Waiting can be exhausting, generate sadness, it may make you desperate, lose your cool, and even hope. She never lost hers, at least that’s what those who have studied Havana’s history say.
There are many different versions of the story. Sometimes with different name, dates and circumstances, but the essence of all is the same.
They say that she was the wife of a Spanish officer who would climb to the roof of the building she lived in every afternoon to watch for her husband’s ship returning to Havana’s harbor. Sadly, it never did.
A sculptor was inspired by her story, her feminine figure, her daily routine of climbing and waiting, and never-ending love. He brought her to life as Havana’s La Giraldilla, which soon after her creation became and is still today the symbol of the city of Havana, Cuba.
If you pay attention you’ll notice her on souvenirs from Havana, on Cuban television, and on the label of Havana Club Rum. Most of Havana’s parking attendants wear her on their bright orange vests. You’ll find her on the end of cocktail stirrers all over Cuba.
If you want to see the original, you must go to the Plaza de Armas in Old Havana, where she stands waiting at the top of one of the city’s colonial buildings overlooking Havana’s bay.
By Dina GomGar
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