Music for Mitch

After the tour, we returned to Barber’s Alley for lunch.

It was hot and we needed a rest and this area is so charming we broke the well known law of never eating in a plaza. The food was great - service terrible, but worth it to have a salad. Charley was devastated to learn the crepes listed on the menu were unavailable, but it was hard to stay disappointed in such an extraordinary setting.

We walked back to the hotel and then set out to the Havana Music School to meet Mitch’s teacher - Miguel.

The music school is in a residential area about 15 minutes from Old Havana, and consists of a smallish house within which we could hear music coming from every room. Miguel was young and handsome and seemed very friendly. We all hoped Mitch would enjoy the lesson - and he really, really did! We could hear wonderful drumming and singing from Miguel accompanying Mitch on the guitar, and Mitch was thrilled with what he’d learned.

By the time we left, it was dark outside and although Miguel walked us to the Main Street there were no taxis at all. He suggested we walk to the nearby local bus on the main road and told us which bus to catch back to Old Havana. Alex was freaking out at the idea of walking in the dark as well as taking a local bus and that was hard to manage, but the others were excited by this authentic peek onto Cuban daily life. We arrived back quite close to our hotel but didn’t recognise any of the landmarks in the dark... luckily a local man saw our confusion and gave us directions which saw us safely back.

By now we were all starving and heading back to Barber’s Alley for dinner - another atmospheric restaurant with very average food. We got lost walking back to the hotel- passing streets and squares we hadn’t come across before. It was such a warm and humid night it felt so lovely strolling around the city.Read more