Vitoria, Recife and CARNAVAL!

Friday, February 17, 2012 – Vitoria, Brazil

We sailed five miles up the river to get to Vitoria, the capitol of the state of Espiritu Santo. We were docked in the center of town and we found very nice tourist info young adults to help with a wheelchair and taxi. Ilse, from Sydney Australia, came with us. She has a rollator and walks very well but it was nice to have some company also. The city has 300,000 people and the roads are hilly and steep. We toured quite a few churches – Igreja de Sao Goncalo, Capela Santa Luzia, Theatro Carlos Gomes (with an Italian façade), Catedral Metropolitana de Vitoria, Escadaria Maria Ortiz (steps) and the Parque Moscoso. In one of these churches, they found human bones in the foundation so the wall they cleverly placed four pieces of glass, like a window pane, over the human remains. In the Parque, we enjoyed the exercise equipment area – you could do a complete workout -- and we were surprised that J and Ilse did as much as they did. I asked the taxi driver to get us two Cokes and he came back with two fresh coconuts! Something lost in the translation there but we enjoyed them. There were beautiful stained glass windows in the cathedral and CHICKENS in the courtyard. Hot and sweaty, we returned to the ship and were asked to sit at the special luncheon table with the tourist information group who were onboard for lunch – was a nice time.

Gene and I went off on the public bus 509 to the area of the pottery makers – paneleiras -- had no trouble with the buses and I really don’t know which corner we exited the bus (but know it was before the airport) and the man beside me was very helpful. We walked one more corner and asked another man and he pointed to what looked like an auto repair shop! In we walked, and there was a fire in the sand with wood and the pottery being “fired” right there in front of us. One man invited us in to the primitive “shop” and the other was using his knife and water to smooth the edges of the lids and bottoms of the casserole dishes almost ready for firing. Very interesting, very simple and not at all what we expected. So that was that. We took the bus back, passed the WALMART (who would have thought they were here?) and back to town. Walked to the government building, the Palacio Anchieta, which also houses the tomb of Padre Anchieta. The tomb is the focus of devotional pilgrimage; he was one of the co-founders of Sao Paulo. The metropolis grew from the small highlands chapel he built in what is now the city center in the 16th century. It was originally a 16th century Jesuit college and church.

We had a nice sail away; there was a tug boat attached to our bow with a long rope. We finally cut them loose and the tug went to the starboard side and did “wheelies”!! It was such fun to watch and you could tell they were having a grand old time doing them. Such children!!  We were in the river and very close to land at several points; there was a beautiful monastery at the top of one mountain.

Nick Page, direct from London’s West End performing at Jean Valjean in Les Mis, was the entertainer. He was fabulous – I went to both shows. There was also a local samba school onboard at 3PM – all ages and abilities.

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

Saturday, February 18, 2012 – at sea

Forgot to mention that we had a nice singing tour with our taxi driver in Rio/Niteroi. Whitney Houston just passed away and our driver had her CD. One of her songs was the first song he and his wife had danced to so he played the CD and he and I sang all the songs. What a wonderful memory of our drive from Niteroi to Rio…

Today was formal night – Prinsendam singers and dancers performed. Culinary Arts demonstration and the other activities.

“Brazil is a 100% energy-independent nation.” -Think about that. Doesn’t that tick you off??? Why aren’t we…think of the millions they have been given by the USA.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” - Pat Conroy

Sunday, February 19, 2012 – Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Port call canceled due to civil unrest. Day at sea.

Portuguese class, computer class, next port of call discussion where they told us it was Carnaval and to be careful, don’t go here, don’t go there, don’t wear this and don’t take that. So we’ll see what we end up doing and seeing or if we have two days on the ship!! We have to be sensible. Tex Mex BBQ out on deck and two hours of open bar since Salvador port of call was cancelled; nice dinner with friends. We are singing in the choir! Two songs.

Rosario Strings trio played a very nice concert. Great movie – Moneyball. We really enjoyed it for a late night out.

And then Gene’s glasses broke. Just fell apart in his hands. And not as easy fix – like screw it or something; they need to be welded and of course everything is closed for Carnaval. One more saga to be continued…

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark

Monday, February 20, 2012 – Recife, Brazil

It is Carnaval time! And we have an overnight here. It was not supposed to be an overnight but with the cancelled port, it worked to our advantage. Known as the Brazilian Venice, Recife is surrounded by rivers and is dotted with islands and mangroves. This is the state of Pernambuco; sugar cane industry prospered with the import of African slaves from the 16th-19th centuries and their influence has a major impact on the area. The first Jewish community and synagogue of the Americas was founded in the city. The inhabitants were eager to expel the Dutch, carried out the Pernambucan insurrection. Most of the Jews fled to Amsterdam while others fled to North America, starting the first Jewish community of New Amsterdam, now known as New York City.

We were up to explore to try to find an optometrist and a medical clinic. We found neither. All store fronts, churches…are all boarded up. Every business in town is closed. That tells you the damage caused by Carnaval. We were docked in Bairro do Recife and we could walk easily to the Carnaval area – about two blocks from the ship. The vendors were either sleeping on the sidewalks or cleaning up from last night. There was absolutely nothing to see – every public building and private business was closed. We had lunch on the ship to escape the heat and then took J out for a walk in the main squares to get a feel for the Carnaval. Very large faces, about 14 feet high, were being paraded by men inside the puppet faces. Kids started arriving on buses in costumes and entire families were dressed in costumes. The asphalt and ground was littered in confetti. It was interesting.

We wandered over the bridges to the Santo Antonio area and then to Boa Vista.
After dinner, we went out again and what a different scene. The bands were so loud on two stages, there were various TV screens to display the group on stage and the costumes were lavish and must have been ghastly hot to wear. They carried banners, wore head dresses and glitter adorned every inch of costume. A dog even wore a hat, costume and diaper! It was very loud but a very good time. There were sidewalk cafes and vendors with food and drink. The drink vendors even sold hard liquor. Some people went around collecting the aluminum cans to be turned in for cash, we assumed. We got caught up in the flow of the parade and were pushed along with them. Finally, we were able to veer off to a side street and things calmed down. It was very nice and you felt welcomed and everyone had a smile and good attitude.

Back to the ship for dinner and Nick Page concert and then we went out again. Well, this time the families were gone and it was all young adults and teenagers and the atmosphere reflected the change. Alcohol, the stench of urine, sweaty bodies with little clothing on bumping in to you…yech. Not the scene I wanted to remember so we did a quick tour and headed back to the ship. I can’t imagine what the Rio and Sao Paulo events are like.
There is another section of the Carnaval in Recife and that is supposed to be louder and not as family-friendly as the one we enjoyed tonight. Tonight’s memories of Carnaval will do me just fine.

“Brazilian law prohibits smoking in all public rooms while our ship is in Brazil. Smoking is only allowed on the designated outside decks and on stateroom balconies while the ship is in Brazilian Territory.”

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli