Vibrant and Crumbling

With all the crumbling and overgrown buildings in Havana, there’s still the feeling of something grand, something remarkable in the architecture.

Underneath the trees on Paseo de Marti, I was reminded of the famous La Rambla in Barcelona. They both feature a grand pedestrian thruway, with marble benches and a dense canopy of trees insulating against the bustling city.  Instead of hotels, shops and theaters like in Barcelona, however, there are many skeletons here in Havana. Some buildings have collapsed entirely. Most sit empty, or at least in disrepair. There are no buskers or shops yet along Paseo De Marti, although I get the feeling that may change as more economic reforms allow Cubans to open private businesses. Havana is an incredible city, but its potential is what’s really astonishing.  Or is it just that, the fact that it’s so clearly a city deserving of some care,  that makes it truly special?  Elsewhere in Havana I ask the same questions; Along the powerful Malecon, in front of El Capitolio, in the plaza of the Havana Cathedral: Do I love Havana for it’s potential, or because it’s so special just the way it is?

The gallery is here. 

Paseo de Marti

The Malecon