Trinidad, Cuba

I start my journey in Trinidad in the Plaza Mayor, a beautiful square and a virtual open-air museum of colonial architecture. Dominating the plaza with its austere and imposing presence is the huge neoclassical Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad, the largest church on the island. Next to it is a different character entirely, the sumptuous Palacio Brunet, with its cheerful pastel yellow colours and elegant white wrought-iron balcony. Finally, I head to the Sanchez Iznaga mansion to have a wander around the local history museum, which has some fascinating exhibitions on life in the city and its architecture.

One fascinating thing I learn here is that most of the colonial-era buildings in the city have a raised tile or stone block just above their thresholds. This tradition began because of Trinidad’s famously steep streets. Cubans have a penchant for leaving their front doors open in case a neighbour or a friend walks by, and so sometimes carriages would roll down the steep hills straight into someone’s home. The little block would stop the carriage in its tracks, avoiding a costly accident and a long clean-up.

I leave the museum and walk down those steep cobblestoned streets. They still retain their historic charm with brightly painted houses dating from the 17th and 18th Centuries. Some are in a genteel state of disrepair, others are refurbished, looking just as good as they did when they were young. Trinidad is famous for its antique furniture, with households keeping beautiful old pieces from centuries past. As I pass family and friends drinking beers or coffee outside their houses, I’m amazed at the resemblance of their furniture to the tables and chairs on display in the history museum.

As the sun starts to disappear behind the Valle de los Ingenios’ hills, I make my way to the Casa de la Música, an open-air venue in the Plaza Mayor that offers free salsa performances. I sit at a little table outside with a cold lagarto and some briny green olives, I tap my feet to the rhythms of the salsa band and prepare for the next day’s journey to Cienfuegos, the city of one hundred fires.