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Published: June 14th 2009
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I can’t believe I’m finally home. It’s been 24 days since I left, but I’m back on the ground in Philadelphia after a grueling 30-hour trip comprised of 4 flights, 2 six-hour layovers, and only 4 hours of sleep. Home sweet home, at last! My trip to South America was fabulous, but I am glad to be home with my family and friends. I miss Breckenridge, and I’m looking forward to getting back there, too. First, though, my little brother (not so little anymore!) is graduating from high school tomorrow, so that will be a great day. All the family is gathering, and my brother Taylor is back from Italy, so we’ll all be reunited. The first time my family has been together since last October!
Enough with that, though. You surely want to read about the last of my trip - to Brasilia - rather than ramblings about my family. Rodolpho and I flew to Brasilia on Wednesday morning to spend a couple days with his mother Ana before I returned to the States. It’s about an hour and a half flight from Rio, although the same trip would take about 16 hours by car, according to my knowledgeable
guide. He grew up there, so he should know! Brasilia is the capital of Brasil, surrounded by the state of Goias, to the northeast of Rio. Sixty years ago it did not exist. I erred in my last post by writing that Vargas decided to move the capital of Brazil from Rio to Brasilia - that is incorrect. In reality, it was President Juscelino (sp?) Kubitschek who willed the construction of the city, which was completed by 1960 at the cost of billions of dollars. Because it was built from scratch, the urban planner (name forgotten) and architect who designed the city (Niemeyer) had full artistic license, and boy did they exercise it. The city is shaped like a bird, or an airplane, and around the southern end of it is a symmetrical artificial lake that wraps around the lower portion of the city like wings. At the head of the airplane, near the lake, is the national mall, a stretch of government buildings very much like the National Mall in Washington, DC. At the tip is the Three Powers Square, a vast paved square flanked by the Supreme Court, the Office of the Executive where the President works (Palacio
JK Bridge
Named for Juscelino Kubitschek, the president who decided to create Brasilia do Planalto), and the Congressional building. Everything is modern (a la the 1960s) and stylized, and the buildings give the vague impression of floating above the ground (as they were designed to do). The “body” of the airplane is flanked by identical, monolithic cubes of glass and concrete that house all of the nation’s ministries. Between these is a broad stretch of grass, just like in DC, though with considerable fewer tourists and souvenir stands. In fact, one of the things that impressed me most was how approachable it all was. Living in DC, you get used to walls and barriers and guards around all the important buildings of state; in Brasilia, you can walk right up to the doors of Congress without so much as seeing a guard. Surprising! We toured the National Cathedral, a marvel of stained glass in the shape of a teepee, and then visited the cultural museum next to it which featured a display of Latin American modern art from the early 1900s. The outside of this building resembles nothing so much as the planet Saturn - complete with rings! It’s bright white, and I sort of felt like I was walking into a spaceship
Palacio da Alvorado
The Sunrise Palace, home of the Brazilian president (currently Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva) as I climbed up the entrance ramp.
There is a really cool bridge that takes you back across the lake to the south side, which is where Rodolpho’s mother lives. They call it the Punto JK, after the president who founded Brasilia. We walked to the bridge from his house, which gives you an idea of how close she lives to the lake. We also drove to President Lula’s house, which is another floating example of Niemeyer’s creative vision. It’s slightly outside the city, overlooking the lake, and it’s called the Sunrise Palace (translated). I imagine the sunrises are beautiful over the lake! We also drove by the vice-president’s residence, and visited the Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil, which had a pretty good collection of Russian art from the early 1900s. An unexpected treat. Everything was free.
The nicest part about Brasilia, though, was that we had a chance to relax. I spent one afternoon lounging in the sun and reading next to the pool, and some more time watching TV and playing with Rodolpho’s dogs. We ate well every meal, and entertained the ambassador of Hungary one night, as well as other guests. (THAT was interesting,
Statue in the Three Powers Square
Representing the indigenous peoples of Brazil trying to follow three conversations at once in Portuguese!!!) We went to the gym on Friday morning and I got to take a dance class with Ana. The dance was forro, pronounced “fo-ho”, and it was a blast. I wouldn’t call myself proficient, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself. It was fun to learn and easier than samba, and I think I’ll have to come back to Brazil someday to get some more practice ; )
The last night of my trip, Friday, was incredibly fun. They took me to a holiday festival called the Festa Juninha which was being held at a type of country club. Festa Juninha is celebrated nation-wide throughout the month of June, but it originated in the northeast. The best analogy I can make to describe Festa Juninha is that it’s a cross between a state fair and Halloween. The purpose is to celebrate rural people and farmers, so all of the little boys are dressed by their mothers in flannel and ripped jeans, while little girls wear ruffled dresses. Everyone comes - families, teens, grandparents, couples - and there is music, and dancing, and a bonfire, and drinking, and lots and lots
Pillar of Government
Singlehandedly upholding the democratic congress of the Federative Republic of Brazil : p of eating. Rows of food stalls surround the area, and over the course of the night I got to try Brazilian foods from all over the country. Churrasco from Mato Grosso do Sul, tapioca from Pernambuco, alacaje (?) from Bahia, milhe (corn) soup from ???, wine, chocolate fondue (OK, not Brazilian) - you name it, I ate it. There will be more of these parties throughout the month of June, but since this was my only chance I made sure to sample as much as possible - and deemed that an acceptable excuse.
The Festa Juninha party was a fun way to taste the flavors of Brazil and experience the traditions of its people. I can’t think of a better way to end my trip. The music was fun, and lively, and the folkdance we watch was highly entertaining, not to mention energetic. When we finally left sometime past midnight, I was satisfied that I’d had a good glimpse of the “real” Brazil in my eight days there. I’ll definitely come back someday because there’s so much more to see, but Rio and Brasilia were a great place to start. Next time I’ll come during Carnaval!
So end
my travels…for now. Wanderlust has a firm hold on me, and I’m privileged to have the time and means to experience many of the fascinating places and peoples in the world. I need some more pages in my passport, and then I’ll surely be off somewhere else. So until then…take care. You can find me in Breck!
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