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Published: April 12th 2008
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As it had clouded over in Paraty we decided to leave the coast behind for a few days. To do so we had to travel first to Rio de Janeiro, but only to the bus station, the city will have to wait. The coastal road was magnificent, even in the dull lighting provided by the leaden skies. The road takes you past the two nuclear power plants and even on a day like this, the coastal waters seem an eerie incandescent turquoise. Or maybe we just imagined that!!
We changed buses at Rio (surprisingly easy) and headed to Petropolis in the mountains to the North. On the way out we caught our first glimpse of the famous statue of Christ overlooking the city, but soon we disappeared into the mist, then the fog, then the low cloud and rain which was hugging the mountains. By the time we reached the bus station at Petropolis, only an hour away, the weather was truly awful!
Rather than take a taxi, we opted for the local bus into the centre. Although only a few kilometres away, it took longer than the journey from Rio! Then we found a cheap hotel near the
Imperial Museum
Shame it doesn't open until 11! domestic bus station and waited for the rain to stop. It didn't so we got soaked going out for dinner, but we found a nice place to eat so we were happy enough.
The following day the weather was no better so we decided to move on. First though, we put our bags into storage and had a walk around the town. In good weather Petropolis would be a nice place to come. There's lots of different architectural styles built around a system of canals which could be quite picturesque. The Imperial Museum was closed as we walked by but it looked magnificent and the gardens were nice too. The cathedral was interesting, especially the tombs of Don Pedro and Princess Regent Dona Isabel who lay together for eternity like Romeo and Juliet! The Crystal Palace was disappointing but the plazas were nice with their colourful trees and cool fountains.
From Petropolis we took the bus to Teresopolis where the camera never left its bag! The weather was soooooo bad that we only stayed a night. The Varzea Palace Hotel was a bit of a splurge for us. Faded elegance at a reasonable price is always good! We
also found a great restaurant in the
Vagao{/url]. This restobar is in a railway carriage and is very atmospheric. For a price they have beers from all over the world, but we stuck to the local stuff! The Argentine steaks were wonderful too!!!
The following day the low cloud had hardly lifted so we moved on again. The scenery is supposed to be amazing but from the inside of a cloud its difficult to comment!! Novo Friburgo is a much bigger place than we expected it to be. Sadly the weather once againmeant a single night then moving on again. In better weather we could have taken the cable car up the mountain, visited the barrio with Alpine architecture or walked in the National Park. All three were on our agenda but when the Gods are against you, what more can you do?
So, we gave up and caught the bus to Rio. Not a bad alternative eh!!!!
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