Havana’s Most Charming Square.
July 7th, 2009 by J. M. Maurette, under Vacations. No Comments
You might wander around as much as you want in Havana looking for a best place to hang out and you will never find a place as beautiful and attractive as The Cathedral Square. This spot is the subject of admiration of each and every person tourist or local that has ever visited it.
Today is known as Cathedral Square and it is full of amazing features but in the past dating back to the 17th Century it was know as The Swamp Square. Looking at today’s scenery it is very difficult to imagine marsh and floods ion this area. The fact is that it was used to supply the vessels anchored in the harbour with water and there was no construction whatsoever other than a huge pond filled with water coming from the only aqueduct in the 17th Century.
This square was named after a large Cathedral that was built in the 18th Century in the lands previously occupied by a Jesuit Order. Many restorations took place until this oratory became what today is one of the most impressive baroque buildings in Havana.
Numerous important gatherings take place in this astonishing little spot of Havana. Festival, music concerts and gala dinners for important groups have found the perfect venue in Cathedral Square. The weather is always nice and the atmosphere can not be better. Surrounded by a magnificent architecture and serenaded by some always excellent Cuban music can be the ideal perfect evening.
As a special feature, one of the nearby alleys is the seat of the most famous Cuban restaurant: La Bodeguita del Medio which reaffirms its quality after serving for more than 60 years since its foundation.It is an emblematic restaurant for the Cuban tourism, with the walls full of around two million autographs of all clients from different time periods, and photographs left by outstanding figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Mario Benedetti, Pablo Neruda or Errol Fryn.
The list of personalities that have visit this restaurant extends along decades now. Today tourists can enjoy not only the best Cuban food but also in its bar the best Mojito cocktails. There is always a crowd outside taking pictures or simply dancing to music played by a small band.
During day time the square becomes crowded with visitors who come to experience the splendour of its walls. The music, the cocktails and specially the characters that can be found here make it a unique place in Havana. You will find an old lady that reads the cards, the one that poses with a huge cigar and the ones that dance all the time even when there is no music playing.
These places are almost sacred for a demanding tourist who is able to take pictures with his/her camera to take home after a truly amusing holidays. A Cuban feast for the senses. An environment to meditate and live. A perfect place for some leisure and dreaming.
