As we were driving away Giselle asked me if I would like to meet her aunt Norma.  Of course I said yes.  A few blocks later we stopped at a house and a gracious woman was at the front to warmly welcome me to her home, and telling me she had just finished getting a manicure.

I was introduced to her and we were invited inside.  The first thing I noticed was that the sitting room walls were covered in large framed black and white photos.  Upon seeing my look of surprise it was explained to me (Alex was the translator) that they were the work of her late husband.  She then brought over a large framed photo of her as a beautiful young woman about twenty. It was interesting to look at the photo and then at Norma who is now in her 80's.  She is still a good looking woman.
She said her husband was a famous photographer.  I got quite excited because something I had read a while back was triggered and I was sure I knew who he was.

the sitting room

She then took us into the dining room where the wall were covered in framed awards that he had received.

I asked her if I could take a photo of her and she immediately came in close for the shot.  Then she asked that I send her a copy to her email address.

After much talk about her husband (Fidel actually stayed in her home when he was in town opening a new clinic) I was so excited to actually be in their home I forgot to take or get Alex to take anymore photos.  

She next took me to a small back room where the walls were filled with bookshelves containing hundreds of binders filled with negatives.  But, on one shelf there was a small stack of books.  She took one and handed it to me.  It was titled Versos, by Norma Lopez.  It is a compilation of poems she had written throughout time.  It was published in 2014.  She took the book back and asked how to spell my name and then inscribed it, dated it, and at the bottom wrote the widow of Raul Corrales Gomez.  If you google him, you will see it sometimes shows a surname of Forno, in keeping with Spanish tradition.

We then went into what appeared to be her husband's private sitting room because there was only one cane back rocking chair.  It was like a sunroom and looked over to a small shed like structure where she said he did his developing.

Raul Corrales photographed Hemingway, and was also an official photographer of Fidel Castro. He accompanied Castro on his first trip to Washington.   Please do click on the following link for more information of this man.  I am so honoured to have been hosted by Norma.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/apr/25/guardianobituaries.cuba

Another excellent link from the NewYork Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/15/arts/ones-that-didn-t-get-away-photographer-who-portrayed-cuba-s-revolution-with.html?pagewanted=all

From the Telegraph "…he had taken a shot of Castro addressing a million-strong crowd in central Havana. He liked to say that other photographers would not have got the picture, because they would not have had the temerity to tell two ministers to move their chairs out of the line of his lens. Corrales was repaid for his boldness by the image being used for decades on the back of the 10-peso note."

This photo and the ten peso note is framed and hanging on a wall in their sitting room.

1st. Declaration of La Habana, Plaza de la Revolución. September 2, 1960© Raul Corrales

Before leaving her home I invited her to lunch, but she was on her way to an appointment in Havana.  

On saying our goodbyes she hugged me and asked that if I ever come to Cuba again to please stay with her for a few days.

Whewwwww, what a day!, but it's not over yet.

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