2019-06-23 Ivon y Tony Homestay, Trinidad, Cuba

Due to the high temperatures and humidity expected today, we decide to start our guided walking tour of Trinidad at the early hour of 7 am
Gloria, our guide arrives on time and we set off on foot to explore the streets of Trinidad
The street where we are staying is very quiet this morning. The night before there was a busy market set up along the road and went on to almost midnight
Our guide shows us some typical housing where some of the locals live
The food stalls are slowly being set up for the day’s hungry customers
Motorcycles and bikes outnumber the vehicles in the town
The vibrant colors of the conjoined houses look amazing
The 5 star Iberostar Heritage Grand Hotel, the best traditional hotel Trinidad has to offer
We take a peek inside!!
There is even a Beatles Cafe in town !!
We arrive at the Sanchez Iznaga Mansion which houses the Museum of Colonial Architecture
The mansion which has an interesting history displays the typical architectural designs of mansions in the 18th and 19th centuries
From the rooftop of the mansion we have wonderful views over Trinidad
Next we visit the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Here I purchase some handmade crafts for my granddaughters
Another popular form of transport for some of the locals is by horseback
The 500 year old town of Trinidad is well known for its ancient cobbled streets
After several hours of strolling through the colourful streets of Trinidad with our guide we arrive at Restaurant San José for lunch
  • Salad for me ……
  • Lobster for Ric
  • Gloria is pleased with her fish
  • Delicious looking dessert …. enjoyed by Ric
After lunch we leave Trinidad and visit the World Heritage Site of Valle De Los Ingenious which is situated north east of the town
Situated not far from Trinidad, Valle de Los Ingenios is where most sugar cane plantations can be found which contributed to the wealth of the city. It is believed that tens of thousands of slaves worked in the mills here which were once regarded as the sugar capital of the world
There is an amazing view over the valley from the restaurant
We next visit Manaca Iznaga which is a 44 m tower which was once used to keep an eye on the slaves working in the fields
Fortunately it was not a hard climb for us ….. all the walking was certainly paying off!!
Overlooking the amazing scenery and also looking down on the beautiful hand embroidered white tablecloths for sale pegged up in front of the houses below
The main house can be seen clearly from the Manca Iznaga
One of the talented ladies I bought a few lovely items from
Our next visit is to the Trinidad Yacht Club and Marina
There was quite a large fleet of local wooden boats moored here
We were told there were plans in the future here for a new large pier with a marina
Before returning to our accommodation we call into Casa Chichi, a well established pottery outlet in Trinidad
A nice old vehicle stands by the workshop
Daniel Santander, also known as Chichi has handed over the reigns of his pottery business called El Alfarero to his family. They will continue the tradition of producing pottery where the designs have been handed down from generation to generation

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