The Malecón is a stretch of coastline along the north shore of Cuba in the city of Havana. Most of the old buildings still show some of their old style charm, although few are in good enough shape for even the most basic living conditions. (Although, people live in them anyway.) The good news is that there is an enormous reconstruction effort underway, most of which is being financed by Spain under new development initiatives. Here, Cuba has allowed foreign investors to own up to 50% of a business or property (the other 50% owned by Cuba itself)

Der Malecon ist für mich die Seele Havannas.... Da trifft sich jung und alt, man tanzt, feiert, flirtet, unterhält sich und trink Rum..... Das schönste spazieren am Malecon entlang ist morgens in der früh, wenn noch niemand ausser ein paar Fischern unterwägs ist.... Man kann stundenlang sitzen und einfach dem Geschehen zusehen und das Erwachen von Havanna erleben...... Also Leute auf und ab nach Havanna......

This boulevard along the ocean is 8 km long, but I like very much this part in Havana Vieja. On the one side you have old houses with their galleries and wonderful frontages (reglettably, lots of houses are damaged...). On the second side you have ocean with them waves, which overflow to the street. Wonderful!

It's a great meeting point for friends and travellers. I used to walk along there every morning for exercise and fresh air. You have to be careful there's ocean sludge on the walkway. It gets slippery and you can literally kill yourself on it. The breeze is amazing....

j'y ai trainé les pieds avec Yamilé, il y a longtemps. Et puis les écoles d'arts, Luis Miguel maintenant mexicain qui nous accueillait chez lui. On dormait par terre. On buvait du caney dans des verres à pieds. On faisait le café dans une chaussette.