Havana, Cuba: Driving rain, deserted streets and hordes of police -- this was the Havana greeting Barack Obama on Sunday when he became the first US president to visit the Cuban capital in 88 years.
The view from Obama's armored Cadillac, nicknamed "the Beast," would have been a long way from the postcard vision of sun-splashed Cuban mansions and sparkling blue seafront.
Drizzle -- the first rain to fall for weeks -- started almost at the same time Air Force One touched down at the start of a landmark trip to end a decades-long US-Cuban standoff.
Where the foul weather didn't dissuade sightseers, the communist state's security services finished the job.
Many streets were barred altogether and large buildings in the area were put under lockdown, while security agents watched from rooftops.
But the rainswept wall, which might have been the perfect viewing point to witness Obama's convoy traveling to the Old Town, was forlorn and deserted.
Of the people standing even close to the Old Town area that Obama would visit, nearly all were police or foreign tourists. Cubans were in distant third place.
One of them declined to talk to Agence France Presse. The other, civil engineer Ariel Hernandez, 42, said Cubans were not being encouraged to get near the security zone.
Like many Cubans, Hernandez expected Obama's visit to usher in an era of change in an isolated, impoverished island increasingly desperate to open to the wider world.
"Since I was a child I've heard the story of the revolution and this was really the story of being against the United States," he said. "It's truly a historic moment, it's huge."
"For me, I really think the future will change," he said.
When Obama's convoy arrived at the perimeter of the security zone, the president, First Lady Michelle and their daughters, together with their many aides and bodyguards, quickly disappeared beyond the cordon.
Walking through a picturesque square to the stunning Spanish-built cathedral, they were cheered by a crowd. However, it was not immediately clear how the people in the crowd had been selected, since access was under such tight control.
Regardless, Hernandez said Cuba already felt freer.
"The most important thing that this visit means is a change in philosophy," he said.
"It's about hope in the future -- that's the big change."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The view from Obama's armored Cadillac, nicknamed "the Beast," would have been a long way from the postcard vision of sun-splashed Cuban mansions and sparkling blue seafront.
Drizzle -- the first rain to fall for weeks -- started almost at the same time Air Force One touched down at the start of a landmark trip to end a decades-long US-Cuban standoff.
Where the foul weather didn't dissuade sightseers, the communist state's security services finished the job.
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Many streets were barred altogether and large buildings in the area were put under lockdown, while security agents watched from rooftops.
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But the rainswept wall, which might have been the perfect viewing point to witness Obama's convoy traveling to the Old Town, was forlorn and deserted.
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Of the people standing even close to the Old Town area that Obama would visit, nearly all were police or foreign tourists. Cubans were in distant third place.
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One of them declined to talk to Agence France Presse. The other, civil engineer Ariel Hernandez, 42, said Cubans were not being encouraged to get near the security zone.
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Like many Cubans, Hernandez expected Obama's visit to usher in an era of change in an isolated, impoverished island increasingly desperate to open to the wider world.
"Since I was a child I've heard the story of the revolution and this was really the story of being against the United States," he said. "It's truly a historic moment, it's huge."
"For me, I really think the future will change," he said.
When Obama's convoy arrived at the perimeter of the security zone, the president, First Lady Michelle and their daughters, together with their many aides and bodyguards, quickly disappeared beyond the cordon.
Walking through a picturesque square to the stunning Spanish-built cathedral, they were cheered by a crowd. However, it was not immediately clear how the people in the crowd had been selected, since access was under such tight control.
Regardless, Hernandez said Cuba already felt freer.
"The most important thing that this visit means is a change in philosophy," he said.
"It's about hope in the future -- that's the big change."
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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