The November sun glistened on the bay that stretch into the Straits of Florida from New Havana on the northern coast of Cuba. The Big Tide had reshaped the islands of the Caribbean with its rising waters. It reduced their land mass and caused the relocation of thousands of people to higher ground. Most of the islands, were themselves the top sections of numerous submarine mountains that stretched across the reef-infested waters of the Caribbean Sea. New Havana maintained its stately ambience through a mix of the surviving Spanish architecture built on high ground and the blend of people who came to Havana for various reasons.