Thursday was the religious tour of the city, noting important buildings that fall under that category. (I felt a little like the odd object in the "which object doesn't belong" game because of touring around with 4 ministers.)
One of the interesting things we saw was Kilometre 0, the very centre of Recife from which everything was measured. Sadly, I did not stand exactly on that point as I had to hurry and catch up with the men who had moved on already.
 |
| the streets of historic Recife |
Recife is beautiful, alive with a multitude of colours. We wandered through the historic part of the city in order to make it to the Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue, the first one in the New World. It was established in 1636 by Spanish/Portuguese Jews who had lived in the Netherlands. The synagogue flourished while the Dutch controlled the Northeast part of Brazil - a little bit of history from the home front (-:. Eventually, the Jews were kicked out of Brazil and moved to New Holland, which is now known as New York.
 |
| prayers stuck in the wall of the interior |
 |
| so colourful even inside |
And then (and then, and then) the long weekend! I was able to go to Maragogi with "the Canadians" for the weekend, a town along the Atlantic Ocean. The waters are so blue, the area so photographic. It was hard to put away my camera for even a few moments, trying to capture the beauty in order to share it and take a little bit of it home with me instead of relying on a faulty memory. We did so much that there is not anything else to do but sum up: walks along the beach, lunches in restaurants that overlooked the ocean (inches away from sand), early morning rains, attempting to order pizza without a translator, sand, waves, and brilliantly blue skies.
One of the more memorable experiences was to have a conversation with a couple of ladies who did not speak English, and yet we were able to communicate that we were from Canada, that this was our first time in Brazil; we exchanged names, were told that the mangoes we had been eating were no good, and were generally made to feel welcome at the pousada (bed and breakfast) where we were staying. Oh, did I mention that we could walk out of the front door, across the street, and onto the beach from the pousada? Ocean lovers, be envious. The skies and waters were spectacular.
Monday morning began ridiculously early after a late night eating an R.O.U.S. - a capybara which is the largest rodent in the world. (Do a quick google image search. They're actually rather cute. For a rodent.) I was worried when I woke up to the rain in the morning, but it cleared up just as we reached the beach to walk out to the reefs and sand bars.
The way out was somewhat treacherous, slowly picking our way over the sea urchin-inhabited reefs. But it was more than worth it. There is nothing like standing out in the ocean, feeling the waves wash over you, watching the sun rise higher in the sky as the clouds slowly dissipate, and eating cake for breakfast.
We did actually make it back to the pousada in time for a proper breakfast of fruit, tapioca, and coffee, before going our separate ways between breakfast and check out time. I went for a walk along the beach with a friend, stopping every few feet to gush over the beauty of creation and to snap a couple other shots.
A hasty departure marked the beginning of the end of our stay in Maragogi, although we managed to prolong our relationship with the ocean by yet again eating practically on the beach and then lounging about, patiently waiting for traffic to die down (what a tough thing to do!) Now I can check "nap on a beach in Brazil" off my bucket list (after I quickly add it) and share yet a few more pictures that reminds me how insignificant and special I am:
 |
| ah yes, the unavoidable touristy shot |
It is really special to be able to share experiences like this with others, and I am so thankful for the relationships I was able to cultivate over the weekend.
1 comment:
Looks awesome Maria!!
Post a Comment