CUBA SEGMENT 19 / FOTOFOLIO: IMPRESSIONS OF CUBA

Government sanctioned art and general merchandise shop, downtown Cienfuegos, Cuba

Photography by Phyllis Shess, April 23 thru May 3, 2015 while in

Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Playa Giron, Playa Larga and Havana, Cuba.
She is a deputy district attorney in San Diego and also holds a degree in journalism. When it comes to photography "I had a very good photo professor, who instilled in me the understanding of the integrity of the frame. In other words, take your time and crop the picture to gain its maximum impact."

Being one of the first tours of Norte Americanos after Presidents Obama and Castro shook hands in mid-April, we were greeted warmly and were asked when the Embargo would be lifted.  How about tomorrow?

Cervezas and mojitos all around!

This is as close to a department store we saw in Cuba.  Prices here were set in the lower People’s currency that is not available to non-residents.

Outskirts of Cienfiegos, where the rehab of older buildings moves very slowly.

Posing for Pesos near in Old Havana

Orchids in the wild in the National Botanical Garden near Cienfuegos.

Cuban sits outside his apartment building in Old Havana.  No we don’t know why the chicken crossed the road. Lo siento.

Private enterprise Mercado in Cienfuegos, where one of the vendors said Cuba is like the watermelon: green all over and red inside.

Plaza San Franciso near the ferry terminal in Havana.  That’s Junipero Serra’s statue (center).  Serra was the founding priest of California’s early missions.