The Malecon was so wonderful that it took more than one picture to capture.

No visit to Havana is complete without tasting the ice cream at the Coppelia. We were lucky, as there were no lines when we went. Habaneros (people who live in Havana) can sometimes wait for over an hour for this popular but cheap ice cream.

Most of the property is owned by the government, including restaurants which serve very bad food. Recently, the government has allowed people to open small private restaurants in their homes. The best food we ate in Cuba was at these restaurants.

In Cuba there are various symbols and billboards expressing patriotism. This was one of the more common ones, calling for a united struggle to achieve a united victory on the 48th anniversary of the revolution. We got the feeling that there are a lot of Cubans who genuinely love Castro, although they all want change in their economic system.

Next was the plaza of the revolution. Jose Marti, poet, author and father of the Cuban independence movement is honored here. He was killed in a battle against the Spanish in 1895 during Cuba’s war of independence. He also wrote the poem whose lyrics would be immortalized in the song Guantanamera.