Fortaleza, Brazil
Fortaleza, one of Brazil’s largest cities, is
also one of the most beautiful and underrated places in the country. Claimed by
the Portuguese in 1500, settlement of northern Brazil began around 1603 but
only in the coastal areas due to battles with the natives when they tried to go
inland. It was actually the Dutch who built the first fortress here in 1649, a
place they called Fort de Schoonenbrorch. Just five years later it was captured
by the Portuguese who ousted the Dutch and renamed it Fortaleza Noosa Senhora de
Assuncao, then shortened it to just Fortaleza as the city began to grow up
around the fort. Later on, during Brazil’s fight for independence Cearà was a
rebel stronghold and eventually became the first state to abolish slavery.
Today it’s known for its 34 km (21 mi) of sunny beaches, delicious food, and
friendly people. The Mercado Central is the main gigantic shopping mall
that has four stories and can be fun to wander in. Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil.
Mickey and I joined another couple from the world cruise, Tressa and Zarkov, (from Bulgaria) and headed to the Mercado Central which is a huge flea market. As we wandered through the many stalls, it reminded me very much of the Mexican markets we have been to - just a whole lot bigger! We split ways with our new friends as we both looked to do some exploring on our own. It was the day after Christmas and unfortunately for us, many of the places we wanted to see were closed for the holidays. We caught pictures of a beautiful church but were unable to go inside, so we wandered around on our own, then took the advice of Geraldo, one of our Greyhawk neighbors who is from Brazil and had a fabulous lunch at Coco Bambu, right on the beach with a great view of our ship across the bay. We of course had the native drink, Caipirinha, and it lived up to its reputation.
Recife, Brazil
Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil. We’ve arrived at the “Venice of Brazil”, so called
due to the many canals, waterways and bridges throughout the city known as
Recife. The name itself actually means “reef”, although the nearby coral is
struggling these days here in the state of Pernambuco, one of the oldest
settled areas in the country. When the Portuguese first established a colony
here in 1537, they called this land Terra de Santa Cruz and the local settlement
was a small fishing village, it was the nearby Olinda that was the larger town
to begin with. Sugar cane production created the wealth that came to
the town, as well as harvesting the coveted brazilwood, or pao brazil which
grows only in the northeast of the country and where the nation’s name
eventually came from. An aside here as you may be wondering what they actually make with brazilwood, well, most bows for instruments in the violin
family are made from it. Embaixada dos Bonecos Gigantes or Embassy of the
Giant Dolls can be found near the synagogue. These giant “dolls” are used at
Carnaval in the parades and celebrations, they’re images of famous people of
Brazil and throughout the world, current or historical, and they may even be
imaginary. The list includes The Beatles, Neymar, the Pope, and Darth Vader,
just to name a few.
We had a delightful day touring Recife and Olinda. Just grabbed a taxi driver at the port and negotiated a 5-hour drive around the 2 cities. It was incredibly hot today, but the 2 towns did not disappoint. We went to multiple churches and convents, museums, an old prison that has been converted into a shopping mall (the old cells were the stalls) Great use of the building today. The beaches are beautiful and will be totally packed over the weekend, to bring in the new year. Again, a great lunch recommendation by our Greyhawk buddy, Geraldo. Very interesting set up - it is a terraced restaurant with different dining venues at different levels of the hill side. They did have a funicular to get back to the top! The city was much larger than we expected - some very modern buildings mixed in with the old.
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