Farewell to Sao Paulo . . .

Roadside Fountain, Sao Paulo

What I remember most of this first visit to Brazil is a sense of awe at its tree-lined streets with rich, tropical versions of flowers we thought we knew; its cosmopolitan air of big city bustle contrasting with small neighborhoods, each with its own personality.

We spoke very little Portuguese, and yet our Spanish opened doors everywhere. We walked as much as we could, discovering marks of Brazil's colonial past, even with this small street-side fountain tucked beside a busy road, remembering the past and the influence of Portugal.

In one such neighborhood, passersby sent us to a tiny storefront for the best sushi I have ever eaten anywhere. The exquisitely fresh sushi was served Brazilian style, which means this platter was simply the first, brought to us from an amazingly diverse buffet. We could barely finish and were surprised when the waiter came back to ask, "Are you ready for more?"

Brazilian sushi

Brazil is a largely Catholic country with churches everywhere. The Cathedral of Sao Paulo was no exception, grand outside and in, with a soaring design.

In the great plaza fronting the cathedral, crowds of people went about their business.

The churches I remember best are not always the biggest, but the constant crowds entering and leaving this grand cathedral made us feel as if we were part of this city.

Entrance to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Sao Paulo

Side view of Cathedral of Sao Paulo

The gritty side of traveling can be the unexpected. On our third night in Sao Paulo, we transferred to a small private apartment. The walls were covered with mold. We slept there anyway because we had no other place to go. The next morning, a travel agent wearing a shirt open to nearly the waist with a bright, golden cross, and who worked from a one-room street-side office, apologized profusely in a mix of English, Spanish and Portuguese. Our last two nights in Sao Paulo were spent in an executive studio high rise with sweeping vistas of the commercial district.

But I still remember the flowers.

Touring Sao Paulo . . .

Construction began in 1903 on the Theatro Municipal in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We wandered there early one morning to admire the impressive colonial architecture and the influence of turn-of-the-century Italian art for there's a large Italian population in Sao Paulo even today.

Originally designed to showcase opera, in its first years, according to Wikipedia, over 88 operas were staged. But we were drawn to the sculptures. Despite my best searching skills, and my limitations in Portuguese, I cannot find information about what these sculptures may represent. But here they are, for your enjoyment!

Two massive columns greet the visitor at each side of the building. Perhaps they are Italianate versions of Atlas. Certainly they remind me of Michelangelo's style!

Below: Detail of a medallion over the entrance door. This one looks like the infamous Green Man of Celtic myth.














Finally, an impassive woman graces the base of a column. I've read that Diana, the Huntress, is featured here, but I'm guessing she's one of two massive sculptures atop the building (see first photo). Perhaps below, we see Athena, goddess of wisdom.

While the colonial flavor of the building is marked with Italian style art, I'm not thinking about those glittering receptions or fabulous audiences who come to view performances of dance and music.

Rather, the sculptures seem to speak to the effort, the sheer work, the inner reflection required, and the tenacity (like stone), of making something beautiful.

NEXT: For the next few weeks, I'll post highlights from our trip to Brazil, photos and memories I hope you will enjoy. If anyone knows more about these sculptures at the Theatro Municipal, please comment!

UPDATE: Also, just for the month of September, you'll find my e-book, The Mermaid Quilt & Other Tales, on sale for .99 at Amazon and Smashwords. The Smashwords version features a few of my travel photos.

Remembering Sao Paulo . . .

When we come home from travels, what do we remember?

From one short month in Brazil, I remember our first days in Sao Paulo, its wide, palm-lined trees, its curious air of gentility despite the grand vistas of a major city (I was stunned to realize 19 million people live in its metropolitan area).

But our neighborhood was quiet, a small posada now closed that we found by searching that most valuable travel planner, the Lonely Planet.

Out for walks past mellow, yellow flowering vines, past the central plaza, we would turn a corner and see a street mural, outrageously vibrant and colorful, art that pleased everyone.

Street Mural, Sao Paulo (Camp 2009)

Fresh, flaky croissants for breakfast in a street side cafe. Unforgettable coffee. 

Coffee in Sao Paulo (Camp 2009)

I remember those first unhurried days before the desire to see everything overtook us.

This was our first stop in a four month trip through South America beginning in January, 2009 -- one month each in Brazil, Argentina, a ten-day cruise around the Horn with friends, and then to Uruguay, Chile and Peru. Somewhere as we crossed the border from Chile into Peru, I lost my notebooks and my laptop, so only those photos and notes that were uploaded into this travel blog remain.

For this September, I shall write about this trip and remember.

How do you keep your travels close?

Farewell to Sao Paulo . . .

This morning we leave Sao Paulo for Rio, a 7-hour bus ride on a "sleeper", but beaches beckon.

Yesterday we invested in a dictionary, that and the newspaper supplement the appendix in Lonely Planet. Spanish and Portuguese continue to melt together, and we both function reasonably well.

Yesterday also was perhaps our greatest adventure here in Sao Paulo as we took the METRO to the Museu Afro-Brasil and were delighted by the exhibits there. My favorites were absolutely fantastic quilted wall hangings of the jungle, elephants, monkeys, exquisite flowers, bright colors, tiny, tiny stitches. Ah, no pictures allowed.

And we encountered Yemanja, a sea goddess with a mermaid tail, ruler of the top half of the ocean, creator of the first man and woman, most commonly shown with a syncretic overlay of the Virgin Mary, complete with blue robe, hands trailing pearls, and, at times, her mermaid tail peeking from beneath her skirts. We may actually be in Salvador coincidentally on one of the days celebrating Yemanja as Our Lady of Seafarers (Nuestra Senora de Navegantes).



The true adventure began on our way home on the METRO at rush hour. Every single image you may have of people crammed into a subway car is true. I have never seen so many people in one place at one time. I was able to plough through a wall of souls by crying out: "Succor! Desculpa!! Obregada!" (Help! Excuse me!! Thank you!) and so we made it home.

Picture from: http://turningstonesranch.com/TSR_yemanja.htm

Exploring Sao Paulo . . .

No matter what time of day we walk out on the streets of Sao Paulo, there's always something new to see. Today we took the METRO and made three transfers to take a walking tour in the Sampa neighborhood (see the slideshow below). Allen's gray hair causes people to jump up and offer him a seat for here in Brazil most people are younger. The METRO is easy to use and was very crowded on the way back to our hotel.

But we were able to see the Theatro Municipal with its monumental sculptures in baroque style, including Hercules, and pass by a lovely Parque Anhangabau, where once the Tupi-Guarani people called this valley, Demon's Valley, for they believed bad spirits once lived here. Today the Parque is entirely baroque in style, with a fountain of bronze horses to rival Rome's Trevi Fountain. We visited several churches and a cathedral, stopped for coffee, and then ended the day at Kazan, a highly recommended Japanese restaurant. Sao Paulo has the largest community of Japanese outside of Japan and their sushi is touted to be the best in the world. We agree!

Thanks to craigslist again and the internet, we were able to secure an apartment in Rio just one block from the beach in Copacabana, where temperatures will be in the upper 70s. By Jan 8, we'll be headed south, with fond memories of Sao Paulo to carry us. I think I will remember most the little gated city gardens, the very friendly people despite our fragmentary knowledge of Portuguese, the very fast drivers (including helmeted motorbike drivers), and with a population in the city itself of 12.6 million (29 million including the suburbs), I think we barely scratched the surface!

Enjoy the slideshow or download any picture directly from Webshots (see link to the right).



Sao Paulo, Brazil