An open-air book market in Havana reminded us of the booksellers along the Seine

I'm an unreformed bibliophile (and likely to remain so). It was the last day of our four-day visit to Havana, and we had decided to go the Almacenes San Jose before Diego (our driver) was to take us to the airport. San Jose is a colorful artisans market hard by Havana Harbor and a stone's throw from the 17th century Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula, one of the oldest buildings in Havana (not to be missed).

We had visited the Museum of the Revolution earlier in the morning, and Diego had parked nearby to give us the opportunity to stroll the plazas one last time before our departure. That's when we came upon Plaza de Armas and an open-air book sale in full swing. Of course, we had to stop. The affable fellow in the photo is Julio Cesar, who seemed to be the only purveyor of antique leather-bound books. Most of the offerings were old magazines and pamphlets left over from the revolution. praising Fidel and attesting to his great wisdom.

Julio's offerings were mostly in Spanish (understandably) though he did have a few volumes in English -- classic literature. I didn't buy anything on that trip but will definitely seek out Julio the next time I'm in town. The book sale (which reminded me of the celebrated outdoor booksellers along the Seine in Paris) apparently happens twice a week (ostensibly Tuesdays and Thursdays) though we're told nothing is guaranteed in Havana.

We made it to the artisans market, which was packed, and left with numerous treasures, but no Cuban hat because there wasn't time to haggle before we had to leave for the airport. Next time.

Comments

What better place to grow beautiful things than in a garden?

By Linda Foxlow I had not known what to expect when we went to the home of the impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny, France in March 2023. I had, of course, seen pictures, and Monet’s beautiful paintings. But the gardens themselves defy description. I’m using this glimpse of a small part of the gardens and the window through which the artist viewed his incredible setting to announce a new endeavor. We travel extensively each year, and there are abundant opportunities to see some of the world’s most beautiful places. Naturally, I try to capture some small part of that as we travel. It was suggested that we ought to share some of those images from time to time, and so that is what we are doing. You can find this images and a few we have posted on Fine Art America . We’ll be adding more later. We hope you like them. We’d love to see your comments below.

The Mirror Man of Cartegena does a brisk business in souvenir mirrors, hand-painted while you wait

Our guide led us down a narrow street in Cartegena where we encountered a man sitting on the pavement painting local scenes on little rectangle mirrors. He promised to demonstrate his technique by finishing a mirror in "two minutes, uh, maybe 20 seconds." He worked rapidly and a steady hand, working mostly with his fingers but adding a few fine brush strokes near the end. Everyone seemed mesmerized. I don't think anyone was timing him. When he finished he drew applause from the tour group. The guide translated the deal for him: one mirror for $7, or two for $10. The bargain hunters in our group knew a deal when they saw one. I don't think anyone bought just one mirror. Ours grace the wall in the foyer, a reminder of our trip to Colombia. I wondered if our guide gets a cut, or if the painter is his brother-in-law.

Experience Ireland in a whole new way.

Please join us as we explore the history of Ireland's authors and poets. visit some beautiful places, meet bookshop owners, stay in lovely hotels and enjoy the food and drink of the Emerald Isle. Check out the link below for all the details. Antiquarian Literary Tour of Ireland. 10-14-2020 (1).docx

Search This Blog