Cuba Photo Diary #1: Havana

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have noticed that Cuba is having a bit of a ‘moment’. Karl Lagerfeld held a Chanel resort collection there, and every blogger worth their salt seems to be posting Instagrams draped over 50s pink Cadillacs in Havana recently.

Honestly, I was kinda annoyed about all the sudden fashion interest, because I’ve been bugging everyone I know to come to Cuba with me for years (before it was cool, because I’m super not into the mainstream guyz). However all the pictures and general hype got me even more convinced that I had to get over there asap, before the country lost its nostalgic charm and gained a Starbucks on every corner/became the ultimate Instagram cliche.

I finally got to tick off the number one item on my travel bucket list this November, and it was simultaneously everything and nothing like I expected. Cuba was constantly buzzing and full of life in a way that us reserved Northern countries don’t seem able to achieve (it’s too cold!), with people on every corner at all times of the day, chatting, people watching, and going about their daily life.

Although the country does offer up some serious Instagram gold, and it certainly is beautiful, it’s not just the candy coloured buildings and stylish American cars that makes it special.

Wearing my all time favourite Topshop dress on my birthday exploring the streets of Havana

Though the airbrushed photos that make up travel guides and Instagram feeds may suggest otherwise, Cuba, and Havana in particular, has a dilapidated elegance that’s uniquely its own. There’s such a strong sense of grandeur and nostalgia in the ornate pastel-hued buildings that line the streets of the Old Town, with Hemingway’s favourite haunts (the bar he drank Daiquiri’s at, the smart hotel where he kept a room) dotted around the city adding a touch of glamour.

Yet years of disrepair and the bustle of people propped up against walls, leaning out of balconies, showing, as Lonely Planet writer Brendan Sainsbury so nicely puts it: “the snapshots of lives lived out in the open”, contribute to a distinctly lived-in feel. This is not a city to be admired from afar but to be very much experienced, to eat and to dance and to generally immerse yourself.

I can’t pretend I didn’t enjoy Cuba for more superficial reasons too. Packing for somewhere with such a rich history, and such beautiful locations, was half the fun. Armed with a wardrobe of floaty dresses and pastel hues to match the buildings and cars, I immersed myself in my romantic notions of the country through my wardrobe. Admittedly, I stood out like a sore thumb amongst the locals (the relative isolation of the Island from the rest of the World led to the fashions stagnating at 80s neon workout clothes meets early 2000’s Paris Hilton) and the fellow tourists (socks. sandals. Need I say more?). But what fun is blending in anyway?

The Hotel Inglaterra lit up at night

The book market in Plaza de Armas, selling old military memorabilia and vintage books

And here’s what I wore…

Have you ever visited Cuba? Let me know what you thought!

I’ll be posting more Cuba pictures as well as more European travel guides, so make sure to subscribe to Bloglovin’ so you don’t miss them!