Sunrise In Havana – Our Cuban Adventures Begin!

Welcome To Havana!

Thanks to the location of our cabin onboard the beautiful Norwegian Sky I needed no wake up call as we approached Havana. Once again I was awakened by the sound of a Pilot Boat as it pulled alongside our ship. A local ship pilot climbed on board to guide our Norwegian Cruise Line ship safely into the harbor. (Please excuse the blurry photo, but the outside of our porthole was covered with a salty layer of spray.)

As I watched the Pilot Boat head back to shore I was struck by the fact that there were very few lights on that distant shoreline until the famous Malecon roadway appeared through the mist. (More about the Malecon later.)

I saw no streetlights at all. Imagine a city with a population of 2.13 million people…and very few lights. That’s Havana. It appears that their electrical grid is run on a “hit and miss” basis. (Now I’m guessing many residents consider electricity a luxury, especially since the Cuban government ordered it’s state run power system to cut power generation by 10% in April this year.)

Even though Peepaw decided to sleep in, I didn’t want to miss a minute of our 24 hour stay in Cuba. So I dressed quickly and I headed up to Deck 11 to watch the docking procedure…and to watch the gorgeous sunrise. (Please forgive me in advance for all of the photos of the rising sun I am about to share with you!)

First Impressions

I will never forget my first impressions of Havana. The first sound I heard? A crowing rooster! And the first smell? A whiff of smoke from a wood fire. (I wondered if that unlucky rooster was about to become breakfast for someone near the port.)

The sky was still dark as I watched the Pilot Boat double as a tugboat to begin the process of maneuvering our large ship into one of the rather rundown berths in the harbor.

As the skies began to lighten I was shocked to see the crumbling, decaying condition of many of the buildings near the dock.

It was fascinating to watch the ballet-like movements of the boats. They were dragging the ropes to shore to secure our ship in the port.

Our Havana Sunrise

It began with a whisper…

But that whisper soon became a symphony!

As the sky turned to daylight I was shocked back to the reality of our Communist destination. I looked down into the water in the harbor and I almost cried. The Cuban regime apparently cares little for the environmental damage they are doing. The oil slick on the water was a sickening sight.

That’s when I decided I wouldn’t be sampling any seafood or purchasing any bottled water during our stay in Havana. 

The “Christ Of Havana” Sculpture

Even though the water quality took me by surprise, I was anxious to stroll to the other side of the ship to see what sights awaited us on shore.

It would be hard to miss the famous “Cristo de La Habana (Christ Of Havana) sculpture across the harbor in the town of Casablanca. This beautiful Carrara marble statue on the hilltop is the work of Cuban sculpture Jilma Madera…a woman! She won the commission for it in 1953, and the statue was completed in 1958.

Remember the street lights on the Malecon I told you about earlier? Our ship docked very near to that broad promenade and seawall. It seems almost every photograph of Havana shows that beautiful wide roadway. And the seawall is the perfect spot to sit and “people watch.” As I stared at the roadway I got my first glimpse of the famous old American cars cruising up and down the street. (You won’t believe some of them when I share those photos!)

As I stood gazing out over the city, I glanced back to the water. And that’s when I saw this huge sailing ship heading into the harbor.

I had no idea how lucky we were to have arrived on the same day as that beautiful sailing ship.

Just wait until I tell you all about it…next time!