The next stop was Matanzas where we have a picture of two bureaucrats: Lolo’s sculpture called “el Burocrato” and me, a retired Federal personnel manager. Explanation to follow below.
We again headed east toward Matanzas where we would stop for lunch and a tour of the Paladar Il Divino. We were met there by Mauricio and Evelyn, our Santeria guide in Havana. We all had a great farm-to-garden experience at this huge home on the outskirts of Havana. Especially the honey-soaked cake.
Our guide was a granddaughter of the founders, a Cuban and Italian, of this place where they converted some undesirable swampland into a thriving organic farm that also provides seniors and disabled with a place to gather, do crafts, and have free lunches.
This fellow wanted everyone to take his picture so I obliged.
Our guide is telling us that the bees from these hives are non-stinging. None of us wanted to test that theory though.
We again stopped for a short break at this mirador of the ocean and this large bridge. I was able to get a picture of a vintage car crossing it. Notice how few cars there are on this 4 lane highway. On some portions of this 4 lane highway, we saw more horse-driven vehicles than cars or trucks. Sized for growth I guess.
Most of us also enjoyed their specialty drink here of a pina colada in a pineapple.
A short time later we pulled into Matanzas, considered the “Athens of Cuba” for its literary and artistic heritage. After settling into our two casa particulars, our guide, Evelyn took us on a walking tour of the heart of the city.
Here are pictures of our casa particulars in Matanzas. We would be having breakfast at the main one the Casa Manzaneda. Its owners and hosts Danae and Felix provided us with a warm welcome and guided some of us to the other casa particular where I and others would be staying.
We began walking down to the river area where they were busy putting in a cobbled promenade with antique street lights. Many of the buildings there were undergoing major facelifts and contained art galleries and artists' studios.
We were invited into Lolo’s studio which was primarily a metal sculpture studio, along with ceramics and painting. Much of Lolo’s art was on display.
My particular favorite was “El Burocrato” which featured a fellow comprised of several partially opened file cabinet drawers while standing on point on a balancing bar. As a retired Federal bureaucrat of 35 years as a personnel manager, this work really spoke to me by displaying the immense files of paperwork and documentation requirements along with the delicate balancing act bureaucrats must achieve to survive the swings of partisan politics.
You can see the other sculptures call up different human conditions as well.
Lolo’s studio and the gallery were open to other artists as well. I did a double-take when I saw this portrait because I had just seen what I thought was the woman who posed for this picture. I asked her and it turned out that it was her self-portrait.
Most of the ceramics on the wall and on shelves were for sale and were done by artists other than Lolo.
We continued on and were amazed to see how much revitalization work was taking place in painting the old buildings and repacking another walking street. New paint on city buildings was a first for us in our Cuba Adventure—-except for El Cowboy’s pink palace back in Vinales.
The walking street was filled with art galleries as well and many of them were being remodeled apparently for some upcoming major anniversary.
Around sunset, we stopped for dinner at the San Severino restaurant which overlooked the La Libertad Plaza where workers were still installing new walkway cobbles in preparation for the big anniversary.
As we settled in for dinner we heard the sounds of thousands of birds flocking to the trees surrounding the plaza. It was intense, just like the movie, “Birds” except they weren’t crashing into the doors and windows of the restaurant.
A cassoulet dish along with squash at the San Severino Restaurant.
The following day Evelyn would take us to learn more about Santeria from a priest named, Babalawo Oscar Rodriguez Pedrosa. He spent quite a bit of time educating us on the Cabildo Arara branch of Santeria which comes out of Benin rather than the Yoruba tribal groups.
Like many religions they have and honor spirits similar to many of the Catholic saints. Worshippers call them using bells, dance and drums, and singing. Some of them include spirits of humanity; motherhood—linked to the oceans and moon; female warrior—linked to wind, storm, and magic; love, beauty, and sex-linked to water; metal and tools—linked to war; teacher or prophet; and disease and sickness and money to poor.
Unfortunately, when we arrived that morning, the Babalawo informed us that the drummers, dancers, and singers would not be with us for they had worn themselves in the ceremony the night before. The picture on the wall is one of the earlier priestesses who the current Babalawo Oscar learned from to call up the spirits for guidance and assistance for those to who he ministers.
Just before we left, Evelyn made an offering and sought out guidance at the Cabildo Arara shrine.
We visited the Museo Farmaceutico which was established in 1882 by the Triplett family and was the first of its type in Latin America. Thousands and thousands of compounds along with medical equipment and vats for cooking up compounds as well. We had seen another like this in Havana, but this was much bigger and had a greater variety of stuff.
Our lunch was inside the 1902 built Hotel Velazco in an elegant wood-paneled dining area just behind the long mahogany bar with tiled floors sprinkled with comfortable lounging chairs throughout.
Before leaving Matanzas, we drove up to the hilltop mirador to look at the city and surrounding areas spread below.
This concludes my blog entries on my Cuba Adventures with www.crookedtrails.org. If you found this kind of adventure to your liking, check out Crooked Trails and where else they go spreading their message of sustainable and responsible tourism.
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