Captivating Cuba

Hi,

My brother is a huge Che Guevara fan so, when he told me that he was planning to visit Cuba for his upcoming birthday, I recommended that he visit the town of Santa Clara. Santa Clara is the final resting place of Che and, without wanting to go too much into the history of the destination; it was also the site of the last battle of the Cuban revolution back in 1958. Of course, being a Che Guevara boffin my brother was already well aware of the history of the destination, but wanted to know what he could see and do during his stay here.

I immediately recommended that he visit the Che Guevara Monument and the nearby museum, which houses some of the artefacts from the revolution. However, if like my brother's wife, you can give or take Mr. Guevara then the destination also offers plenty more for you to see and do.

It isn't only Che who is commemorated in Santa Clara, but also Pope John Paul II who visited the city in 1998, and a lady who the Cubans regard as a national hero, Marta Abreu de Estevez, whose claim to fame is the charitable work which she carried out for the residents of the city. Her statue sits in the middle of the Parque Vidal, which is a popular meeting ground in the evenings for young Cubans. A tradition still exists among young Cuban's that men must walk around the outside of the park and ladies on the inside.

Santa Clara also houses some of the countries most unique museums: The Decorative Arts Museum has a wide collection of 18th and 19th century furniture, influenced by three distinctive Cuban styles: classical, neo-classical and Imperial, whilst the art gallery at the other side of Parque Vidal has a collection of modern-art from upcoming Cuban artists.

Of course, a holiday just isn't a holiday without the chance to boogie, and the best thing about Santa Clara is the vast number of discotheques and cabaret bars. I recommended that my brother try the seriously cool 'Santa Clara Libre' which attracts the glam-set on Tuesday and Sunday evenings. Santa Clara has recently earned the nickname of 'Cuba's most stylish city' as this is where the glamorous fashion event 'Exurberarte' is held every year. After speaking to my brother, I'm so insanely jealous that I wish I were going instead of him, but still there's always next year.

Jasna

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