HAVANA – Havana was unmistakably loud on Saturday with buses, cars and horse carriages filling the streets.
At plazas, children were playing.
Meibys Gutierrez Rodriguez, 24, said she was watching state-run television after her mother got the news over the phone.
"Fidel Castro has given us so many opportunities," Gutierrez Rodriguez said.
Alexis Cartalla said she felt moved by the death and believes Castro has "played such a significant role in this country."
There was no music on the streets of Havana on Saturday, and may not be during the next eight days as the country mourns.
"It was kind of surreal but the whole experience here has been surreal," a man named Nelson, who was out when Castro's death was announced, said.
Theresa Neal, an American tourist, said the clubs closed following the announcement.
"They closed the club and everybody left. I felt like I’m part of history. It's the last thing I thought was going to happen when we were here," Neal said.
Tracy Green, also an American tourist, hopes for change.
"I hope people have a chance to own their own business and to keep a majority of what they make," Green said.