Our hotel in Havana, the Gran Hotel Manzana Keminski, dates back from the late 19th century; built as the first European style shopping arcade in Cuba. In 2017 it was restored into Cuba’s first luxury hotel. We may be one of the few Americans to see this view as the current administration recently banned Americans from staying here.

The rooftop infinity pool provided a different view of the city. Different directions produced contradictory scenes. Just like everything in Cuba does.

On the left is the Capitolio Nacional, Havana’s most ambitious and grandiose building, modeled after the DC Capitol but slightly taller, richer in detail and continually under restoration. On the right is the Gran Teatro de la Habana, erected between 1907 and 1914 as a social club. It was renovated in 2013 and is now used a theater and opera house.

Havana feels magical as the sun sets and the city becomes alive with music and lights.

We spent our last night dining at La Guarida, perhaps the most famous restaurant on the island as it was used as a location for the Oscar-nominated film, Fresa y Chocolate.

The dilapidated building, originally known as La Mansion Camaguey, shows its former grandeur as you lay eyes on the magnificent, winding, marble staircase. As you ascend, you pass lines of drying clothes, hear children playing and see adults watching soap operas from their apartments below. On the second level is a large ballroom with electrical lines running every which way like Christmas lights. But it was worth the five flights of stairs to reach the rooftop bar lined with picture frames to create your own memory.