Our first bling president.
[CA.NEWS.YAHOO] The mansion in Havana where U.S. President Barack Obama and his family will spend two nights has survived war, revolution and an Albanian occupation.Now, with U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties restored and overall relations warming, the U.S. ambassadorial residence is re-emerging as a center of influence on the Communist-ruled island.
Built from 1939 to 1942, the two-story building is more than half the size of the White House, according to U.S. State Department data, and was constructed with the finest materials and craftsmanship of the time.
The United States abandoned it from 1961 to 1977 after the 1959 Cuban revolution overthrew a pro-American government and Washington severed ties with Fidel Castro, leaving the home to at first Albanian and later Swiss caretakers.