The center of Havana is the municipality located between Old Havana and Vedado. It is a must-see neighborhood to visit in the capital with its many emblematic buildings. After the breakup of the alliance between Cuba and the USSR during the 1990s, the neighborhood was much destroyed and did not receive much aid to restore the damaged buildings.

In this part of the city, the squares are more authentic and traditional scenes of life take place all around us. Tourists and locals mingle, helping each other. Often, Cubans come up to us to ask us where we come from and show us around the neighborhood while telling us the history of the country.

We explored many streets, walking for hours, getting lost between the high walls of the old buildings. We enjoyed the songs of the musicians in the streets and admired their way of life. I really enjoyed seeing the joy that Cubans reflect; children laughing and playing in the middle of the streets, grandfathers sitting at the foot of their door watching the passers-by, a cigar in their mouth and women telling their gossip in their always very colorful clothes.

I spent hours admiring and taking pictures of the rows of old American cars from the 1960s, all meticulously maintained by the owner. Their cars are the treasure of the population, they attract the eyes and the money of tourists, so the goal is to keep them running as long as possible.

My favorite place was the Malecon, this long promenade by the sea that was also the perfect place to admire the sunset. From there, we could see the sun going down to disappear behind the city and reflect on the water. A very cozy atmosphere took place around us, surrounded by fishermen, musicians, tourists and locals who came to have an aperitif on the rocks by the sea.