Back to Havana

We return to Havana and this time find accommodation in the old town. Narrow streets, worn facades, balconies hanging low above cobblestones — Habana Vieja feels both crumbling and majestic at the same time.

Marek is determined to visit Casa de la Música, located near our previous place in the city center. Last time we skipped it — we had been told that in the evenings it’s expensive and mostly full of tourists.

Turns out, both are true.

The entrance fee is high by Cuban standards, and the crowd is overwhelmingly foreign. And then there are the prostitutes — at least fifty of them. On this Wednesday night, there seem to be more of them than actual customers.

Fortunately, they mostly leave us alone. We quickly sit down with a French couple who have just begun their own Cuba tour, and we spend most of the evening talking. But whenever a new group of men enters, the scene shifts dramatically. The women descend all at once — like crows spotting fresh prey. It’s intense, almost unsettling to watch.

Once the French couple leaves, we soon follow.

Outside, Havana continues to perform its nightly theater. The legendary Buena Vista Social Club name lives on — bands using it perform every evening in multiple venues at once. The music of old Cuba echoes through the streets, whether authentic or repackaged for tourists.

We pass the Gran Teatro de La Habana, once considered one of the most technologically advanced theaters in the world — a reminder of the grandeur Havana once knew.

Rain has fallen earlier. The cobblestones of the old town church square glisten under streetlights, reflecting faded pastel buildings and passing figures.