Shorewoods Photography-Boarding Group 2 Travel Blog

The early morning brings more opportunities for making photos on the streets of Havana. We are noticing a shift in how we are seeing, how we are looking as we stroll down the streets. We are looking at the people, they are the richness of the stories we capture with our cameras.

it is hard to believe we are approaching our final day in Havana. We will savor this day along with all the others, as we prepare to return home with changed perspectives. This morning, the light from within the buildings slowly shifted to the streets, as people began their days.

There were moments of stark contrast, seeing a beautiful window display with the crumbling street in front. Bakers made bread, people lined up at the pharmacy, bananas were peddled to market, and ladies set up for a day of sewing.

We captured moments in windows and balconies, and happy smiles!

Today was also a day of discovery. We learned about Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion, developed in Cuba. We were also treated to a Touque de Santo dance by some of the local members. On our way back to the hotel, we met this happy dog in traffic! Not to be outdone by any of the other afternoon rain storms, today’s was epic- the grandest of them all!

We also had the great honor today, to meet Choco, considered to be one of the foremost Cuban artists. We were instantly taken with his art, and wish we had brought big enough suitcases to take home some of his work. We settled for his art book, which he kindly signed and drew a sketch on the inside for us. Thank you Alain for taking us to his studio and introducing us to a true gem.

While today was filled with discovery of new people and places, the spirit of discovery has glistened through each day here in Cuba.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

We came to Cuba, thinking we might get some “iconic” shots like the old cars and building architecture. Now we realize we came to Cuba and discovered new eyes, new ways of seeing and looking. This deepening is one of the best parts of descubrimiento.