Praça dos Três Poderes - the Three Powers Square

Praça dos Três Poderes 

- Three Powers Square

The National Congress, view from the Praça dos Três Poderes 

- Three Powers Square

Shaped as an airplane, the cockpit of Brasília is the Praça dos Três Poderes - the Three Powers Square.

The Supreme Court, view from the Praça dos Três Poderes 

- Three Powers Square

It hosts the National Congress building, seat to the Legislative branch, the Palácio do Planalto, seat to the President of Brazil, and the Supreme Court, most important court of Brazil. 

The Supreme Court and the Praça dos Três Poderes 

- Three Powers Square

The Square hosts also some sculptures, the National Flag, the National Pantheon, an underground room with a mockup of the city, an ethernal flame and a monument honoring Juscelino Kubitscheck, the President who built Brasília. 

The Palácio do Planalto, seat of Brazil´s President at the Praça dos Três Poderes

Don´t forget to bring a hat and loads of sunblock, as the Square has no trees, in respect to Niemayer´s concept of enhancing the splendid form of the buildings, in juxtaposition to the landscape and Brasilia´s incredible sky.

The Praça dos Três Poderes 

- Three Powers Square, seen from a nearby building

Each monument can be visited, but not everyday. Visits to the Congress happens more often (see post about Congress); visits to Planalto Palace and Supreme Court depends on schedule. Other buildings may be available for visits depending on the time and on the day. But there´s always something to do at the Praça dos Três Poderes. 

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. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral: Niemayer´s masterpiece

Brasilia´s Cathedral: Niemayer´s masterpiece

Brasilia´s must see is doubtlessly its Cathedral. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

Located in the end of the Esplanada dos Ministérios (the ministries´esplanade), it is the most symbolic building in the city, and maybe the most known. 

On its entrance, the four bronze-made statues of the Evangelists wellcomes the visitors. A dark tunnel on a down ramp leads to its hall, incredbly enlighted by the always-sunny days of Brasilia, making a colorful spectacle under the white and blue stained glass.

The three angels inside are suspended by steel cables. They, as the Evangelists, were sculpted by Alfredo Ceschiatti, who was aided by Dante Croce. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral, a milimetrical replica of La Pietá can be seen, just by the side of the via crucis painted by Di Cavalcanti. 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

The baptistery has an ovoid form. On its walls there is a panel made of ceramic tiles, painted in 1977 by Athos Bulcão, a famous painter of tiles, whose art is spread all over the city´s most iconic buildings. 

The bell tower countains four large bells, donated by Spain, completing the architectural ensemble.

The Cathedral is also very beautifully enlighted by night. The experience is quite different, so its worth going both day and night.

 

Brasilia´s Cathedral

Brasilia´s Cathedral

 It is very close the both North and South Hotels Sector, and some touristic companies offer day tours to the main monuments of the cities. 

Brasília hosts perfume marketing

Brasília hosts perfume marketing

Though even among Brazillians there´s a certain controversy about our capital´s beauty, Kenzo had no doubts on choosing the city for this marketing video:

The buildings choosen as background where the National Congress and the Republic Museum. Both are relatively close, in the civic area, at the Ministries´Esplanade. 

The modernist conception of Brasilia took advantage of its location, where almost-always-blue skies and a relatively plain terrain in the Brazillian highlands allowed big green areas separating the buildings, connected by large streets, making a unique city. 

This combination of strong sunlight and poetical architecture indeed provided a perfect scenery. Oscar Niemayer probably never thought that the ramps of his buildings would be used as a catwalk. 

Manaus, the capital of Amazonas

Manaus, the capital of Amazonas

Beyond the meeting of the waters, many people can´t believe that inside the Amazonian rainforest there´s this industrial two-million people city on the shores of the Rio Negro (Black River).

Manaus is the capital of the Amazonas State, the biggest State in land extension of Brazil and for sure bigger than most countries in the world.  

Manaus is the economic hub of the North Region of Brazil, which comprises other 6 states. It is an industrial city, due to tax incentives implemented during the military dictatorship in Brazil (during the 60s-80s), but kept so far. Though many people inside and outside Brazil criticise this system, others claim that this industrial model with tax incentives kept people inside the city, avoiding the colonization of the countryside and, thus, the deforestation of the Amazonian rainforest in the Amazonas State. From cell phones to motorbikes and plasma TVs, many industries are placed in the city.

For tourists not travelling just for business, the most interesting attraction in the city is its historic centre. It hosts the Amazonas Theater, a huge european-style theatre built during the rubber economic cycle.

By the end of the XIX century and beggining of the XX, demand for rubber skyrocketed in the world, and the Amazonas became its main source. 

So Manaus experienced a time of great prosperity, when suntuous buildings rose in the city. Unfortunately, when the british started to produce rubber in southeast Asia, Manaus lost its wealth for long time. 

But it is amazing to find this impressive theatre in the middle of the jungle, hosting operas, lyric presentations and shows. 

Manaus and the shores of the Negro

Manaus´historic centre

Manaus´historic centre

Corcovado

Corcovado mountain (Rio de Janeiro)

The most iconic monument in Brazil is doubtless The Christ The Redeemer, atop The famous Corcovado mountain.

Hugging The Guanabara Bay, and thus downtown Rio, The Christ is a symbol of Brazil itself. From its top you can see , if you look to where He looks, the Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf) mountain, the Marina da Glória, the Flamengo and Botafogo neighbourhoods, the city of Niterói in the other side of The Bay.

A bit to The North, you can see downtown, The Sambadrome and The Maracanã stadium.

Looking to The direction of his right arm, you´ll see Ipanema and Leblon districts, The Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and The Gávea Rock in the horizon, further West.

Getting up the Corcovado!

You can either hire a shuttle service to the top, a taxi or take the Corcovado train. Personally, I think the arrival by shuttles and taxis are a bit messy. And unless you´ve previously scheduled your return, you´ll have some difficulties to get down the mountain. 

For adventurers and well prepared people, hiking is also possible. In fact, the Corcovado is part of the Tijuca Park, the largest urban forest in the world. The city of Rio embraces this forest, with some notorious peaks and stones, as the Pedra da Gávea (Gávea Rock). Some parts of the Park can be reached by bike, but not Corcovado, because it is very high and inclined. 

So, the best option to get up is by the Corcovado Train, at least for regular tourists and without much time to loose. If that´s your case, I strongly recommend buying the tickets in advance, at this site: www.corcovado.com.br. The site has english and spanish versions. You can arrive at the basis Station located in Laranjeiras district at working hours and buy the ticket directly there, but speacially during weekends and hollidays, it can result in a very long time waiting in line. So, very simply, if you have the ticket bought in advance, you´ll just climb the train at the scheduled time. 

Also, the train is historic and goes up among the forest, with some nice views of the city and, eventually, with samba players singing some of the most known sambas. It is quite an experience. Besides, when arriving, there are some elevators and mecanic escalators to take to the top, what is very convenient for disabled or old people. However, as there´s no scheduled time to get down, you may have to wait in line for the train, but the good thing is you don´t have to mind about the time while appreciating the landscape.  

At the top there´s a snack bar, but it is advisable to take your own food and drinks, because it is always full of people and a bit expensive. Don´t forget taking a sunblock in sunny days, because the only shadow you got there is from Christ´s arms. 

Then, it is all about enjoying the view!