Photos

Jose Marti Airport

I have been in a lot of airports, but very few have had a departure lounge as bright and cheerful as the Jose Marti Airport in Havana.

Festooned with the flags of many nations and with high windows to admit the bright sunlight, the airport projects a carnival atmosphere.

This terminal of Jose Marti Airport was opened in 1998 by Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Fidel Castro. Canada invested 29 million dollars in the construction project in the form of a loan. A large bronze plaque commemorates the meeting.

Most of the construction materials were imported from Canada. I am not sure whether the sound system was part of the deal, but if it was, someone should demand a refund :)

José Martí (1853-1895) was a Cuban poet and leader of the Cuban Independence Movement. He is a national hero in Cuba and visitors will see his face and statues at almost every turn. His poem, Guantanamera, was adapted by American folk singer Pete Seeger in the 1960s. I am sure you have heard it.

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A note on technique. When I tried to resize the image from 2048 to the 800 pixel width TE size, I got disturbing moire patterns on many of the diagonals - particularly the bar stool legs. By repeatedly resizing at 95% until I reached the desired size the diagonals came out with much less distortion. It made a major difference in the final image. (Still using PSP 7, perhaps newer software is smarter).