After a half-century of Cold War acrimony, the United States and Cuba unexpectedly moved to restore diplomatic relations, a historic shift that could revitalize the flow of money and people across the narrow waters that separate the two nations.

The restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and the United States has unleashed expectations of even more momentous changes on an island that often seems frozen in a past of classic cars and crumbling Art Deco buildings.

Here are some photos of the present-day Cuba.

Tourists take a ride in a classic American convertible car with the Cuban national flag painted on the trunk, in Havana, Cuba, Dec 18, 2014. [Photo/IC]