The Capitol Building in Havana, inaugurated in 1929, is based on the Capitol Building in Washington DC, but, at nearly 300 feet high, is slightly taller. It is best viewed in the early morning from the Parque Central. The sun was behind me and I gained a great perspective of the building's imposing nature from slightly further away. From here I could also appreciate fully the delicate architecture of the Gran Teatro de La Habana and the Spanish-inspired Hotel Inglaterra. This hotel is also a good place to grab a bite to eat and to have a cooling beer in the evening. The prices are quite reasonable from a western tourists's point of view. Visitors might also hear some American accents here. Even though they are not supposed to officially visit Cuba and they can get into awful trouble if they get caught, some Americans still visit the island "“ and the Cubans love them, although the Americans don't appreciate what they perceive as the slow service. The ones I heard were complaining that the waiter had swum to Florida to get their chicken.
Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734
