We didn't think we'd be in Cuba to witness this, but Fidel's time finally came to an end over the weekend, just after we were recovering from the election of Trump and Thanksgiving, no less. Politics has a way of being a part of every day life in Cuba, even if you want to avoid it. Here are a few pictures I've taken since we woke up on Saturday with the news about Fidel Castro's passing.
Fidel passed away at 10:29 p.m. on Friday, after my family and I had already gone to bed. On Saturday morning, I learned of the death through a text message from the friend in the U.S. that came in the middle of the night. I turned on our very old television to see the announcers reporting on it. It turns out a lot of other Cubans learned the news from friends overseas first, though Raul Castro, Cuba's current leader and Fidel's brother, made an announcement on television just hours after Fidel's passing.
The Plaza de la Revolution, the central square where Fidel once held many speeches and public events, was mostly vacant over the weekend, though Tuesday and Wednesday, it will be filled with those who want to pay their final respects. I have not seen anyone publicly crying, though one Cuban friend of mine has told me that she reacted to the news with tears.
This large poster of Fidel appeared in the Plaza de la Revolution over the weekend.
Posters like this, along with books that people could sign to show their respects, began appearing in neighborhoods on Monday.
My neighbor store currently carries the best selection of beer I have ever seen in Cuba, but the sale of beer and other alcoholic beverages is banned until next week, after the end of the nine-day mourning period.
The sign says "no sales of alcoholic beverages allowed."