A Walk Round Matanzas Where I Found the Real Cuba, Matanzas, Cuba

I spotted the beautiful mural on the side of a house as we drove through Matanzas. on our way to Memories resort at Jibacoa. This image remained in my head and drew me back to the town a few days later. I organised an old American car to take us there. I did not have a map as Matanzas is not a highlight in guides to Cuba so I asked for the main plaza and hoped I could find my way from there. My first stop was the oldest hotel in town, Hotel Velasco, to see if they had a map of the town. I was offered maps of Havana, Varadero, Trinidad and Cienfuegos all at a price – but they did not possess a map of their own town. Nor did they have a Tourist Information Office. Back in the main square, Plaza Libertad I informed my companions that we would have to make it up as we went along. We decided a coffee was in order to discuss our options and set off towards the sea. A narrow street took us into the next square where we found the Cathedral of San Carlos – under restoration after suffering from years of neglect. This, we soon discovered, was a theme here, restoration and demolition. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).