Time is all relative

So we left France on Saturday and flew to the UK - change of time zone goes back one hour (so far so good). Overnight on Saturday the clocks went back another hour for the end of British summer time... okay, still following that and got the benefit of a later start to catch our flight. Land in Havana, the virgin crew tell us the new time, so we put our watches back another 5 hours. The iphone picked up the local signal and concurred, so we go to bed and get up the next morning based on this supposition. Wrong! Arrive at breakfast at ten past nine to find everything being cleared away. "You are too late" the waiter shakes his head sadly, we pantomime and point to our watches, it's only just after nine. He solemnly points at the clock on the wall.... ten past ten.... No breakfast for us then....

Old Havana

Our tour of the old city focused on the four main squares, starting in the Cathedral Square and finishing in the Old Square. The Cathedral once held the remains of Christopher Columbus, prior to their return to Spain. A lively and pretty square, it's the perfect place to people watch. I bought a simple watercolour of an American Classic Car from a guy sitting painting by one corner, 3 whole CUCs got me the picture neatly rolled and protected in yesterday's newspaper. Wandering through the streets there is always the sound of latin music coming from a small bar of shady courtyard, which adds a lift to your step. It's impossible not to be drawn in, so time for a light lunch (mojito included in the price) and serenaded to the sound of Guantanamera.

The cocktail quest

The second of the squares we visited was filled with stalls selling secondhand books. We made our way around, J.R. Hartley-style, stopping at each one to enquire if they had what we were looking for. Finally, having almost given up hope, on the third side of the square we found it. A Havana Club cocktail book, written in English, for us and a pre-revolution Bacardi cocktail book, in Spanish, for our friend David (a master cocktail maker). Successful transaction completed, it was high time to continue our cocktail quest by a visit to the Havana Club rum museum (we took the French tour with a bunch of Canadians, which added a slightly surreal dimension), bought some authentic Havana Club mojito glasses, then headed to the famous El Floridita bar (birthplace of the Daiquiri) for a quick drink with Mr Hemingway.

Necessity is the mother of invention

What do you do when you have several hundred (or possibly even thousands) of spare cannons and cannon balls lying around doing nothing... The answer is simple, when creating pedestrian only zones, stick them nose first into concrete and you have rather attractive bollards. Cannon balls cemented into the ground form an additional low level barrier... Waste not, want not!

Quote of the day:

Jonathan: "You can tell the height of a nation by how high they put their public urinals.... and I'm telling you the Cubans are definitely short"

Best lie of the day:

Man in the street: "Mister, you want tour of city, berry good price, berry nice, with horse and cart"

Jonathan: "I'm allergic to horses". End of conversation....