Here’s a blitz through of some other interesting things between Vinales and our downtown Havana Hotel (the Parque Centrale):

— trekking and boating through tunnels underneath the magotes . . .

View from cave mouth toward a nearby magote.

— lovely orchids and landscapes at an orchid conservatory:

Lovely orchids, not rare, as far as I know.

— and a riot of colorful mosaics, inspired by the Spanish artist Antoni Gaudi, and created by and under the supervision of Jose Fuster (often described as ‘the Picasso of the Caribbean’).

Looking down into Fuster’s front yard.

If you want to see more of Fuster’s fanciful creations (now a cottage industry, as they bring so many tourists to his neighborhood), click here.

I made only one painting while sightseeing our way to central Havana. My knees couldn’t take the climb to the top of the orchid preserve, so I sat at the entrance and made this little watercolor of a rusting red wheelbarrow overhung by bright orange flowers.

Red wheelbarrow ‘color-coordinates’ with nearby hanging flowers.