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Published: October 25th 2007
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The prophets
Aleijadinho's work in Congonhas Gus was a V6 Mercedes truck customised by Dragoman to carry up to 23 passengers. Happily we were 2 of only 8 people on this trip. Lucy and Franz were the drivers making 10 all together.
On the way to Ouro Preto we all agreed to make a stop at Congonhas to see the collection of prophet and passion sculptures by Aleijadinho. Aleijadinho was a famous sculpture and architect who continued to sculpt after his feet and hands had disappeared, most likely due to leprosy. The church was beautiful, set on a hill top with the prophet figures on the staircase leading down to the domed buildings containing scenes from the Passion of Christ. It was well worth a stop.
We had been on the road from Rio since 8 am. We arrived in Ouro Preto (Black Gold in english) at 6 pm. A long day but fairly comfortable on the truck. We could stretch out and enjoy the scenery. As we got near our destination there was a lot of burning going on. Natural or started by humans, we couldn't tell, but it made the countryside ugly. We could feel the heat as we passed some spots. In
Ouro Preto we stayed at the Hostel Bruma which had a commanding view of the centre of town.
Using Gus for transport, we took a guide for a mine tour. First stop was quite a distance away but somehow only on the other side of town. Not sure how that worked. It was an open Topaz mine not hugely interesting. Not too much information was volunteered by our guide or the guide at the mine. It was fairly much a buying opportunity. And we couldn't help it. We bought a piece of raw Imperial Topaz for R$5 (US$2.50), mined there, and a lovely big cut amethyst for R$20. Cheaper than store prices but not by much. Next was the gold mine. It was R$17 each to get in and we were thrilled by the slower version of the Indiana Jones trolley ride to the bottom of the mine. We had some facts presented by a guide who worked down there. It had closed 20 years ago after two or three hundred years. It no longer provided viable quantities of gold. Some of us went for a swim in some lovely cold and clear water under lights. Apparently the water
went on for a couple of kilometers but we weren't keen to swim the whole thing.
Ouro Preto is a busy wee tourist town but we still enjoyed the picturesque (and steep and slippery) cobbled streets and charming atmosphere of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the tourist office we brought a map for R$7 which is a bit expensive but a nice souvenir, and started exploring the town by visiting the Museum of Science and Technology - Mineralogical Museum. It was big and worth the R$5 entrance. There were fossils and information about mining but the best part was the fantastic collection minerals. Huge, Capybara-sized chunks of quartz. A dark room with masses of gold and other raw minerals kept in lovely old wooden display cases. They had minerals from all over the world and even from out of this world .. some meteorites. Another room with natural light had three or four times as many display cases and after careful searching we found some New Zealand greenstone.
At the Museum of the Casa dos Contos, R$5, we found all the usual coins and coin stamps and it was interesting to see how many times the currency
had changed recently. The building used to be the tax collection office for the Portuguese government. In the basement with the bedrock showing was where they used to keep the slave. They now kept some of the shackles down there and lots of old household items.
The Museum of the InconfidĂȘncia, R$6, was open at noon and the clock struck noon and the doors opened as we approached. Being the second people in we could whip around without the crowds. There was lots of historical stuff including some Aleijadinho pieces.
You pay to enter the churches here. R$2 to get into the Church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo which is the main cathedral. Fantastic painted ceilings and a room out the back with a beautiful ceiling also.
For R$2 we visited the Museum of the Oratory. It contained lots of altars for praying. Big ones that you would find in rich peoples houses, down to little portable ones that people in the street could use. There was even a pendant-sized one.
The Museum Casa Guignard (R$2) was the house of an artist. Not that interesting art but a pretty little house, typical of the town centre.
The Church of San Franscico de Assis was R$5 to enter but there was a museum in the back room containing a few Aleijadinho pieces. The ceiling of the church was painted with lots of blue sky, very memorable.
At the hostel we met a young NZ physio, Katie, who preferred to work with children because adults tended to fail to do the exercises set for them between sessions and came back complaining about the pain. Hmm .. well .. I (Rae) went a little embarrassed being one of those people in the past.
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