And everywhere the accumulated layers of grime and blackness. For 40 years, Castro ignored the cities investing instead in building the agrarian economy and improving the lot of the rural peasant. The decades of neglect are clearly evident in the destruction of one of the world's great architectural showcases. It may be too late for Havana. A trip to the supermarket, the Supermercado 70, again government owned and run, reveals a traditional grocery store environment, about 10,000 square feet of regular food store offerings but without the variety or quality that one is accustomed to in the West.
Shelves are full with European and Cuban produced brands.
The real eye opener was the charm of the Cuban people. In spite of forty years of suppression and failed policy, Cubans have not lost the ability to joke, to laugh, to sing and smile and make the best of an otherwise dispiriting situation. They still carry that twinkle in the eye. You can just feel them waiting for Castro to pass on so that they can get on with life the way it's supposed to be. They're a people waiting to break out.