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Photo gallery About us Weather Nature Accommodation Tourists impressions Cuba map Contact us	The capital of Cuba is Havana. Streets of Havana are crowded with tourists as recently restored they look much better though this mixture of restored buildings and ordinary ruins, still inhabited by locals, is strange to apprehend. Most of the longstanding buildings are occupied either with different offices or with communal flats. Like the centre of Moscow during the USSR times. Looking at these ruins you can easily imagine what Havana was looking like in old times until international organizations started restoration works of it. These old fashioned crushed streets, many-coloured pastel partially or fully restored buildings and old peeled houses around you - all this creates feeling that you are participating in a film about old times so much unreal all this looks! When planning cities and towns, Cuban decided to swerve a bit from the concepts, used for Moscow constructions: they avoided erection of administrative buildings in the centers of Havana. Thus the historical blocks of buildings saved not only the monuments but also the atmosphere, charm and spirit of the old days! Streamers like «socialism or death”, “revolution or death” and roadside constructions, demonstrating that instead of “or ” there should have been used “and” conjunction - all this will dubiously gladden your eyes. Your willingness to help will be constantly examined, even when you are driving on the road in pleasing privacy of your car - you will see plenty of people hitching a lift on the way. If only you stop at them with no single words those people get into the car and travel with you till the place they need. One of the pleasing features in Cuba is that small fines for non-observance of traffic rules are imputed to the car rental contract and the tourist does not pay it! The car is here the only means to move around. Have you ever been in old Moscow during the USSR time? Come to Cuba to catch it!!!! Rarity Soviet cars surround you. Cubans are forbidden to buy or sell cars, produced after the year 1959, when the Cuban revolution took place. As the level of life is quite low and salaries are very small, the Cubans cannot buy cars in the whole, they try to assemble it from pieces or having once acquired a car they try to keep it for long - changing pieces and installing Russian engines. Don’t be afraid if suddenly a sound of artillery is heard in the evening - this is a nice old tradition of Cuba. The story of it is as following: The bay, in which Havana locates, is bottle shaped. Long ago, when pirates acted in the seas and oceans this form had great strategic meaning. In one of the narrowest points a port was erected, aimed for protection of Havana inhabitants from the corsairs’ invasions. Nevertheless, one day filibusters managed to cross it and entered the Havana port. Certainly the ship was immediately sunk but Cubans built a fortress on the opposite side of the bay. And since then each day at 09 p.m. a huge chain was thrown over the bay, closing the entry into the “bottle neck” for the enemy ships. Thus after 21.00 o’clock no single ship was allowed to enter the Havana port and had to wait till the morning. To warn Havana inhabitants and ships in the sea about closing the entrance to the port, the Cuban navy gave an artillery salvo from the cannon. Prays were said and the city closed for everyone! Next day the chain was dropped into the sea and ships could enter the bay. Now the chain is lying on the sea bottom and only the tradition of artillery salvos every evening is left… According to the words of the experts - Havana boasts owning one of the best-looking cemeteries in the world with the outstanding architecture composition. The grave-stones of white marble were made by Italian and French sculptors. On one of the headstones with the Virgin and the Infant Christ in hands there are a lot of flowers and letters of gratitude. Childless girls come here to touch the Infant’s back and to find the hope! Havana attractions include sea-front, old Spanish fortresses, overlooking the city and giving you thrilling impressions of the view in sun-set, Republican “aquarium” with frightful barracudas, sharks, dolphins and many other beautiful fishes. Zoo in Havana organizes safari. Only for tourists with cars: you will be driving among zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos and hippopotamuses. Make photos but do not get our of the car - rhinos and hippopotamuses can move at speed of 60 km/h. Crocodile farm is another place of interest! From the special bridges you can watch hundreds of lying on the coach or floating in the water crocodiles. In the afternoon crocodiles bury into the slush and rest. In the restaurant at this crocodile farm you can taste crocodile meat or buy staffed crocodile in the local shop.
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