Olinda


Advertisement
Brazil's flag
South America » Brazil » Pernambuco » Olinda
February 22nd 2008
Published: February 22nd 2008
Edit Blog Post

From Maceió we travelled up the coast to the UNESCO heritage town of Olinda. Although Olinda is just 6 km north of Recife, when Soraia and I were there we managed only to see its nightlife and not the beautiful historic centre. And it was definately worth the return visit!

The historic centre of Olinda sits up on a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Its cobbled streets are filled with colonial buildings painted in a variety of different colours. But whats really great is the the cultural element of the city. On every street there are artist workshops and the sound of the marakatu drums or frevo comeing out of the windows of houses. What really struck me was the mix of old and new - the old crumbling coloured buildings of Olinda and the sight of the metropolis of Recife in the distance. I spent a few days in Olinda soaking up the atmosphere, making the occaisional trip into Recife to train capoeira with Mestre Mago once again. Got a bit disapointed when i returned to an artists studio to buy a painting i really liked - only to find him closed!Oh well´cést la vie...plenty more shopping opportunites on the way....:-)

The final highlight of the week was the Friday night Chorinho group. Chorinho is a traditional style of Brazilian music originating from Rio. A group of men and women took to the streets of Olinda eith their instruments, followed by the local residents who all helped to sing along. It was really a beautiful and emotional thing to see, especially when the group anounced that they were singing a song to in tribute to a member of their group who had died, which went along the lines of "we will always be friends although you are gone". A perfect way to end the week.


Additional photos below
Photos: 13, Displayed: 13


Advertisement



Tot: 0.064s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.042s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb