It was no forgone conclusion but Matt has managed to arrange a photo shoot at the Cuba National Ballet School this morning. He says it was the hardest negotiating he has ever had to do and in addition to payment it involved him ‘donating’ his Bose speaker! Personally I found this a very challenging assignment. We were told not to be intrusive and positioning myself suitably to get both dancers and light right was not my forte.
It turns out I did very much better at photographing the Ballet School itself.
We then had a couple of hours before lunch for some street photography. I felt so liberated after the confines of the ballet school and captured an eclectic assortment of activities. I really enjoyed this assignment and as you can see from the photos below there was a wealth of material!
After lunch we made our way to the outdoor boxing arena where a group of children were enjoying their training session. They really go for it but also seem to be having great fun.
We ended the afternoon by taking bike taxis to La Florita which was Ernest Hemingway’s favourite bar. Whilst waiting for the group to assemble I spotted a wedding car. I was surprised to see a same sex couple in it. I had not realised Cuba was so liberal in its attitudes. Since 2022 Cuba has legalised same sex marriage and has liberal views towards the LGBT community.
I have to say the bike transport felt decidedly dangerous and I was much relieved when we finally disembarked. However, despite our fear it was good fun and at times hilarious as the drivers jostled to be the first to arrive at our destination.
It came as no surprise that La Florita was heaving with tourists. Of course, we added to that number but it simply is a place you have to visit when in Havana. We just had the one daiquiri unlike many of the other rather boisterous customers.
We found a really cool restaurant for our evening meal. The food was excellent and the live music also very good.
For some reason Paul, Claire, Matt and I decided the night was still young and found ourselves a friendly bar in a back alley. Surprisingly we all felt OK the next day. There’s something about rum….
Leave a Reply