Cuba, Day 3: Hemingway in Havana
Cuba Day 3: Hemingway in Havana / Fire of the 9 O’clock Canon
Today was more fun than I thought it would be. I enjoyed visiting the home of Hemingway more than I expected. It was a lovely place and the town of Cojimar was equally charming. The art at both Villa Manuela and at the studio of the Brito sisters was all really good and very inspiring. We switched hotels and finally got to enjoy a bit of air conditioning, and I fit in some pool time before our evening outing. Diner at Hostal el Canonazo was lovely and our visit to the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana was both interesting and romantic. The views of Havana across the bay were quite the sight and topped off the evening.
Morning
- Breakfast at the hotel, 8:30 am
- Finca La Vigia – Hemingway’s Cuban Home, 10 – 11:30 am
- Cojimar Monument, 11:45 – 12 pm
- Lunch at Bodega las Brisas in Cojimar, 12 – 1:15 pm
Afternoon
- Art Museum Villa Manuela, 2 – 3 pm
- Art Studio of Yamilys & Jacqueline Brito, 3 – 3:30 pm
- Everyone staying at el Presidente packed and moved to Hotel Nacional, 4 – 5 pm
- Pool, 5 – 6 pm
Evening
- Diner at Hostal el Canonazo, 7 – 8:30 pm
- Fire of the Cannon of 9 O’clock, Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana, 8:30 – 9:30 pm
Morning
I woke up and rushed to breakfast and had just enough time to eat this hearty breakfast before meeting my group outside the hotel at 9 am.
My last breakfast at Hotel Presidente, 8:30 am
Hemingway’s Cuba Home – Finco La Vigia
Finca La Vigia, the lookout house where Hemingway made his home for over 20 years is located ten miles east of Havana in the small, working-class town of San Francisco de Paula. The Cuban government took ownership of the property after Hemingway’s death in 1961 and eventually turned it into a museum. Visitors are not allowed inside the home but are able to walk up and look inside through the various doors and windows.
The property is very beautiful, a seemingly perfect retreat for a writer or artist, with beautiful views and landscaping. The tower and giant pool were my two favorite places. Note to self: add a tower to my plans for my future dream home.
Cojimar Fishing Village
Cojimar is a nearby fishing village where Hemingway kept his boat Pilar. The writer is remembered by the town with a small gazebo that encircles a commemorative bust, sculpted from the melted down propellers donated by local fishermen. The town was quite charming so it’s easy to picture it as the background for The Old Man and the Sea. I wouldn’t of minded spending a few hours walking through the town and chilling on the pier, but we only had 15 minutes and that was just enough for a quick look around.
Lunch at Bodega las Brisas
We enjoyed a seafood lunch in Cojimar at Bodega las Brisas. Our bus parked next to a really cool dilapidated building just around the corner from the restaurant. The atmosphere was really nice. I ordered a salad and the seafood soup. The salad was great though it was just the typical salad you find everywhere, but I didn’t care for the seafood soup. It was too fishy for me but my buddy Mike seemed to enjoy it.
Afternoon
Back in Havana we visited the Art Museum Villa Manuela and then the studio/home of Yamilys & Jacqueline Brito, both of which contained fantastic examples of Cuban art.
Art Museum Villa Manuela
- View my separate post of Villa Manuela for more photos and information: Tradiciones des Dibujadas at Art Gallery Villa Manuela
The Home and Studio of Yamilis and Jacqueline Brito
View my post: The Home and Studio of Yamilis and Jacqueline Brito for more photos and information. I was really impressed with the art of both sisters and with Jacqueline’s lovely home. I bought a small print by Yamilis pictured below.
Switching Hotels
Part of our group was lodging at Hotel Presidente and the other half were staying at Hotel Nacional. Those of us staying at Hotel Presidente ending up having to move hotels because the air conditioning wasn’t working and most of us were miserable. I wish the hotel could of gotten the AC working. It was nice to try out both hotels but I liked the more intimate and laid back atmosphere at Hotel Presidente, plus the staff let us all swim in the pool at night after it had officially closed. Hotel Nacional was a very large and much fancier hotel with lots of restaurants and other amenities. I enjoyed my stay there and it was closer to a lot of nightlife spots but I’m glad part of my group was at Hotel Presidente first. Being in the smaller hotel made it easier for us to run into each other and hang out.
We were all given about an hour to pack up our belongings and report to our bus for the transfer. Our new room at Hotel Nacional was much nicer than the room at Hotel Presidente and the air conditioning worked. Hallelujah! However there was a strange odor coming from the bathroom that smelled like rotten fish. We had a maid come inspect it a few times but all they did was spray some air freshener. I went straight to the pool after settling in. It was a large fancy pool with a cool ledge around the perimeter that allowed you to sit in the water along the edge.
Evening
Dinner at Hostal El Canonazo
This dinner was not included in our tour but we all agree upon it after hearing our tour guides recommendation. The winning point being that it was within walking distance of the fort we would be visiting afterwards. I wouldn’t of know there was a restaurant here if we hadn’t been led around to the back. It was a lovely area with many covered dining areas. We were seated near a band playing live music. It was a bit on the pricier side of the restaurants we dined at with most entrees priced around 16-18 CUC. My mojito was only 2.50 CUC though. 🙂
I ordered Viandas fritas (fried root plants) that turned out to be Yucca if I’m remembering correctly, a mojito, and Ropa vieja (Shredded beef). All were very good.
Firing of the 9 O’clock Canon
After dinner we walked over to San Carlos de La Cabana for the firing of the 9 O’clock canon. (Learn more about it here.) Once inside the fort we walked through a souvenior market before entering the area near the canon. A group of men dressed in traditional uniform marched from behind us to around and up in front of us onto an elevated portion of the fort where the canon was located. It was a long ceremony all in Spanish so we didn’t know what was really going on but it was interesting and there was a good sized crowd. I caught a cool bit of lightning on video. I thought we’d be able to see a flash of light when the canon fired but we could only hear it so it was a bit anticlimactic. However visiting the fort was well worth the trip. Afterwards we walked up top where we enjoyed a really awesome view of Havana across the bay.
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