Various spectacular buildings

In addition to the four major Plazas in Habana Vieja there are also some other spectacular old buildings that are also, thankfully, part of the restoration work that is happening.

The Edificio Bacardi (Bacardi Building), the former headquarters of the Bacardi rum empire, is a stunning exemplar of art deco design.  It was designed by a Cuban architect and the building was completed in 1929.  At the very top is a brass-winged bat - the famous Bacardi motif.

Hotel Inglaterra opened in 1856 and is now the oldest Cuban hotel still in existence.  To this day much of the social action in Habana Vieja happens on the sidewalk in front of the hotel.

The statuesque Capitolio Nacional dominates Havana's skyline.  It was built between 1926 and 1929 as Cuba's Chamber of Representatives and Senate and designed after Washington's Congress building.  The lofty stone cupola rises 62 metres, topped by a replica of the Italy's famous 16th-century bronze Mercury sculpted by Giambologna.  Disappointing that I couldn't get into the building - but happy that restoration work is finally happening!

This ornate building is the Museo de la Revolucion (Museum of the Revolution).  Building started in 1913 to house the provincial government, but before it was finished it was earmarked as the Palacio Presidencial (Presidential Palace) and Tiffany's of New York was entrusted with its interior decoration.  Following the Revolution, the three-storey palace was converted into the museum.

In front of the museum (behind the people) is a SAU-100 Stalin tank used during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961

Hands down my most favourite building, and I think the most spectacular, is the Gran Teatro de la Habana (Grand Theatre of Havana).  The original theatre was built in 1837, and then in 1915 the current neo-baroque structure was built around the original Teatro.  Currently it functions as a theatre for the Ballet Nacional and Opera Nacional de Cuba.

Before performances and during intermissions, musicians can play from the top of this 'pedastal' in the lobby

The exquisitely decorated 2000 seat main theatre features a painted dome and huge chandelier.

The obligatory photo to prove I really was there

And a few other, various buildings that make up the streetscape of Habana Vieja.

La Bodeguita del Medio - a neighbourhood hangout with its most famous graffiti being credited to Hemingway.  "Mi mojito en La Bodeguita, mi daiquiri en El Floridita", he supposedly scrawled on the walls.  

The famous restaurant and bar, El Floridita has been serving food since 1819 and is haunted by Hemingway's ghost.  Hemingway used to write and drink daiquiris here, and he immortalized both the drink and the venue in his novel Islands in the Stream.

An elementary school

 

This is a massive former seminary established in 1721 and is now a cultural centre

 

This 19th-century neo-classical building housed the Camara de Representantes (Chamber of Representatives) during the early republic.

The beautiful, gleaming white Sacra Catedral Ortodoxa Rusa (Russian Orthodox Cathedral) whisks yo allegorically to Moscow with its bulbous, golden minarets.  A gold altar and chandeliers hang above grey marble floors.