The 100-meter-long Alameda de Paula promenade, runs alongside the waterfront boulevard between Luz and Leonor Pérez. Alameda de Paula is lined with marble and iron street lamps. Midway along the Alameda stands a carved column with a fountain at its base, erected in 1847 in homage to the Spanish navy. It bears an unlikely Irish name: Columna O’Donnell, for the Capitán-General of Cuba, Leopoldo O’Donnell, who dedicated the monument. It is covered in relief work on a military theme and crowned by a lion with the arms of Spain in its claws.
At the southern end of the Alameda de Paula, Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula (San Ignacio y Leonor Pérez, tel. 07/860-4210, daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m.) studs circular Plazuela de Paula. The quaint, restored church features marvelous artworks including stained-glass pieces. It is used for baroque and chamber concerts.