Meeting Fires Creative

As mentioned in my first post about Cienfuegos, the people here are something else. This gentleman above is a great example. He had a few black birds singing away in a cage outside his door off Paseo del Prado. As I stopped to take a photo of the songbird, he came to the door and we ended up chatting for a good twenty minutes. His smile reflected the genuine warmth and interest in us three travelers – myself, my partner Sandra and my brother Jon. While I took his portrait, another fellow across the way called over to direct me to another potential photo – a dog rolling around on the sidewalk in the falling light. Both turned out great and we ended up talking to him for a while, too.

Strolling back to our casa, the shadows deepened, the music picked up and the heat of the day gave way to a clear, starry night. Our residence at Hostal Colonial had a glorious rooftop patio – perfect for watching the sun go down over this beautiful city and the equally stunning Bahia de Cienfuegos to the south. Here’s the second batch from my Cienfuegos ‘citybook’ collection….enjoy!

Cienfuegos, Cuba, 2011.

Cienfuegos, Cuba sits on the edge of the Caribbean, on the Bahia de Cienfuegos, about 85km west of Trinidad. Known as the “Pearl of the South”, Cienfuegos is recognized for it’s Neoclassical and French-inspired architecture dating from the early 19th century. Because of this, the city’s historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Hertiage site in 2005, preserving what they say is the best example of early Spanish Enlightenment implementation in urban planning.

It’s a smaller city – about 150,000 people and easily walkable with a lengthy malecón leading straight into the bay. The bar in the circular park at the end of this seawall served up the best mojitos we had in three weeks on the island. And it was a take-out bar in a public park – not too shabby! We dined at a very small palador called Blue Bahia one evening and the almondine grilled fish was incredible. Highly recommended. Isabel and Pepe at Hostal Colonial will take good care of you in their large, interestingly furnished home a few blocks from Paseo del Prado. The local people were perhaps the friendliest we met in the country and tourism doesn’t seem to affect much – in fact, we hardly noticed other travelers at all. Just before the dinner hour, people took over the streets and conversations came quickly and naturally as we wandered the avenues.

World-famous Cuban singer Benny Moré called Cienfuegos “the city I like the most”. While it wasn’t my top pick for urban centres in Cuba, it did have a lot going for it. A return trip would likely peel back a few more layers in this quiet, friendly place.

I shot a collection of images from the three days we spent in Cienfuegos last December (including a few I’ve posted here & here). Here’s the first batch of my Cienfeugos ‘citybook’, with another to follow. Enjoy!

Cienfuegos, Cuba, 2011.