The Urban Colorfication

I was really taken in by Havana. Much more so than I would have ever expected. Knowing that I would probably want to get out of Havana, even for a short 4-night trip, I somewhat focused the trip towards traveling outside of Havana, but in the end I was totally sucked in.

The city has its own soul. A vibe and pace that is its own. Music pervades every corner of this island and much like the colorful characters that bring music to life, Havana has its own color, decaying buildings. Such beautiful, colonial buildings that time has forgotten. For which decades worth of a trade embargo have made maintaining them a difficult ordeal.

While the level of detail and beauty of the buildings is definitely there, you can easily see how the lack of maintenance has literally led many to crumble. As you explore Havana, you'll see beautiful buildings like this one, that offer a glimmer of their former glory intermixed with buildings that could not stand the test of time and have collapsed or been torn down in the hopes of being rebuilt.

Maintenance deferred building in Old Havana.