle in it for him to make a wish on.
After dinner the tow of us walked back to the hotel but when the bus caught up to us we ran the rest of the way to beat it back. Unfortunately it was the last night of the 35th International Latin film festival and they were having a very loud party which made sleeping very difficult.
We had breakfast at 8am and met in the lobby for Romey's 2 hour guided tour of Havana Vieja. We started at Castillo de La Real Fuerza and walked to Plaza de la Catedral where there was a guy dressed in a white suit with a huge cigar wanting to have his photo taken for $1. The tour continued through narrow streets and plazas past once grand buildings now crumbling in the salty air. Around Plaza Vieja there were many recently restored colourful buildings. We stopped for a hot chocolate at the chocolate museum and continued passed where Ernest Hemingway lived. We wandered up Obispo street which was full of shops and people. We managed to buy a Cuban lag at the artisans market. The tour finished in Parque Central where we said farewell to Carole. Naranee joined the wo of us for a walking tour set out in the lonely planet. We visited the Edificio Bacardi reportedly the best example of art deco arcitecture. We caught the lift to the top where we had great views of Havana. Next stop was the Hotel Sevilla which is where the gangsters once walked the coridores. hey had photos of Lucky Luciano and Al capone amongst others lining the walls. Further up the street we stopped in at Hotel NH Park Central hoping to have a drink in their roof top bar but unfortunately it was closed in preparation for a function they were to have in the evening. We did have a drink on the roof of Hotel Inglatera which also overlooked Parque Central then headed off to have a look inside the Grand Theatre also a once grand building that they are in the process of restoring.
We wandered down the Prado, a tree lined boulevard, back down to the Malecon. We headed back to the hotel, stopping off for David and Naranee to have a pizza from a hole in the wall shop. We met at 6:30pm for our final group dinner, minus Carole. After dinner Ted, Heather, Naranee, David and Catriona went up to the tower bar, situated on the 33rd floor of a residential block. It had spectacular views over Havana and the most expensive coctails were only 4.50.
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