Just Another Morning in Cuba

First of all, Happy New Year!
In this photo I am holding up my first cup of seriously strong and delicious Cuban coffee. I'm sitting at the breakfast table at
Nelson's Casa Particular in Habana Vieja.

Breakfast consisted of coffee - but not too many cups, pineapple juice, guava paste, rolls, sliced ham and cheese, and cold butter that was as hard as a rock!
Two women from Amsterdam shared the table that morning.

Below is the "lounge", the room that you step into from off the street. This house is pretty well appointed and decorated, the sign of someone that is running a successful B&B business.

Nelson had hooked us up with another casa owner around the corner. The owner was bringing a car, and a little waiting time was involved, so I decided to just peak my head out the door and see what was shaking in Old Havana.

 Writing this, I am reminded of my first morning view of India in 2005 where a golden light was bathing the cricket fields of the Bombay Cricket Club, where I had trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I was actually there in India. I had that same feeling of disbelief, maybe call it wonder, that I really was in Cuba.

In the photo above you are looking north.

Below, zoomed in, and you can see that there are some locals!

Below, around the corner to the west.

And to the east was this wonderfully painted pair of balconies.
Had we stayed longer, I'd have eventually painted these balconies.

 Right across the street from Nelson's was this brand new paint job.

Below is what I was most interested in painting, complete with the usual Cuban dog. I did a little sketch in preparation for a painting, and walked over to show these gentlemen, Herman and Miguel. We shared a lot of smiles and laughs, and had as much conversation as we could for ones who don't speak much of the others language. No sooner did I go for my easel -

the car showed up. You can see Nelson himself standing in the door, and Miguel hoisting the first of my fellow traveller's suitcases. My case is already on the top of the Beetle and looking mighty fine with that lime green car. So Cuban! What was not so Cuban was that this was a brand new vehicle. Yet, another sign of a successful businessman.