Salvador - Forte Santa Maria

Salvador - Forte Santa Maria

Salvador - Forte Santa Maria

Getting inside the Bahia de Todos os Santos, west to the Farol da Barra, is the Forte Santa Maria, the second stronghold protecting All Saint´s Bay. 

Cannons and a small museum welcome visitors. Nice pics can be taken of the Farol da Barra and the Forte São Diogo, the third fortress in line. 

Farol da Barra, view from Santa Maria Fortress

Just 650m separate Farol da Barra from Santa Maria Fortress. 

Forte São Diogo

Forte São Diogo

Forte São Diogo, at Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

The Forte São Diogo, is the third fortress on the entrance of All Saint´s Bay, just some meters from Forte Santa Maria. 

The two strongholds are separated by the Porto da Barra beach (see next post). 

The fortress is still kept by the Brazillian Army, and has a nice view from atop, for those willing to climb it. 

Built between 1626 and 1635, after the dutch invasion of Salvador (1624-1625), it granted the defense of Salvador in 1638, when a new atempt of foreign invasion was expelled. 

Also, a permanent art exposition of the argentinian artist Hector Julio Paride Bernabó, also known as Carybé, is held inside the fortification and can be visited under payment of 20 reais (about 6 US dollars). 

Carybé fell in love with Salvador, and made good friendship with Jorge Amado, Bahia´s most famos writer. Both are dead, but the Jorge Amado´s house in Pelourinho works as a museum which tells the history of the writer (see future post). Carybé died in Salvador, where some of its artwork can be found, as in this small museum inside Forte São Diogo.

Mercado Modelo de Salvador

Mercado Modelo de Salvador

(Salvador´s Central Market)

The Mercado Modelo in located at Cidade Baixa (Down City), accesible from Cidade Alta (High City) through Elevador Lacerda (Lacerda´s lift, see previous post). 

The lift works as a regular public transportation, and its tariff is less than 50 cents of real, really cheap. Unfortunatelly, at Cidade Baixa there´s no much to see besides the Mercado Modelo, as basically the Cidade Baixa helds the seaport, the customs and trade companies. 

The Elevador Lacerda (Lacerda´s lift, to the left) and the Mercado Modelo, at the Cidade Baixa (center)
 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

The Mercado, however, is pretty much focused on tourists, where you can buy local stuff, food, and craftsmenship. 

It closes by 7 pm, but one hour before there´s a nice sunset view on the 2nd floor, at the bar facing the sea. A good place to take your favorite brazillian juice, soft dringk, beer or caipirinha, as the sun goes down.

Between the Mercado and the sea, there is the touristic harbour, from where boats departing to Morro de São Paulo (see previous post) and other touristic attractions can be taken. 

Farol da Barra - Salvador´s most remarkable landmark

Farol da Barra - Salvador´s most remarkable landmark

Farol da Barra (Barra´s Lighthouse) has now a very beautiful night lighting. During the day, inside its fortress, it is possible to visit a navy museum. In fact, the other next two fortress, going west towards the Bahia de Todos os Santos ("All Saints Bay"), have received night lighting and a urban refurbishment of its sidewalks, rendering a very good spot for a stroll, day or night.

As capital of Brazil during colonial times, all the fortress served as the city´s protection against pirates and foreing forces. 

At night, the sidewalk is full with restaurants and bars, ranging from simple options to sophisticated ones. 

See next posts about the other fortress at Barra. 

Salvador - getting ready for more tourists

A recent trip to Salvador made me notice the city is getting great improvements on its urban infraestructure, espeacially compared to a decade ago.

Metro is being built to reach the ariport (SSA), scheduled to the end of 2017, so hopefully it will be posible for tourists to use it to new year´s eve and 2018 carnival. Few cities in Brazil have the metro or subway reaching the airport, so it will be a great advantage for tourists in Salvador, though regular taxis, uber and 99taxis are also available at the airport. 

Plus, many touristic places at Barra and Rio Vermelho, and espeacially the streets, squares and gardens by the sea were improved by the Municipality, making of it a great place for strolling while feeling the seabreeze. 

The city is becoming far more welcoming to tourists, though the downside is theft/pickpocketing, so I recommend to be very carefull with smartphones, cameras and wallets. Also, there´s still plenty of people trying to insistently sell local stuff; if you´re not interested, just say no (also insistently) and get away. Leave your valuable things at your hotel´s room safe box, and enjoy this formidable historic city, a result of mixed cultures of Brazil. 

Goiás Velho by night

Goiás Velho by night

Goiás Velho by night

The twilight makes the buildings at Goiás Velho even more beautiful.

Goiás Velho by night

At this time, people go out for dinner and to take their beers or caipirinhas in one of the many bars.

Goiás Velho by night

How to get there: the best option is to rent a car either in Brasilia, either in Goiânia. It is quite easy renting cars on Brazillian airports, and most of the companies provide online reservations. From Goiânia it is 2 and a half hours drive, from Brasilia it is 4 or 4 and a half hours drive. 

Goiás Velho by night

Brasilia airport is best connected to both domestic and international flights, but driving from Goiânia to Goiás Velho should be less tiresome. 

From Brasilia, one can either go through the Pirenópolis path or through Goiânia. This last option should take more time, but roads are better and two-laned in almost both ways. 

If you stay on the main roads, you´ll go southwest to Goiânia and them north to Goiás Velho. Googlemaps may show a shortcut through small cities, which will avoid getting to Goiânia, but be aware roads can be bad at those cities, with holes and critical places, leading to considerable speed reducing. Eventually, it can be better to pass though Goiânia and then go up to Goiás Velho.

The first option, going through Pirenópolis - another historic city (see previous post, see lateral bar) - may be better if you have more time and wants to know both cities. But the road is small, and getting behind trucks will reduce your speed; besides, one should drive with more caution. 

Goiás Velho by night

If you go from Goiânia, the road is almost double-laned each way, and the asfalt is quite new in almost of the road. 

There are regular buses linking Goiânia to Goiás Velho, which can be taken at Goiânia bus depot (rodoviária de Goiânia). The distance is estimated to be done in 3 hours. 

Goiás Velho by night

The Cora Coralina Museum at Goiás Velho - Goias Oldtown

The Cora Coralina Museum at Goiás Velho - Goias Oldtown

Cora Coralina´s Museum

The most interesting cultural atraction at Goiás Velho is the Cora Coralina Museum.

She was one of the first women in Brazil to write poetry, and due to prejudice she started publishing with this pseudonym, in some newspapers.

Cora Coralina´s Museum

Born in Goiás Velho, she moved from the city with her family, and since then she lived in many cities at the São Paulo State. After many years, she got back to Goiás Velho, where her family had this beautiful house by one of the Rio Vermelho´s (Red river) bridge.

The bridge over the Vermelho River, and Cora Coralina´s Museum to the right

There she kept her gardens, wrote a lot of poems, and cooked local candies.  

Goiás Velho

Her reconaissance come in her late years, when she started to publish more.

Her bravery against the prejudice and facing life as well, for sure can put her as one of the first brazillian feminists, in a time this term even didn´t exist, or at least was unspoken in Brazil. 

After her death, her house was transformed into a museum dedicated to her. In the basement, a water source is a curious attraction. 

The museum was once afected by a flood, but it is now completely restored. 

The museum guide claims she was a good cooker too, and she didn´t liked to be interrupted while cooking, as she considered this a serious job. 

Even for those who don´t speak portuguese, the museum shows her clothes, her kitchen, her bedroom, and also a room with her prizes, all of them mixed with her most famous phrases. So it offers an opportunity of time travel, since one can see how life was in the early 20th century in this corner of Brazil. 

Goiás Velho

Entrance to the museum is 8 reais (about 2,5 dollars), and visited are always with a guide. It is not allowed to take pictures from inside. They sell her books only in portuguese, and I don´t think they have them translated to other languages. But many souvenirs can also be bought there as a remembrance of this lovely place.  

Goiás Velho

Goiás Velho - Goias Oldtown

Goiás Velho - Goias Oldtown

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

In the Brazillian Highlands, four hours drive away from Brasilia, or two and half hours drive away from Goiânia, the capital of the Goiás State, there´s this charming historic city called Goiás Velho.

It means the Old Goiás, because it was the state´s capital during the colonial period, untill the construction of Goiânia. 

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

The first settlers came in search for gold, and Goiás provided enough to be a capital city. Back them, the province, then State, was formed by what is today not only the State of Goiás, but also the Federal District and the Tocantis State. A really big piece of land in the heart of South America. 

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

As the gold rush ended, politicians decided to build the capital at Goiânia, in 1933, to a southern region of Goiás State. 

Goiás Velho wasn´t favored by history in terms of economic development or population bourgeoning, so it remained in a far way place from the big cities. But I think this made an advantage for keeping the place very authentic and historically protected. 

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

As it is far away from big cities, and also there is no big airport nearby, it remained protected from massive tourism or major economic booms, so the historical buildings are very well preserved. 

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

The mountais surroundig the city make it like a portrait. Humidity is high compared to the surrounding cerrado areas (the brazillian savannah), because there are many rivers near the city. 

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

Goiás Velho - GO - Brasil

And during the holly week, Goias hosts a major festival with a famous procession, called the procissão do fogaréu. I hope furthermore to write about it. 

The National Congress at Brasilia

The National Congress at Brasilia

The Brazillian National Congress building, seen from the Praça dos Três Poderes

The most iconic building in Brasilia is the National Congress. As the map of the city has a form of an aiplane, the National Congress is on its cockpit, just behind the Praça dos Três Poderes - the Plaza of the Three Powers - where also are located the Palácio do Planalto, seat of Brazillian Government, in the northside, while at the southside lays the Supreme Court.

 The Congress Building separates the Praça dos Três Poderes from the Esplanada dos Ministérios - the Esplanade of the Ministries - , whith its gigantic lawn between the blocks which hosts the Ministries. 

The Brazillian National Congress building: inside the Senate Plenary

The Congress Building hosts the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The building consists of an H-form building separating the shells wich hosts the Plenary of both houses. 

The Brazillian National Congress building, words from Juscelino Kubitscheck, the President who built Brasilia

The shell facing down is the Senate, because it is considered the closed Chamber, as representative of the States, while the shell facing up is the Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies, considered more open as represantative of the people.

The Brazillian National Congress building, modernist sculpture

Both can be visited with the help of guides, including in english, french and spanish. For more info in english, go to http://www2.congressonacional.leg.br/visite/agendamento-en. According to the official site, "The program of tours of the National Congress Palace takes place every day, including holidays, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The groups leave from the Black Hall every 30 minutes. However, bookings are only made for Monday through Friday tours."

The Brazillian National Congress building: the Esplanade of the Ministries, seen from the Black Hall

This Black Hall is accesible from the Esplanade side, through the  front ramp. 

The Brazillian National Congress building: the Esplanade of the Ministries, seen from the Black Hall

Within the years, the building became small, and so more annex buildings where added, to host cabinets and rooms for the meeting of the various comissions. The tour guide is restricted to the main building, which is the one of greater interest. Both Senate and Deputies buildings are linked by spacious hallways, decorated with modernist pieces of art.

The Brazillian National Congress building: Senate´s rooftop

The Brazillian National Congress building: one of Ceschiatti´s angel

A sculpture represents the Araguaia river, one of the biggests river of Brazil; one angel of Alfredo Ceschiatti, the same artist who made the angels at the Cathedral is there; and the beautiful blue-painted tiles of Athos Bulcão decorates the green room at the Chamber of Deputies. 

The Brazillian National Congress building: the blue-painted tiles of Athos Bulcão decorates the green room, at the Deputies´Chamber

Some furniture in the main halls came from the former buildings of the chambers in Rio. It includes historic tables, chairs, tapestry, paintings and some sculptures too. 

The Brazillian National Congress building: old furniture brought from Rio, former capital.

The Brazillian National Congress building

The visited guide is advisable for a bit of Brazillian history and better understanding of all the artwork inside. 

Floripa (7) - Santo Antônio de Lisboa

Floripa (7) - Santo Antônio de Lisboa

Santo Antonio de Lisboa, historic building

In the northwest part of Santa Catarina Island, another (once) fischermen´s village is now becoming a trending touristic destination, specially for restaurant lovers. 

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

The coastal street at this neighborhood turned out to be a very nice spot for eating with great views of downtown Floripa and Hercilio Luz bridge. Plus, historical buildings remembering the azorean portuguese heritage.   

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

In fact, oister seafarms, fishing boats, historic buildings and new mansions share this hidden beach amongst downtown and the famous beaches at the north side of the island. All without loosing the air of a small beachtown.

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Since there are no signals at the main road leading to the north of the island, it is not very easy to locate Santo Antônio. One must pass down the main road to get there, at a U turn, and then enter at some of the roads leading to the coastal street. Some GPS maps may be not up-to-date, beware.

Nevertheless, once in the village, the coastal street is close from the main road, and there is a parking spot by the church. 

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

   

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

The place is not that far away from downtown, if compared to the beaches at the south or east side of the island, so a cab or taxi will be less expensive, though never a bargain. 

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Pricy restaurants and some more affordable share the beach view alongside with many craftsmanship stores that can be found in the area, if starting a walk from the church to the north. The beach is very calm and few people take a bath at the very calm waters. 

Santo Antonio de Lisboa, nice view from one of the restaurants

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Santo Antonio de Lisboa, a delicious chocolate coffee

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

After lunch or dinner, a very nice cafe located one block from the church is my suggestion for saying goodbye.  

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Santo Antonio de Lisboa