Cuba - Cienfuegos and Santa Clara

This is an eclectic selection of photos. On our Road Scholar trip through Cuba, we spent one afternoon and evening in the city of Cienfuegos and part of the next day in the town of Santa Clara. During that time, we visited the city centre of Cienfuegos, enjoyed a concert with an excellent local chamber orchestra, settled into a beautiful hotel on the bay, wandered along the waterfront to see some stunning old cottages and mansions, visited the main square of Santa Clara, saw a children's theatre group performance, visited a senior centre, wandered through the Che Guevara Museum and Memorial, and feasted at a pig roast! There was a lot of activity.

This posting consists only of the few photos that I like best from each of those events. From a travelogue viewpoint, it is not thorough. From a photographic point of view, it may be more satisfying - especially for those who were there.


The first four images were taken at the centre of Cienfuegos, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre originally settled by the French.

We toured a classic theatre at the centre of the square. I have only included one photo of the balcony seats because it is my only good shot of the theatre.

When we exited the theatre into the square, I caught this shot of a delivery man. I marvelled at the length of the chain on the bicycle, and I wondered if it ever slips off.

In Cienfuegos, we were given a concert by a professional string orchestra. It was an exceptionally musical performance. We also discussed their organization, repertoire, and history with some of the orchestra members. Again, we were impressed with the support for the arts in Cuba.

Once we checked into our hotel by the sea on the outskirts of Cienfuegos, we enjoyed the beautiful scenes from our balcony and the corridor.

I noticed the Canadian flag just below the Cuban flag on this house near our hotel and I went over to investigate. The flag was designed to attract tourists to the B & B.

Nearby is a park with fascinating sculptures.

Some of the Spanish colonial architecture had a Moorish character as seen in these photos.

A walk along the sea-walk to the tip of the spit of land revealed cottages and mansions that dated back to colonial times.

This is my favourite photo from Cienfuegos.

This is my second favourite photo from Cienfuegos.

In the park at the end of the sea-walk, the waves rolled over rocks covered with sea creatures.

We travelled inland to Santa Clara in Central Cuba West. This is an industrial and university town, famous as the place where Che Guevara led the final battle to topple Batista. We immediately visited a cultural centre housed in a building with an impressive foyer. 

The centre hosts an independent children's theatre group. We were treated to a magical performance.

This is my favourite photo from Santa Clara.

Next we visited a local Seniors Centre where we participated in talks about the seniors club, about seniors sports, and about traditional culture. This included an explanation/demonstration of how 19th century ladies used their fans to communicate secretly with their boyfriends.

In the central square of Santa Clara, I caught my first glimpse of a goat cart!

At lunch, Doug, George, and Angel allowed me to make a few portraits.

On the way out of town, we visited the Che Guevara Memorial and Museum. It was impressive.

The Cuban regime clearly has appreciated the support given by the late Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.