The Russian Embassy looking out over its surrounds

Opened by the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, the stark Russian Embassy dominates its patch of Miramar, the residential and diplomatic district west of central Havana. Likened to a sword or syringe, the tower reminds me of an unpainted and unfinished Transformers machine.

No parking around the Russian Embassy

Fittingly, when Rocío and I visited, the weather turned bleak, overcast and rainy. Waiting for the rain to stop, we sheltered under the veranda of adjacent Vo Thi Thang Primary School, named after a Vietnamese communist hero.

Vo Thi Thang Primary School protected us from the rain

A classic US car driving past the Russian Embassy

Once the rain had cleared we dodged the puddles to Avenida 19 for the P4 bus back to Old Havana’s more pleasant architecture.