Remedios, Cuba, Not on the Beaten Path
Remedios, in Villa Clara Province, is the fireworks capitol of Cuba! I love fireworks, the wilder and crazier, and the better. None of the “safe and sane” types we have here. I used to make fireworks as a kid and then light them when my parents were gone. Not very wise, so now I just watch them. Easter in San Miquel de Allende, Mexico, has been the best I have seen, but this sounds even wilder.
See what the town looks like when I visited in October. A few images below, or Video Link Here.
Remedios is a very colorful little jewel of Cuba
It seems to wake up for Las Parrandas Festival of Remedios in the last week of December. Nearby towns compete in building the best floats and compete in fireworks displays. The town is packed with people for days as it builds to a giant street party with floats and fireworks. I have only seen photos, but I must get back here around Christmas.
Other than Parrandas, Remedios is a colorful, sleepy little town with cobblestone streets, colonial arches. It is laid out in the usual Spanish style of central plaza, Plaza Isabel, with a cathedral at its end. La Iglesia Mayor is a simple looking cathedral from the outside, but very ornate and colorful inside. The elaborate wood-beamed ceiling is supposed to have been built by local boat builders. It is known as one of the best in Cuba. The cathedral does a lot of community services. It offers sewing classes with a couple of old Singer treadle sewing machines and prepares meals for the elderly.
Two churches on its plaza may be unique for Cuba; the main one is gorgeous, the other is waiting restoration. The brightly colored buildings around the plaza with blue sky backdrop make for perfect postcards. The plaza itself is a perfect resting spot. The only street vendor I saw there was a guy selling hot (spicy) peanuts in a paper tube…delicious.
