We awoke Monday morning in our new home-away-from-home,
Casa Los Mangos, to the chickens and roosters and hens (I don't really know the difference!) and all the little birds of Trinidad singing their morning music. Eric had breakfast with Fiona while I got ready for the day (girly-girl!). Then I walked around the tranquil property and took some photos.
 |
| Casa Los Mangos sits just outside of Trinidad proper - it's a 10 or 15 minute walk into the city area |
|
 |
| The hen house |
 |
| Our villa on the right |
 |
| The dining patio and one of the hens |
 |
| Flowers everywhere |
 |
| Our back patio |
 |
| Ossiel feeding the chickens |
 |
| Ossiel's pet bird - and the beginning of the bird cage count! |
 |
| Bananas - and someone was hopping the fence and stealing them :0( |
 |
| Tigre - my house gato! |
Eric and I then started on our walk into Trinidad, which is a much slower-paced town than Havana. It took us a bit to adjust to the pace but once we did it was great vacation-mode.
 |
| Farmers starting their day |
 |
| Haircut anyone?! |
 |
| Trinidad is even more colorful than Havana! So be ready for a COLOR EXPLOSION! |
 |
| Birdcage! By the way - the men (including Ossiel) take their birds on walks...in the cage of course. |
 |
| Fresh meat is hung out each morning and is gone before noon |
 |
| Fiona told us it bothers some tourists - but told us to think about how fresh it is - no preservatives, no factories. |
 |
| As you enter into the center of Trinidad the streets are cobblestone |
 |
| Puppy in the doorway |
 |
| Kitty in the window |
 |
| Palacio Brunet and Church of the Holy Trinity |
 |
| Casa de la Musica - where musicians play nearly all day every day |
 |
| It's one of the only places in Trinidad where you can get Wifi |
 |
| 2nd level |
 |
| They had musicians setting up on the back patio |
 |
| Weighing grains |
 |
| Mailbox of Secrets |
 |
| More musicians on the streets |
 |
| They had "bodka"! |
 |
| Delicious calamari and shrimp salad |
 |
| This may be my favorite door/window photo |
 |
| After lunch we began walking north through the city |
 |
| Just a man walking his bird |
 |
| Next we went into Restaurant La Ceiba which had a beautiful old baobab tree through the center of it |
 |
| Inside |
 |
| Beautiful old tree |
 |
| Our colorful walk continues. These are 18th Century barrotes |
 |
| Creepy (to me) Santeria |
Next we went to the Museo Municipal de Trinidad to climb it's tower. This beautiful building was originally built in 1828 by Don Jose Mariano Borrell y Padron, one of the richest men in Trinidad.
 |
| It's a good thing they had it in English, too. LOL! |
 |
| Lovely courtyard |
 |
| Former kitchen area |
 |
| Lots of narrow spiral steps up to the top |
 |
| Halfway up, looking down into the courtyard |
 |
| Looking onto Plaza Mayor |
 |
| Trinidad |
 |
| Obligatory selfie! |
By this time, I was hot and tired. I asked Eric if we could walk back to Casa Los Mangos so I could take a nap...something I never do! So we set out on the short walk 'home'.
 |
| Dominoes |
 |
| Nothing is broken for good |
So after a nice THREE hour nap, Eric and I headed back out to check out some live music and have a nice dinner. I wish I could share sounds and tastes with you! Hopefully the photos give you a good idea of how musical Trinidad is, yet at a slower pace than Havana.
 |
| Church of the Holy Trinity at night |
 |
| Cool door handle |
 |
| Casa de la Musica |
 |
| Loved the name! |
 |
| Art shop |
 |
| This was a cool place, you walk into a big courtyard and then go upstairs where we had cocktails on the terrace |
 |
| There was great live music and 2 or 3 frisky kitties running around |
 |
| View of the courtyard |
 |
| Man making his own music |
 |
| It wasn't, but I appreciated his confidence! |
We finally ended up at dinner at a place that Fiona had suggested.
Cubita did not disappoint!
 |
| Amouse bouche - fish in watermelon |
 |
| Cuban salad |
 |
| Eric's lamb dish |
 |
| My shrimp dish |
Thus ends our first full day in Trinidad. We did have a chance during the day to Facebook Messenger with friends and family so that was nice...it had been a while! Two days remaining in our trip...stay tuned if you're not bored yet!
Oh! Did you count 9 bird cages?!
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
No comments:
Post a Comment