Hello from Cuba - Exploring Downtown Havana by Susanne Pacher Hotel Habana Libre, Thursday, April 14, 2005, 3:02 pm The last few days I have spent quite a bit of time walking around downtown Havana - or Habana Vieja, as they say around here. It is an extremely fascinating place and one of the most architecturally consistent colonial city centres in the world. A few days ago, my local friend Pedro and I went to explore the Capitolio, which is a beautiful building, ironically very reminiscent of the Capitol in Washington. Built between 1926 and 1929 as the former seat of the Cuban government, its neoclassical exterior is complemented by an absolutely astounding Roman interior with all sorts of meetings rooms, a library, a souvenir shop and an Internet cafe. In the front entrance hall there is a huge statue that greets you upon entering, truly an astounding building. The park outside the Capitolio is one of my favourite places, despite the missing seats and backrests of the benches. Y...