Malecón

The Malecón is Havana’s oceanfront esplanade, which links Habana Vieja to the west residential district of Vedado. The sea crashing along the seawall here is a spectacular sight when the wind blows from the north. On calmer days, fishermen lean over the parapet, lovers sit in the shade of the small pillars and joggers sweat along the pavement. On the other side of the six-lane highway, buildings which from a distance look stout and grand, with arcaded pavements, balconies, mouldings and large entrances, are salt-eroded, faded and sadly decrepit inside. Restoration is progressing slowly, but the sea is destroying old and new alike and creating a mammoth renovation task. Parts of the wall are also being rebuilt and there is always construction work somewhere along the Malecón.