EXPLORING HAVANA - DAY TWO

On the morning of our second day in Havana, over breakfast was served on the front patio of the hotel which overlooked the square and the park behind it, and we laid out our plans for Day Two.

If you read my previous post, you would recall that after spending Day One in this city we had quite mixed feelings about it.   However, we agreed that we will not make up our minds until we spent more time here.  And with that we walked out of the breakfast room into another hot and steamy day in Havana.

We took a walk along Calle Obispo admiring the architecture of the government building along the way towards  Parque Central, the cultural hub of Havana to visit Palaceo de Bellas Artes (Fine Art Palace) also known as  the Universal Art Collection situated nearby.

The museum's collection holds international exhibits dated from as far back as 500 BC such as a Roman mosaic from over 2000 years ago to items from modern times as well as temporary exhibitions.  As we approached the ticket counter, the clerk informed us that due to the recent hurricane that had raged across the Caribbean, the top floor of the museum was closed hence we wouldn't be able to view the works of many famous artists.

Nevertheless, we bought tickets and went inside.  True to the clerk's word, not many rooms were opened for viewing and didn't take us too much time browsing through the ones that were open.  While we were on the landing, admiring the beautiful glass work of the ceiling, a very unusual sight caught my attention - a big hole in a wall right underneath it that mustn't been caused by the latest storms and hadn't been repaired yet.

Not daunted by this small incident, we left the museum for our next destination, Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonco, a home to Ballet Nacional de Cuba.  As we approached the building, we noticed a sign announcing the schedule of the English speaking guided tours of the theatre and joined the queue.

While my husband was waiting for our turn, I approached the box office and enquired about any  performances that might be running during our stay.  To our delight, the was a perfomance of  the ballet Carmen on our last night in Havana.  We couldn't wish for a better way to conclude out time in Cuba as Carmen is one of our favourite productions and immediately purchased the tickets.

When the clerk told us the price of two tickets in row B, we thought she made a mistake.  Bearing in mind that we had to pay almost twice more as tourists, it cost us about 40 Australian bucks.  Back at home we would pay around 200 dollars each!!!

Our spirits soared, we went inside for a tour.  The interior of the Palace looked exactly what one would expect from a traditional European Opera House - marble staircase, red plush chairs, crystal candelabras, slim marble columns supported the high vaulted ceilings. 

 The tall windows have opened onto panoramic view of the Parque Central on one side and to the El Capitolio (National Capital Building in Havana) on the other.

There has been some controversy about its architecture and and its close resemblance to the Capitol building in Washington.  Previously shunned as a symbol of US imperialism, this neo-classical marvel is undergoing a renovation which commenced in 2010 and once completed, will be the home of the Communist Government's National Assembly.

The building and the area around its perimeter looked immaculate, the grass and the hedges were trimmed, the pavement smooth and clean.  A lot of money, millions of dollars, I believe, have been poured into this project of national pride and glory.

But once we walked past the Government edifices proclaiming the glory of socialism and ventured further afield just to the other side of Parque Centrale, we were met by the same sad picture of  poor living conditions that we saw on our first day in Havana.  And that was the reality.

What we admired though, was the spirit of people around us.  You can feel their optimism for a better future, their energy contagious, their love for life spills onto the streets from early morning till late at night and the sounds of TV loudly blaring from the open windows and doors of their humble dwellings, laughter and music follows you everywhere.

I can't recall a meal whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner without a group of musicians playing and singing music to the crowd's delight.  What impressed me the most was how talented and skillful they all seemed to be, given the fact that most of the instruments were so worn out to a point that  a guitar may not have all of its strings.  Still the music which they played was sublime.

 We were smitten.  Our perception of Havana had totally changed, it  grew on us and we slowly began to understand its life, its rhythm and people who live here.

And on this high note we went out to dinner over which we discussed our plans for Day Three.

Until then,

Anna

xoxo

EXPLORING HAVANA- DAY ONE

As a former citizen of now defunct USSR, I quite often wonder how my former Cuban counterparts are doing since the revolution, particularly after the USA has imposed their embargo on all imports to Cuba.  While I was living there, we were constantly informed by the Russian propaganda about Castro, liberation from the Americans and proclamation of socialism and all the good things that come with it.  Even when things turned sour with their American neighbours, Soviet media tried to convince us that the Cubans are doing great.  However, since we jumped the fence and left the socialist camp for Australia twenty five years ago, we didn't hear much about Cuba anymore.

The main reason that we included a trip to Havana into our trip was our neighbours who went to Havana last year and liked it a lot and their recounting of this place sounded fascinating enough to convince us to go and see it for ourselves.  And thus we added it to our itinerary.

We landed in Havana airport late in the afternoon on a flight from Italy and the first thing that greeted us was the heat and the high level of humidity.

Our elegant Spanish Colonial style hotel, Santa Isabel,  was situated in the Old Havana, a block away from the sea and the famous Malacon promenade and in walking distance from the Calle Obispo, the most travelled pedestrian drag connecting Old Havana with the city centre.

Originally a 19th century palace build for the aristocracy, the hotel's features still retain the regal feel of historic Havana and in its rich history is proud to name Jimmy Carter as one of their many distinguished guests who came here to stay.

In keeping with our tradition, the first thing we do when we arrive at a new destination, is take a city tour and Havana was no exception.  We wanted to go on a Red Hop-on hop-off bus but when we found a ticket office and asked for the tickets we were told that due to the recent hurricane that swept over the Carribean, some parts of the city were not accessible by the buses and so our next option was to take a private car tour.  We were not prepared for that and as we didn't have Plan B.  While we were  standing under the hot sun in the middle of the street pondering what our next step, we were approached by a man named Rene who after a short introduction had offered his tour guide services to us.  He said that he would charge us about 200 CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso that must be used by all the tourists) which was an equivalent to AUD 250 for three hours of his tour guide services that sounded reasonable under the circumstances so we agreed.

It was a bit of a gamble, we didn't know him at all, he had no paperwork or any credentials on him but somehow we sensed that we could trust him and followed him to his car that was parked a few meters away from the tourist agency.

We first thought that he is going to drive us in one of the shiny brightly coloured Cadillacs parked alongside but we jumped into an ordinary old car, that was originally imported from Russia about 40 years ago, believe it or not.  What an irony.

Despite the fact that the car was very old and rusty on all sides, which is the condition of almost all the cars that we saw in Havana anyway, it was, to our pleasant surprise, air-conditioned and Rene turned out to be very knowledgeable not only about city landmarks but about the history of Cuba and its political situation.

Our first stop was Havana's fortress De San Carlos de la Cabana build in the 17th century, it is the second largest fort structure in the Americas.  It was built on the eastern side of the Havana port to defend the city from invaders and its elevated position provided a perfect opportunity to view the city from an expansive point of view and put its topographical layout into perspective.

Next stop was a short drive to Plaza de la Revolucion, where political rallies take place and where Fidel Castro and other political readers addressed the Cubans.  The Plaza is dominated by the memorial to Cuba's National Hero, Jose Marti which features a more than 100 meters tall tower and his statue.  Many other government ministries and buildings located in and around the plaza, and behind the Plaza, is the Palace of Revolution, the seat of Cuban government and Communist Party.

The other eye catching memorials of this Plaza are the two matching gigantic steel portraits of two most important heroes of Cuban revolution, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos gracing the facades of the Ministries of Interior and Communications.

Following the recommendation of our friends, we asked our driver to take us to the place called Fusterlandia, a ceramic wonderland in the northwestern end of Havana which owed its name to the Cuban pop-artist Jose Fuster  who lives and works there.  

 Influenced by work of Gaudi, Fuster's stepping stone was a redecorating project around his small wooden home and over the last 10 years has grown into an amazing spectacle of his imagination to the locals and visitors delight.  Using ceramic and bright paints, Fuster has covered over 80 of his neighbours house each according to the character of its owner.

It took us good 30 minutes to get back to the city centre.   Rene stopped the car in Parque Central, Central Park  - one of the busiest places in Havana and from there we meant to return to our hotel by foot. But before we did that, we went to sit one of the stone benches in the centre of the park where we could appreciate the grandeur of the buildings surrounding the perimeter of the square. 

At the centre of the park is a marble statue of Jose Marti surrounded by 28 palm trees signifying his day of birth, 28 of January.  Raised on the 10th anniversary of his death, this marble statue was the first of thousands to be erected in Cuba.

After a while, we took Calle Obispo, a pedestrian cobble-stoned thoroughfare connecting Parque Centrale with Old Havana.  Lined with bookstores, coffee house, paladars (private restaurants) and narrow shops where newborn entrepreneurs sell revolutionary paraphernalia and souvenirs, bars, restaurants, pizza houses and many more is the place to see and be seen.  

Not a day went by that we didn't take a walk along Obispo, discovering something new about it as we went admiring the richly decorated facades of the old heritage buildings crumpling under the passage of time and neglect and awaiting a capitalist makeover while the others have been restored to their original glory.

Cubans love for the bright colours extends well past the old cars and it is very seldom that you would find a building not painted in retro pink, blue, or green

As I mentioned earlier, the day was quite hot and very humid so when we finally made it back to our hotel, we couldn't wait to step into our air-conditioned room.  Once cooled down and refreshed, we both agreed that the initial impression of our first day in Havana was a bit disappointing.  We new that life in Cuba could be challenging and that people don't have enough money to buy what they need but we were quite shocked by the state of the dwellings where they live, the absence of grocery shops and supermarkets and other common characteristics that define a modern city.

However, we went to bed with open minds, hoping that tomorrow we will discover another side of Havana but that is for the next post.

Until then,

Anna

xo

DINNER AT DON ALFONSO 1890

On our last night in Sorrento, we went to a fabulous restaurant called Don Alfonso 1890.

If you haven't read my previous posts or just want an update, here is the recoup of what we have been up to since we landed in Naples 5 days ago:
A day trip around Sorrento and along Amalfi Coast
A trip to a ghostly ruins of Pompeii and
A boat trip to the island of Capri and a Blue Grotto

We made a reservation to this stunning restaurant months before our actual holiday started, based on  what we read about Don Alfonso 1890 via our Internet search for best places to eat when in Amalfi Coast.  We both agreed that we should go somewhere special on our last night in Sorrento to say "goodbye" to Italy and to toast our next adventure, as the next morning we were flying to Cuba.  And this restaurant fitted the bill perfectly.

Although the discovery of new places is an exciting part of holiday experiences, there are some things that need to be done in advance, like an hotel where you are going to stay or a restaurant that you are hoping to eat in is booked months in advance and the only way to get in is to do the same.  Besides, if the worst comes to the worst, you can always cancel the booking.  This scenario has always worked for us.

The history behind Don Alfonso 1890 is quite remarkable.  As the name suggests, it was founded in 1890  by the current owner's great grandfather and his partner as a restaurant-hotel and has remained a family business ever since.  Holder of 2 Michelin stars, its cooking philosophy "reflects the philosophy that  is innovative while respecting the local food culture and the millennial traditions of the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast".  These days it is run by Alfonso Iaccarino, Don Alfonso's grandson and his lovely wife Livia and their children, Mario and Ernesto.

As our taxi drew up to the front door, we were greeted by one of the members of the staff and escorted inside where we were greeted by the immaculately dressed Mario who walked us through the main room into a smaller, more intimate room so we could have the best of both worlds - our privacy (following our request which we made when making our reservation) while being able to observe the bustling activities of the main room without being noticed.

As we sat down and ordered our drinks, I had a chance to check the surroundings.  Our room looked absolutely beautiful.

It was filled with bright colours of pink, yellow, orange and lilac which work harmoniously with the bright natural Mediterranean light creating a unique vibe, characteristic to the Southern Italy.  

Not a single detail was overlooked, even the pattern on the gorgeous charge plates in front of us was replicated in the colour palette of the upholstery which was chosen for the chases and chairs.

A tall, heavily framed antique mirror was propped on a marble table and adorned with a simple but elegant bouquet of flowers and an antique candelabra.  It reminded me of the salon where aristocrats would gather for afternoon tea and cucumber sandwiches.

We opted for the La Degustazione  (degustation) menu so we would be able to sample as many dishes as possible but first we were treated to a a couple of delectable Amuse Bouche, courtesy and a specialty of the house:

Chips of curcuma (turmeric) and rosemary  with crispy eggplant Iaccarino style 

The chips were placed in a small porcelain vase and the eggplant was served on an organic shape marble tablet.  The second Amuse Bouche was

Parmesan flavoured zucchini with fresh mint and a sauce of  basil and mozzarella

 Both of these dishes were a perfect accompaniment to our pre-dinner champagne drinks.

Before I proceed with the main dishes that were served to us that evening, I would like to express my gratitude to Fortunato Maresca, the Assistant Manager of Don Alfonso 1890 who, since I'd lost a copy of the menu, not only kindly e-mailed me an English version of it but also helped me to identify the dishes from the pictures that I'd taken.  Grazie Mille or thank you so much.

Few minutes later the first dish on the menu was placed in front of us

Eel ice-cream, Oscietra caviar pasta scented with rose and a mince of wild herbs

First created in 2012

Followed by

Duck breast, Annurca apple preserve, reduction of balsamic vinegar, cinnamon and barage powder

Reviewed in 2015

For the duck dish, the sommelier brought to our table two wine glasses filled with ice-cubes and poured over cherry wine (another compliment of the house).  We had never tasted wine made out of cherries and I must say it was sublime.

The next dish was 

Spaghetti with mackerel, Carpione style, with breadcrumbs, pine nuts and candied onions, on a sauce of  turnips and Alalanga tuna

Creation 2013

Followed by

Cappelli filled with veal Genoese style, Grana Padana veloute, dried vegetables and black truffles

Created 2017

After that, we were served 

Breaded and fried codfish, served with the bone, sweet and sour of lemon and buffalo yogurt

Creation 2014

Our last savoury dish was 

Guinea-fowl stuffed with Bronte pistachios, a sauce of  sweet pepper of Senise in two different styles:aciduous and spicy; potato puree flavoured with saffron and wild fennel chips

Creation 2016

As you can see from the images, each dish was served on a the purposely designed plate and looked like a work of art.  It is so true that you eat with your eyes first and let me tell you that there was not one course that we didn't like or was just ok.  They all not only looked great but tasted superb.

During the course of the dinner we met the lady of the house, Signora Livia.  Immaculately dressed in true Italian style, she went from table to table to introduce herself and have a nice chat with each individual guest which made us all feel special.

Once all the savoury dishes had been served, the waiter brought us a palate cleanser.  The term was coined by French and was designed to remove any lingering flavours from the mouth so the next course may be enjoyed with fresh perspective.  Sorbet is for sure the most frequent palate cleanser and one most adopted worldwide.  Ours was lemon-citron sorbet brought from the owner's farm served in a unusually shaped bowl together with a plate full of Petit Fours 

Lemon-citron sorbet

which in turn was placed on a small glass bowl filled with some blue colour chemical mixture that upon reaction with dried ice produced a thick fog which enveloped the Petit Fours as if hiding them from us.

But that was just the beginning.  The next dessert that appeared on out table looked equally delicious

Neapolitan Sfogliatella pastry perfumed with cinnamon

Historical recipe

And Impressionistic view of  the Espresso

Historical recipe

And when we thought that our dinner had come to an end, in the final crescendo the last dessert (also based on a historical recipe) magically appeared in front of us.  It was called 

A concert of lemon, fragrance and flavours

and was dedicated to the lemons indigenous to Sorrento and Amalfi Coast.  Although we were feeling quite full, needless to say that we thoroughly enjoyed the dessert, especially me since I have such a sweet tooth.

My story about this amazing place will not be completed, if I don't tell you about my trip to the bathroom.  As I crossed the main area following the directions of the waiter, I came to a delightful room, the walls of which were painted in bright pink and adorned with the lovely artwork featuring lemons and an intricately inlaid mirror.

An antique credenza was placed against the wall right behind me and was decorated with small porcelain figurines and various awards earned by the restaurant over the years and

 an absolutely stunning, very old, marble bust of a young woman.

As I entered the bathroom, I was greeted by the kaleidoscope of pink, burgundy, fuchsia and yellow colours that was the extension of the colour palette used in the dining room, projected on the tiles, flowers and small bathroom accessories.  Even hand towels were not overlooked.

Under normal circumstances, our evening at any given restaurant would be nearing an end but that was not what Signora Livia had in mind for us.  As we were waiting for the bill, she again approached out table to offer us a visit to their wine cellar and the ageing room for cheeses. We felt very honoured and happily agreed.

She then called one of her staff members, a young woman, who escorted us first to the cellar which contained over 25 thousand magnificent bottles from all over the world and then pointed towards the ageing room where the cheese have been kept. 

My husband opted to stay in the cellar to admire their extensive collection while I agreed to see the cheeses.  Only when I said yes, she told me that in order to do that, I have to take more then 100 steep stoned steps downstairs.  Giving the fact that I was wearing high heels, it was not an ideal scenario but at this point it was too late to back out on the offer and so off I went.

I must say that it was one of the strangest things I've done in my life; when I finally got down, I was first met by the very distinctive cheese smell, then I saw them hanging off the hooks.  Some of them looked quite bizarre and I believe were made from ancient recipes and are very highly prized among cheese connoisseurs.

Luckily for me, the alcohol that I consumed during the dinner went right into my adrenaline stream which helped me to climb all those stairs up, in high heels, mind you.

When I finally came upstairs and we left the cellar, Signora Livia and her son Mario were outside waiting for us.  She first took us to the kitchen where we met her other son, Ernesto and then to show us their cooking school.

As a parting gesture, with true Italian hospitality, she gave us a packet of their home made pappardelle pasta which we cooked as soon as we arrived back to Australia.

It was such a perfect evening that was not just about the food but rather a unique and unforgettable experience that we both will treasure in our memories.  It was a high-note and a fitting  farewell to our wonderful time in this beautiful part of the world.

And now the time has come to cross the Atlantic and head for Cuba

Until then

Anna

xo