June 19, 2017

Havana, Cuba

Here is the view of the harbor in Havana as the ship was docking:

This is Christ of Havana (Spanish: Cristo de La Habana), a large sculpture representing Jesus of Nazareth on a hilltop overlooking the bay in Havana, Cuba. It is the work of the Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera, who won the commission for it in 1953. The sculpture is 66 feet tall.

He let me take a selfie:

If you have been reading my posts, you know that I am fascinated by cemeteries, especially very old ones. Havana has one of the oldest and most elaborate cemeteries in the western hemisphere. If you are interested, you can get more information at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colon_Cemetery,_Havana

Here are some pictures.

Below is the guy who conducted the tour of the cemetery. I don’t know if t was just an act or if he was really sincere, but he actually broke down in tears when he described some of the things that happen at this cemetery. Cubans are very religious and very superstitious.

There are 40 burials here every single day. Cuba is a communist country and the government takes care of you from the “cradle to the grave”. If you are a Cuban, you do not pay when you are born and you do not pay when you die. I am not going to get into the “socialism vs. capitalism” discussion here. I will just say that, based on my very limited experience in the country, the Cuban people appeared to be happy and very satisfied with their system. This guy certainly was.

Here is one of the stories he told:

The most visited grave is the flower-bedecked tomb of Amelia Goyri de Hoz, revered as La Milagrosa (The Miraculous One, Calles 3 y F) and to whom the superstitious ascribe miraculous healings. According to legend, she died during childbirth in 1901 and was buried with her stillborn child at her feet. When her sarcophagus was later opened, the baby was supposedly cradled in her arms. Ever since, believers have paid homage by knocking three times on the tombstone with one of its brass rings, before touching the tomb and requesting a favor (one must not turn one’s back on the tomb when departing). Many childless women pray here in hopes of a pregnancy.

NOTE: While we were on the tour, a pregnant woman actually came to this grave, knocked on the tombstone and left flowers, then backed away as he described. She was crying the whole time. I am a skeptic at heart and could not help but wonder if this was just staged for the tour, but Who Knows? I don’t.

If you go to Cuba, one of the things you have to do is buy (and try) Cuban cigars. For over half a century, it has been illegal to purchase these cigars, so maybe the wanting them is greater than the having them. I do not know, but I did purchase a few cigars. Later on, I will post a picture with me smoking one.

If you have gotten this far and are still reading this blog and you want to try a Cuban cigar, send me an email. I have a limited supply and no intention of smoking them. I will be happy to send you one to try. First come, first served.