Trinidad
On January 28th some of our group got together to do some early morning photography in Havana before breakfast. Shortly after breakfast we left for our six hour drive to Trinidad. Trinidad was founded on December 23, 1514 and is located in the province of Sancti Spirtus in central Cuba. It has been one of Unesco's World Heritage sites since 1988. Trinidad's main industry is tobacco processing. We found that the older parts of the city are well preserved because of all of the tour groups coming to town. Some parts of town outside the non-touristy areas are very run down and in disrepair.
An early morning shot of an old colourful building down the street from our hotel in Havana.
Another beautiful old car being used as a taxi.
I liked the way the light was coming through the trees and gave the scene a little bit of a misty look. This shot was taken near the hotel.
Some early morning shots of people/kids going to work and school in the buses. |
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By the time we got to Trinidad and settled into the hotel it was later afternoon- a perfect time for some great light as we walked in the nearby streets.
I enjoyed walking around Trinidad. With a population of of under 100,000 and a total area of 446 square miles it was a lot smaller than Havana and easier to get around in. In the area where we were there was far less traffic although you still had to be careful to not get run over by a donkey or horse. The city was also very colourful and full of friendly people.
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There were some great colours, lines and shapes in this town. |
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Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967) was an Argentine Marxis revolutionary, physician author, guerrilla leader, diploma and military theorist. He was also a major figure of the Cuban revolutionary. His desire was to overturn what he saw as the capitalist exploitation of Latin America by the United States. He joined Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement and sailed to Cuba with the intention of overthrowing the US-backed Cuban dictator Batista. He played a pivotal role in the victorious two-year guerrilla campaign that deposed the Batista regime. Guevara or "Che" remains a national hero in Cuba and you can find his picture on many items including t-shirts, hats, posters, tattoos and bikinis which is a bit ironic since it contributes to the consumer culture that Guevara despised. Eventually Che started up a guerrilla force in order to liberate Bolivia. He was wounded and taken prisoner in Bolivia and was ordered to be executed on October 9, 1967 by the Bolivian President Rene Barrientos.
I came across some guys playing dominoes. The game of dominoes is the national game of Cuba. For many, the game is a daily social event. We would see people playing in the parks and streets. I read that in Miami many older Cuban gentlemen keep several tables in play. In Cuba, Double Nine (55-price dominoes)is the most widely played version of dominoes. Also, two teams of two players acting as partners play Cuban dominoes (like bridge) although there were only two guys playing above. In Toronto we play double twelves, do not play as partners and we play very slowly in comparison to the Cubans who were so fast.
This is a photo of the Church and Monastery of Saint Francis. The church was built in 1813 by Franciscan monks. It became a parish church in 1848 and in 1895 was converted into a garrison for Spanish troops. The church fell into disrepair and in 1920 most of it was demolished leaving only the bell tower and a few nearby buildings.
We wandered around in and out of buildings admiring the scenery. |
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By now we were losing light so it was time to call it a day and head back to the hotel. |