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saw an early still, which was used to make alcohol
-
based drugs, such as cough syrups and pain medi-
cines.
There was also beauty in the museum. The Trio-
let’s daughter was a stained
-
glass artist, and we
got to see some of her beautiful works in the win-
dows of the building. Enormous original oil paint-
ings that are quite magnificent grace the upstairs
residence hallways. During the 2003 renovations,
workers found thousands of colorful glass medicine
bottles, which became a kind of sculpture when
displayed on their sides in the museum’s bookcas-
es.
The pharmacy is located across the street from
what is now “Libertad Park” (originally known as
“Plaza de Armas,” or the “Old Parade Grounds”).
Filled with red and purple bougainvillea in full
bloom when we visited, the plaza is a favorite gath-
ering place for Cuban families, and we saw several
happy couples having their wedding photos taken.
Our group was thrilled to gather in the park for our
own group photo to officially kick off the first day of
our Cuban adventure.
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