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The sun is shining and people are meandering by the Malecon, a seaside boulevard that stretches the length of the city. It’s 3pm on a weekday but young couples amble hand in hand, squealing teens are diving from rocks into the sea, and the happy, laid back feeling seems to quietly mock the political slogans dotting the walls. Reading as fervently as the scriptures in a Catholic church, Hasta La Victoria Siempre (Until Final Victory) and Socialismo o Muerte (Socialism or Death) are an integral part of the scenery.

Back up on the Paseo del Prado, a group of school children pack up after a fencing lesson. The streets are used as common areas for all kinds of activities, so just sitting around (as many do, preferring to earn the standard monthly state salary of about £18 by working the black market) is enough to see regular life in action. Today the rumour is circulating that Fidel Castro has been spotted wandering the streets of Miramar, near to one of his many secret homes. This comes close on the heels of previous rumours that he is on the brink of death. His frequent columns in Granma, the state controlled newspaper, have been conspicuosly absent of late, and he has not appeared in public for some time.

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