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| A corner of Parque Céspedes.
Note the gas lamps and metal grill. There are lots of tall shade
trees, as well. |
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Another view from Parque Céspedes.
This is the Town Hall. |
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| Another corner of Parque Céspedes. |
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The cathedral (Santa Ifigenia
Basílica Metropolitana) on Parque Céspedes. |
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Meliá Hotel Santiago, where we
stayed.
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The airplane that takes you to Santiago
from Havana, an Ilyushin 18D. You should see the smoke this thing
puts out.
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| The distant view of La Basílica
de Nuestra Señora del Cobre that you see in all the guidebooks. |
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The back of La Basílica
de Nuestra Señora del Cobre. Enter that door, go up the stairs,
and there is an effigy of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, the patron
saint of Cuba. |
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| A close up taken from the back
of La Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Cobre. |
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A dramatic shot of the front. |
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| The santuary. Above the
alter, you can see a balcony, the Sala de Milagros, where the effigy of
the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre resides. |
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The Sala de Milagros. The angel
is looking out over the sanctuary below.
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The effigy of the Virgen de la Caridad
del Cobre.
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Monuments on the famous San Juan Hill.
This is where Cuban and U.S. troops (including Teddy Roosevelt and his
Rough Riders) stormed the Spanish defenses in 1898.
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The Moncada Barracks, where the Cuban
Revolution began, on July 26, 1953. Fidel Castro, then 26 (a coincidence?),
and his followers attacked the barracks. It was a fiasco and Castro
was captured but, some five years later, he and his forces were victorious.
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It's now a school. See the bullet
holes above the stairs?
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Interior courtyard of La Casa
de Don Diego Velázquez, the former home of the first colonizer of
Cuba. Located on Parque Céspedes, it supposedly dates back to 1516.
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Another interior shot of La Casa de
Don Diego Velázquez. Note the strong Moorish influence.
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One of a row of pretty wooden
houses near the Moncada Barracks.
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The sign above the door says "Vigilancia,"
an official of the CDR.
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The Institute of African Culture
has a Santaría dance group.
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Some of the dance group.
They are so colorful and expressive.
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Look how expressive he is.
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The musicians and singers.
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How scary is this guy?
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And how does he do that with his eyes?.
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Don't bite down now!
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There's that eye thing again.
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She's sweet.
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She's scary.
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