Havana, Cuba

Chop up some tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers; saute in vegetable oil; and spice it up with garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. You have just made a Cuban sofrito, which can be used as a base for almost any meal. All ingredients: on sale here! [2017]

Havana, Cuba

The vegetable market. When you are shopping for vegetables, choose color. In selecting by color, you're getting natural vitamins and antioxidants. Make sure, though, that your five servings a day cut across the rainbow of hues. [2017]

Havana, Cuba

Cuba installed a new President last week. No, it wasn't this guy. But, it might as well have been: 'cause Raoul is still on the scene and remains head of the Cuban Communist Party. Will the time ever come when Cuba is Castro-free? As for this companero and his tat, it looks like he would have been a revolutionary had he been around in the 1950s. [2014]

Havana, Cuba

What is the most chess-oriented country in Latin America? Cuba. The World Chess Federation puts it in 23rd place, with Russia (Cuba's former 'mentor') ranked first. Why don't we see more board games being played outside in the United States? [2014]

Havana, Cuba

In Cuba, politics is writ large on the streets and roads. The U.S.-orientation of the 1950s resulted in tons of classic Fords, Chevys, and Chryslers. The U.S.S.R.-orientation of the next three decades brought Ladas and Eastern European models.Thanks to the inventive genius of the Cuban people, all are still purring along. [2014]

Havana, Cuba

The Cuban War of Independence began in 1895. It was the third attempt by the Cuban people to establish their sovereignty. This time it worked, but not before metastasizing into an even bigger conflict. From what country did Cuba win its independence in 1898? The country featured in tomorrow's post provides the answer. [2014]

Havana, Cuba

The next Osvaldo Alonso might be learning to badger the opponent and cover the field right here in the heart of Havana. As for that woman on the wall, she's got other things on her mind, and all the noise is keeping her awake. [2017]

Cohimar, Cuba

It seems that Earnest Hemingway (see the bust?) has been kidnapped by the Cubans. Sites associated with his life are marketed all over the Havana area, including the fishing village of Cohimar, the setting for The Old Man and the Sea. Yes, the anti-capitalist nation of Cuba has been very successful in capitalizing on their adopted son. [2014]

Havana, Cuba

The Caribbean is so floridus, florido, flowery. Perhpas the whole region should be renamed Florida. Instead, the Carib Indians give their name to the region, and another indigenous people, the Taino, gave us a word that became Cuba, which means 'land of abundance.' [2014]

Havana, Cuba

Less than two days after it arrived, the MSC Opera pulls out of the Sierra Maestra Terminal in Havana and is off to its next port of call. From the top of the Parque Central Hotel the city looks colorful but a bit dilapidated. Nevertheless, visitors are likely to remember Havana the way they think of a book that offered them a 'good read' on dog-eared pages. [2017]

Havana, Cuba

MSC Cruises is the fourth largest cruise company in the world, but relatively unknown in the U.S. Here, the MSC Opera has just docked at the Sierra Maestra Terminal and its passengers have been given a day to see Havana. That's 2700 potential visitors for a city that desperately needs cashola. [2017]

Havana, Cuba

That's a 1955 Ford Fairlane. In the United States, its ilk may be for collectors only, but classic cars are common on the streets of Havana, where the 1950s are not yet history. Get ready though, a new law in 2013 eased restrictions on new car imports. Cuba's motorways may be on the verge of a make-over. [2017]

Cohimar, Cuba

Early March and chilly: even in Cuba! It may seem like a blush of boys (maybe 10 total), but they have been joined by one lone girl. Out they swam into the cold waters of the Bay of Cohimar and then quickly returned to the rocky shoreline, all supervised by a responsible father figure. Up the escalera they scamper, one step closer to being adults. [2017]

San Francisco de Paula, Cuba

He has just emerged from the bakery with an armload of bread. All neighborhoods have bakeries and all the bread looks like this. [2017]

San Francisco de Paula, Cuba

'Man buns' may not be popular in Cuba, but mohawks are, and those who have them wear them with pride. Even the trouble-some neighbor seems to be proud when his friend has a coif to show off. [20117]

Havana, Cuba

Hood ornaments are almost ubiquitous in Havana. This one guards the entrance to Mercado 19 y B, but she is ready to take off as soon as her master emerges with something to cook for the evening meal. Markets in Havana are named after the nearest intersection (19th and B), and there is one in every neighborhood. [2017]

Havana, Cuba

He works hard for a living, but now seems to be taking a break. He has even allowed himself the privilege of moving his tush back to the cushioned seat where his patrons sit. [2017}

Havana, Cuba

Havana's historico centro has four main plazas and lots of of small ones. This one is dominated by a group of harlequins whose job it is to add some merriment to the scene. Look! It worked! [2017]

Havana, Cuba

Sunday afternoon means going to the movies for many Cubans, especially if  they're lucky enough to live in Vedado. The films are Cuban and so is the ice cream across the street. As for the Model T: not exactly Cuban, but very popular with visitors. [2017]

THE BACKSTORY ~ Posted on the 12^th Anniversary of Geographically Yours, 4 August 2022: Sometimes photos from Geographically Yours end up in other places, such as the covers of academic journals, in this case the Journal of Geography. Here is an example from my first trip to Havana. Cuba was off limits to U.S. travelers throughout my adult life.

Then, during the Obama Administration, there was a lifting of some restrictions. With the right travel agent, group ventures became relatively easy to arrange. At that point, a travel-inclined friend began putting together a “friends group” to make the trip. I was the first to arrive on the island, and used the time to visit the Havana Zoo (nice park for the kids, so sad for the few animals that were left). Later that day, our group convened at the O’Farrill Hotel and readied ourselves for a week of formerly forbidden travel pleasure. We had a guide, but also had plenty of time to wander around on our own. On one occasion our wanderings brought us to a famous ice cream parlor called Coppelia. Of course, there was a long line and few choices, but the ice cream was great. The line gave us a chance to gawk at the people in front of the Yara cinema, complete with its own line. That’s when I snapped this picture. I later sent it to the editor of the Journal of Geography who was looking for some cover art. He liked it. In fact, he ran a few covers with my photos. The Journal of Geography is published by the National Council for Geographic Education, which I served as President in 1997: an unbelievable 25 years ago! By the time I became President, though, I had already been a member of NCGE for 30 years. I joined in 1967, when I was a junior in high school. I may be the only high school student ever to join. But it was even before that when I became a geographer. It was 7th grade. That’s when I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life, and I did it! Never has there been a single regret. D.J.Z.

Havana, Cuba

On July 26, 1953, the army barracks in Santiago de Cuba was attacked by a band of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. It failed, and Castro was imprisoned. Still, it became the vanguard movement that overthrew the Batista regime and established the Cuba we know today. The mural recalls the events of 1953, and so does the classic car. [2014]