Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Trinidad, Cuba - the Perfect Spanish Colonial Town

View from Plaza Santa Ana
Trinidad is one of those impossibly interesting towns if you like old architecture, cobblestone streets, and a sleepy ambience. Lonely Planet said it better than I could:
Trinidad is one-of-a-kind, a perfectly preserved Spanish colonial settlement where the clocks stopped in 1850 and – apart from a zombie invasion of tourists – have yet to restart. Huge sugar fortunes amassed in nearby Valle de los Ingenios during the early 19th century created the illustrious colonial-style mansions bedecked with Italian frescoes, Wedgwood china and French chandeliers.
Calle Santa Ana
We spent a few nights in a Casa Particulare - a private home that takes in visitors. It was Hostel Casa Gil on Eliope Paz (Virgia), near the Plaza Santa Ana. Addresses are a bit confusing because many streets in Trinidad have two names. Is one the one is historic and common name while the other is newer and official? I bet the postman has fun.
As we found in other towns, in late afternoon, people sit out and enjoy each other's company. Social interaction happens out in the streets.
At the Plaza Major.
As Lonely Planet noted, the tourist Zombie invasion was in full force. We did not see many Americans, but saw plenty of Europeans and Canadians. The chubby ladies in the photograph above were Germans.
Calle Santa Ana
Trinidad is a visual treat, and it appears to be resisting the inexorable influence of the developers more successfully than Havana. Still, if you are interested, visit soon.

I took these photographs on Kodak Tri-X 400 film with my Leica M2 rangefinder camera (with 35mm and 50mm Summicron lenses). The film was developed in HC-110 developer and scanned with a Plustek 7600i scanner.

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