La Tortuga y El Malecón

Visiting El Malecón with my father is one of my earliest and fondest childhood memories.  We visited this iconic seawall quite often when I was a child in Cuba as this was one of my father’s favorite places in La Habana Vieja (Old Havana). My father would let me stand on top of the concrete seawall and I would walk along the wall while holding his hand.  Many times we would spot a giant tortoise that somehow had made its way onto the sand from the ocean. I would be overwhelmed by the enormity of these giant tortoises and the beautiful patterns on their shells.  Watching these tortoises so close and personal was mind boggling to me. This was one of the many adventures that I would embark on with my father. He loved spending time with me, especially outdoors as he loved showing me the natural beauty of the island. He enjoyed pointing to the palm trees, gathering coconuts that we would find on the ground and the tropical animal life that we would encounter.  I loved looking out to the turquoise sea from this seawall, feeling the warmth of the Caribbean sun and experiencing the adventuresome freedom that I felt while walking high on the seawall.