It’s absurd and rather strange to hear about one talking about travel at this time on the face of the earth especially where mankind is still struggling and moving ever so slowly toward any kind of normality, having jostled with what has clearly been a deadly pandemic, among the worst ever imagined. Even to hear the phrase itinerary feels strange, just as random and puzzling as the term holiday.
In that part of human existence where things like a face-mask and hand sanitizer are an everyday reality; articles of daily usage you just won’t leave your territory without, among the most unused objects ever, it can be said, is the passport.
Where on earth would you hear anyone talking about travel tickets, or things like bookings in a resort or an exclusive comfy five-star stay in a bespoke resort. All such useful meanderings of life are on their way out as safety and personal hygiene are ‘in.’
Having said that, there happens to be a place around that’s brimming with a newfound vibe of sorts; an extravagance hitherto unknown and never really experienced. Turns out that for the longest time, we all called Havana, as the ‘Paris of the Caribbean!’ Now, believe it or not, Havana has got its own Eiffel Tower as well.
Did you know of that? How many among us, if it must be asked honestly, even think that such a thing would even exist in Havana?
Usually, the key buzzwords that strike our imagination when we hear about the phrase Havana are – mesmerising Jazz music, cigars, and a party destination that can heighten sensory pleasures, if it must be put that way.
None, prior to this brand new development, would have even considered Havana to have something that rests in the grandeur of Paris, a truly one-of-a-kind destination, inarguably the world’s most romantic city. Isn’t it?
But then, surprises are such a part of our existence, right?
So there we have it, Havana, has an Eiffel Tower, in a truly captivating sense of the word. But all of that said, there’s a bit of a change, albeit a cute one.
For starters, the one possessed by Havana isn’t a lofty piece of architecture. Shunning the magnanimity of expression, the Eiffel Tower of Havana is cuteness personified.
Wondering how?
Here’s an excerpt from a leading Indian print daily that carried news about the place that’s buzzing on social media:
The illuminated four-meter (13-ft) high replica by Cuban blacksmith Jorge Enrique Salgado lights up a corner of the otherwise dimly-lit Arroyo Naranjo southern residential district of the capital.
Salgado, 52, an accountant who learnt metalworking from his father, says he has never been to Paris. But he had seen the Eiffel Tower in films and photos and when his son asked him to make an antenna to capture the Wi-Fi signal of a nearby park, he hit on the idea of making a model.
In the end, the project took on a life of its own and they never installed the antenna because they felt it would ruin the aesthetic of the model that took months to build. Cuba has also rolled out mobile internet over the last year and a half.
All of that said, once normal tourism gets underway, those heading to the Caribbean, be sure to be armed with your favorite shutterbug and head straight to Havana. There’s something glittery in the party attraction in town!