At last, the United States has an embassy in Cuba once more
When Vee and I visited Cuba seven years ago for a wonderful holiday, I hoped – and expected – that the thaw in relations between the USA and Cuba and the introduction of political reforms in Cuba itself would move more quickly. But there has been real progress under Barack Obama’s leadership and with support from Raul Castro.
One indication of that is the re-opening this week of the US Embassy in Havana after an interval of 54 years. It reminded me of our first morning in Cuba which I recorded as follows:
“We returned to our hotel, driving for a stretch along the seafront promenade known as the Malecón, which was started in 1902 and now runs along the bay for 7 km (4 miles).
There are many attractive buildings along the boulevard but a lot need substantial renovation. The ugliest and oddest building is the so-called United States Interests Office which acts as a kind of US Embassy since the Americans do not recognise Cuba for diplomatic purposes.
In January 2006, the Americans began displaying messages on a scrolling “electronic billboard” in the windows of the top floor of the Interests Office. This provoked the Cuban government to erect a large number of poles, carrying black flags with single white stars, obscuring the messages – and they are still there.”
You can read the full account of our trip here.