Cuba Day 5 - Trinidad

We spent the day exploring Trinidad by foot.  Our first stop was the Museum of the City of Trinidad.  This building started out as the palace for wealthy people.  It has very high ceilings.  The windows and doors are also very high.  Each window was topped by fan shaped design, each of them painted a different design.  The man's bedroom was at the front of the house.  He also shared a bedroom with his wife along the side of the home.  The children's bedrooms at the back of the home and behind them the servants quarters.

The kitchen.

The courtyard in the middle.  Livan had told us about the fabulous views from the top of the tower.  Once again, I did not follow my own instinct - and decided to make the climb.  A good part of the climb is a very narrow circular staircase.  Always a problem with a backpack on my back and a camera in the front.  There were a lot of stairs - and then we reached the last section.  It went practically straight up ending up with a very narrow opening and a climb onto the roof.  Livan demonstrated how to climb sideways to get through the opening.  I did make it to the top!

Views from the first level.

Views from the top.

Climbing down is the hard part.  My thigh muscles decided they had had enough.  I limped to the next stop where we were to have a local drink - a Canchanchara.  From then on, Mike had to help me up and down steps.  My muscles just would not cooperate.

See recipe below.

We walked on.

These are the wooden window coverings that were later replaced by the iron ones.

A local band in a square.

A restaurant with beautiful tile work.

We met this guy with his truck.  What kind of truck to you have, I asked.  Well, he said,  the body is Chevrolet, the motor Mitsubishi, the mud flaps Mercedes and the box is Russian.  So I guess it is an international!

Views from a famous square.

A market.

There were a lot of stores selling needlework products, but you also saw street vendors like the one below, or the artist herself selling her wares.

There is a story behind the burnt out theatre below.  There once was a very rich married politician who had as his mistress a famous actress.  He built this theatre for her.  The locals were much put out by his blatant failure to follow the correct rules of conduct and so they burnt it down.  But they kept the burnt out edifice as a reminder.

I have tried a lot of fish in Cuba - thinking it is an island there should be great fish here.  Only to have it served dry with a bland sauce on top - pretty awful.  But Livan swore this restaurant made the best seafood paella.  So I tried it - it was delicious, but as usual way too much.

After lunch we took a walk to a pottery establishment.  Livan said it was about a mile away.  We could see the street we needed to turn on in the distance.  I said, lets take the car.  Mike says - it doesn't look that far.  So we walked.  Why can't I ever learn to say no.  I am already hurting a lot.  But at least the views along the route were nice.

And here we are:  two brothers run this shop. 

They use an electric motor they can start and stop with their feet.

We should have bought this mask for our collection!  Cigars are such a large part of the culture here.

After our tour, Livan did not even ask.  He said he was going to get the car and we should wait for him here.