Hostal Rolando & Dianelis

Our home base for 2 nights in Trinidad was Hostal Rolando & Dianelis. It was conveniently located at the edge of the colonial center, a few blocks from the Viazul station and an easy walk to all the sights.

Our room was bright and it was huge with 2 double beds. There was air conditioning. It was in the rear, away from the street, so it was quiet.

The bathroom was clean although the toilet was typical Cuban. Our hosts were very responsive and fixed whatever didn't work. Only soap was supplied.

The living area that was shared with only 1 other room.

Nice little balcony where you can watch the actions on the street.

2017 03 10

Trinidad

From Santa Clara, our next stop was Trinidad. It cost $8 and took 3 1/4 hours to travel 137 km--our route took us back through Cienfuegos.

Bus station in Trinidad. It's in the center of the historic district.

Trinidad is an adorable town, earning a designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The streets are cobbled and the buildings are colorful.

Plaza Mayor in the historic center. It's made of 4 fenced gardens with a palm tree in the center of each garden. 

Surrounding Plaza Mayor are colonial mansions

and even a pirate.

Iglesia de la Santisima Trinidad--the Church of the Holy Trinity, located in the northeast corner of Plaza Mayor. A church has stood on this site since 1620 but the current building was finished in 1892.

The Museo de la Lucha Contra Bandidos is located 1 block northwest of Plaza Mayor. The bell tower is part of an 18th century church and convent. Admission to the museum is 1 CUC and you can climb the tower for a panoramic view of the city. 

You can take a carriage ride around town

or walk around the neighborhoods.

Some tourists were on horseback

while others were in classic cars.

Local life

with horses outside of houses

On a small hill beyond the end of Simon Bolivar is a dilapidated church--the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Popa del Barco. There's supposed to be a 5-star hotel nearby but we couldn't find it.

A strange thing to find in such a colonial town was Bar Yesterday, located on Gustavo Izquierdo, where the decor is dedicated to the Beatles, 

including 4 life-size statues of Paul, Ringo, John & George.

2017 03 10

Sleepy Santa Clara

The rest of Santa Clara was really sleepy. Not much else there.

Quiet streets in the middle of the day.

House selling sausages.

Vendors pushing carts down the street.

Fruits and vegetables for sale.

2017 03 10

Complejo Monumental Ernesto Che Guevara

The other monument to Che Guevara is located in southwestern Santa Clara.

 The large concrete square is reminiscent of the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana. 

The monument. inaugurated in 1988, has 4 monoliths.

The tallest has a statue of Che dressed in his usual military garb, rifle in hand. 

At the base of the statue, "haste la victoria siempre" again.

Next to the statue is a mural with the symbolic events of his life.

Underneath the monument is a museum and mausoleum. There's no admission fee. The sign said that the museum opened at 9 am but it was open at 8 am. We weren't sure if it opened early because there was a school group waiting to enter. '

We had to wait until 8:15 am when the Luggage Storage room was opened so we could leave our cameras and cell phones--nothing allowed in the museum and mausoleum. The museum is tiny but has photos taken by Che himself. There are personal items from his life, including a report card. He was not a great student, although he did excel in History. 

The mausoleum was solemn--a dimly lit room with an eternal flame marking the site where Che is buried.

2017 03 10

Restaurant Sabore Arte

Just a few blocks from Parque Vidal, we found Restaurante Sabore Arte, located at 7 Maceo. Prices are quoted in CUPs and you can either pay in CUPs or they will convert to CUCs. The rate isn't as good as the bank's but not too bad--24 CUPs/CUC vs 26.5 CUPs/CUC.

Ensalada Estucion--15 CUPs or $0.57.

Filete de Pescado--45 CUPs. The fish was delicious and moist and was served with rice, chips and a small salad. Can't believe it was only $1.75.

Langosta Grille--250 CUPs. This was an amazing lobster dish. There was so much lobster and it was pan fried so well. All this for $9.50.

Flan--10 CUP ($0.38).

This was an amazing dinner. So good and so cheap!

2017 03 09

Parque Vidal

Santa Clara was the least touristy of the towns we visited in Cuba. It's a town of 250,000, making it the 5th largest city in Cuba by population. Walking around town, we saw mainly locals. Prices were quoted in CUPs.

Parque Vidal is the central square in town. 

Palacio Provincial on the northeastern side of the parque. It's now home to the Biblioteca Jose Marti.

Teatro la Caridad--on the northwestern side of the square. The theater was built with money donated by Marta Estevez, a 19th century native of Santa Clara who inherited a fortune. A portion of the box office receipts is set aside to help the poor, thus the name Caridad or charity.

On the night of our visit, there was a flamenco performance in the square by teenage locals.

Statue of Marta Estevez in the parque.

2017 03 09

Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado

Landlocked Santa Clara is located in the center of Cuba, just 70 km northeast of Cienfuegos. Che Guevara fans flock here to see numerous sights devoted to him. He liberated the city in 1958, marking the end of the Batista regime.

We took a pedicab from our hostal to one of the Che memorials--Monumento a la Toma del Tren Blindado ("Taking of the Armoured Train").

In 1958, at the Battle of Santa Clara, Che Guevara and 300 rebels derailed the train carrying Batista's forces. The bulldozer that was used to raise the rails, crashing the armored train, is on display. Batista's troops surrendered shortly thereafter.

The open-air monument can be seen from the sidewalk. Admission is 1 CUC to walk around the monument and see the interior of the train cars with exhibits about the Battle and an additional 1 CUC to use a camera. It's open Mon-Sat 9 am-5 pm. 

While we were at the monument, the train that travels the length of Cuba from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, passed by. It takes nearly 18 hours to travel the 870 km (520 miles) route. You have to have a lot of patience to ride the train.

Just 4 blocks down the street was Che with Baby statue. It seemed to be a popular spot because everyone wanted to know if we had seen the Che with Baby statue. At first, we thought it was a statue of Che as a baby until we found him holding a baby. It seemed so out of place in front of the Comite Provincial building.

2017 03 09