TOUR OF CUBA 22 - 28 MARCH 2009 The Norwegian chapter of C.E.U. - Council for European Urbanism invites you to join a one week tour of three UNESCO world heritage cities: Havana, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF CUBAN ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
NOTE: The tour originally announced in April has been moved to March 22-28.
The one week Tour March 22-28 will include an introduction to the history of Urbanism and Architecture of Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad, all of them listed as UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. It will involve insights of the regeneration of Old Havana and one day tours by bus to two smaller historic towns, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. Our expert guide will be Prof. Julio Cesar Perez who has been a speaker at several INTBAU and C.E.U. conferences. A Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design 2001-2002 and Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture in Havana he has lectured widely in the US and Europe about Cuban architecture. He is also the author of the major book INSIDE CUBA published by Taschen in 2006. Who is it for: Architects, planners, art historians, antiquarians, writers, students and others with an interest in the history of Cuban architecture, urbanism and culture.
Above: Typical street in Trinidad. Photo: Claus Zapffe
TOUR SCHEDULEThe tour shedule below is similar to our 2008 tour. Subject to changes. Day 0 – Saturday 21. March Arrival in Havana. Accommodation. Day 1 – Sunday 22. March Morning. 9.30 am- 1.00 pm
Lunch suggestion: 1.00- 2.30 pm Afternoon. 2.30 pm- 4.00 pm. Evening suggestions: Dinner suggestion: Day 2 – Monday 23. March Morning 9.30 am- 1.00 pm.
Lunch suggestion: 12.30- 2.00 pm Afternoon 2.30- 4.00 pm.
Eveningsuggestion: Dinner suggestion: Late evening suggestions: Day 3 – Tuesday 24. March Morning 9:30 - 1:00 pm.
Lunch suggestion: 1.30- 2.30 pm Afternoon 2.30- 5.00 pm. Evening suggestion: Day 4 – Wednesday 25. March Morning 8:30- 11:30 am. Lunch suggestion: 1.00- 2.30 pm Afternoon 2.30- 5.00 pm. Dinner suggestion: Overnight in Cienfuegos. Day 5 – Thursday 26. March Morning 9.00- 10.30 am Lunch suggestion: Afternoon 2.30- 5.00 pm. Evening suggestion: 5.00 pm. Late evening suggestion: Overnight in Trinidad. Day 6 – Friday 27. March Morning 9.00- 10.30 am Lunch suggestion Afternoon 2.00- 6.00 pm Evening suggestions: Day 7 – Saturday 28. March "Day on your own" in Havana. Optional departure in the afternoon. Some of the Cuban practitioners we will meetOrestes del Castillo:
Mr. del Castillo is an expert in the restoration and structural repairs of old buildings. He has recently retired from his position at the Office of the Historador of Havana, where he for many years has been working closely with the Historador Eusebio Leal Spengler himself, who is in charge of the restoration of Old Havana. Mr. del Castillo is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture. He has lectured widely in both the U.S. and in Europe.
Raúl González Romero Mr. Romero is an architect, expert in hotels and one of the advisors of the Minister of Construction of Cuba. Mr. Romero is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture. He has lectured widely in Europe. Mr. Coyula is the former Director of Havana´s Planning Agency known as Grupo para el Desarrollo de la Capital. He is the former Director of the School of Architecture and the former editor of Arquitectura Cuba magazine. Mr. Coyula is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture He has taught in MIT, Harvard and has lectured widely in USA and Europe.Mario Coyula. We will also try our best to arrange a meeting with the Historiador of Havana: Eusebio Leal Spengler. But we cannot promise that we will manage to set up such a meeting, alternatively we will meet other key staff at the Historador office such as Mr. del Castillo. Cienfuegos and Trinidad We will also meet several people involved with restoration / preservation / heritage / and urban development in the other cities we visit. In Cienfuegos we will meet the Historiador and Head Architect of the town Mr. Irán Millán, and in Trinidad we will meet the Historiador and Head Architect of the town Mr. Nancy González.
Above: Typical street in Cienfuegos. Photo: Claus Zapffe
CostsThe cost of the tour programme is estimated at 1000 CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos) for participants choosing to stay at Casa Particular (see under "Accomodation" below). This is a preliminary price estimate subject to changes in currency rates and our local costs on Cuba. The CUC is per Sring 2008 pegged in a relationship of 1 to 1,08 to the American Dollar, so 1000 CUC equals 1080 $. For two persons sharing a room the individual tour price is 900 CUC for the Casa Particular option. We can arrange accomodation for additional nights in Havanna if you arrive early or stay on (single or double occupancy). The fee includes seven nights accomodation in Casa Particular (rooms for rent in private appartments), bus tour in Havana, bus tour to Cienfuegos and Trinidad, and expert guiding by Prof. Julio Cesar Perez and local experts in some of the locations we visit. The fee does not include international travel to and from Havana, and does not include any meals. You can also choose to stay in a luxury hotel in Havana, against a surcharge. The price for the tour with hotel is 1500 CUC (single room) or 1400 CUC (double room, per person). This includes five nights in hotel in Havana, one night in hotel in Trinidad, and one night in Casa Particular in Cienfuegos. The participants are asked to arrange for their own travel to and from Havana. We are not a tour operator, but can mention the following airlines servicing Cuba from Europe: Air France, British Airways, Iberia, Virgin Atlantic (from London). To find the best rates we recommend a search on Kelkoo. If participants wish to stay longer on Cuba they are welcome to do so. Meals will be both collective and on an individual basis, but all meals will have to be paid locally by the individual participant. A few ATMs can be found in Havana. But ATM's are rare and expensive, and no cards issued by an American bank or it's subsidaries will be accepted. So it is strongly advised that you rely on cash for the trip. Euros, Pounds and Dollars are accepted in any currency change shop, although Dollars will be subject to a 10% tax when exchanged. AccomodationHavana
Casa Particular is a uniquely Cuban form of accomodation, and is highly recommended for those who want to have a more personal experience during their trip. Most rooms are in appartment buildings from the 1950s in the El Vedado area of Havana, just a few blocks from Hotel Nacional where we can have breakfast, lunch, dinner, pool, gym, or simply drinks at any time. Many of the rooms have air condition, and each appartment has common areas such as living and dining rooms that are shared with the Cuba family living in appartment. If you want, the Cuban family will provide you with breakfast and other meals (against a small surcharge). All guests will have single rooms unless otherwise specified. Some bathrooms might be shared with other guests. The buildings are just 5 minutes away from the Malecón. We will stay in the same area as during our last two trips, the location has proven as a superb starting point for exploring Havana. The Casa Particular is included in our price offer. Alternative hotel accomodation: If you prefer international style and do not want to stay with a Cuban family, we can offer you alternative hotel accomodation in walking distance from our Casa Particulars, against a surcharge. We offer in our hotel option accommodation at the famous Hotel Nacional, one of the historical landmark buildings in Havana. It is located at the waterfront in a garden setting. Subject to availability of rooms. Hotel website: www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com. We will stay in private homes (Casa Particular). Not all the group will be accomodated in the same are due to the character of the city. We will split the group in two neighbourhoods, most of our guests will stay in old colonial houses close to the city centre while others will stay outside of the city centre in early modernist bungalows close to the sea. In most cases the rooms will have air condition, private bathrooms, etc., but standards may vary since we will live in private homes. Alternative hotel accomodation: If you prefer international style and do not want to stay with a Cuban family, we can offer you alternative hotel accomodation in Cienfuegos, against a surcharge. We offer in our hotel option accommodation at the Hotel La Union, located in the historical center of the town. Subject to availability of rooms. Hotel website: www.hotellaunion.com. Trinidad We will stay in private homes (Casa Particular). This gives a unique insight into Cuban life and the opportunity to make some new friends. Some of the houses have truly spectacular interiors from the hight of the colonial time in Cuba, a true experience. In Trinidad we do not offer a hotel alternative, as the hotels are located far outside of the city centre.
VisaYou will need a visa for visiting Cuba, please contact your local Cuban embassy. A tourist visa should be the simplest one to obtain. New regulations require you to provide the address and registration number of our Casa Particular when applying for a visa. We will provide you with this information in due time. US ParticipantsWe have had American participants on both our tour and workshop in 2007 and 2008. But due to the American trade embargo, American citizens wanting to travel to Cuba will need to travel under either a general or a specific license. Please see the following website at the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control. Each participant is for himself responsible to decide whether the conditions of the general license applies to him, as the penalties for breaking the embargo are quite serious. Please e-mail Claus Zapffe or contact the travel agent below if you are in doubt. Travel agents that have been recommended by some of our previous American participants:
One of our previous participant from the US has been to Cuba many times. He writes: "You asked me to write you about paperwork needed for permission to travel to Cuba. I'm a registered architect practicing in the US, and I teach studios and courses at a US architecture school. I have been working together with a professor on Cuba for 8 years now. When I travel to Cuba, I go under the Treasury Department's general license. The general license authorizes travel for 'Full time professionals whose travel transactions are directly related to professional research in their professional areas, provoded that their research 1)is of a noncommercial, academic nature; 2)comprisesa a full work schedule in Cuba' and 3) has a substantial likelihood of public dissemination.' As part of my preparation, I create a calendar of the work I intend to do each day, and I set specific goals for myself as to the particular parts of Cuban architecture and culture I intend to study. In the case of the charrette conducted by Audun, Claus, and Julio Cesar, the schedule of work is clearly mapped out. I can assure you there's not a lot of spare time for those days. As for your independent study before the Charrette starts, I suggest you put your goals for the districts or buildings you wish to study in a list, and then keep some notes about your observations. Should you get any questions when either leaving or entering the U.S. as part of the trip, you'll have your record to share."
RegistrationFor registration for the tour, or if you have any more questions, please e-mail Claus Zapffe. Following the tour, we arrange a Charette in Havana March 2009. You are welcome to join either the tour or the charrette, or both. For a detailed programme and more information on the charette we had in Havana in 2008 please click here: 2008 Charrette programme The OrganizersThe tour is organised by C.E.U. Norway - Council of European Urbanism, in collaboration with Moderno AS. We have a strong history of organising similar events in other countries, including Norway, Germany, the UK, Romania and Italy. Prof. Julio César Pérez Hernández CV UK Partner OrganisationOur previous events on Cuba:
More info on Havana
More info on Trinidad
Trinidad described by a travel agency
More info on Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos described by a travel agency Cienfuegos described by Cuba-Junky
International supporting organizations: C.E.U. Norwegian Chapter - Council for European Urbanism ESUA - European School of Urbanism and Architecture Moderno AS - architecture and design INTBAU Scandinavia - International Network for Building, Architecture and Urbanism Folkeuniversitetet Fjellregionen - Norwegian Association for Adult Learning Stiftelsen Byens Fornyelse - Foundation for Urban Renewal
Disclaimer:
The tour and charrette are private initiatives offering friends and collegues an academic programme on Cuba. We are not a tour operator. Each participant has to arrange for his / her own travel to Cuba, travels on his / her own risk, and is advised to arrange his / her own insurances. U.S. participants: The C.E.U. Tour and C.E.U. Charrette in Cuba are professional meetings / conferences, and are intended only for full-time professionals whose travel transactions are directly related to attendance at the Tour and Charrette. The Tour and Charrette are organized by C.E.U. Norway, an international professional organization that regularly sponsors such meetings or conferences in other countries. Neither C.E.U. Norway nor the international C.E.U. network is headquartered in the United States, nor are any of the institutions, associations or organisations associated with the Tour and the Charrette. The purpose of the Tour and the Charrette is not the promotion of tourism in Cuba nor other commercial activities involving Cuba, nor to foster production of any bio-technological products. |
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