These lions flanked the intersections on the Paseo.
There were many vendors along the Paseo selling art, trinkets, and snacks.
Here’s a rap I wrote in the road trip section too: There are two Cuban currencies, the national peso called a CUP and the convertible peso called a CUC.
Cubans are paid mostly in CUP which is worth about 6 cents (according to Alex) compared to a CUC which is tied (pretty much) to the US dollar. If you get some CUPs you are free to spend them at the local rate.
If a citizen can do something that brings tourist CUC that person can become much more affluent than those who don’t, hence the great enthusiasm for Casas Particulares and other tourist services.
I had previously said don’t bring USD because you can’t spend it but that’s not the actual story (thanks Terry). Still you’ll want to bring Canadian or Euro to exchange at the bank.
Here’s Terry’s explanation: “If something like a snack costs 1 CUP and you pay 1 CUC you will receive your change – you don’t automatically pay 1 CUC in total just because you’re a tourist. And yes, US Dollars are perfectly acceptable for exchange at any Bank or Cadeca, they suffer a 10% surcharge, that’s all.”