Brazil: Sao Joao del Rei

From Petropolis we headed into Mina Gerais, first to Sao Joao del Rei, founded by the 18th-century gold rush. While the city has many old churches, two of the best ones are closed for renovation, the Cathedral (1st below) and San Francisco (2nd below). Yet every morning around sunrise, there would be hundreds of strikes of church bells, far and near. The view from the sidewalk just outside our Airbnb in an historic house (3rd below).







The town is not particularly touristy, and doesn't seem to be particularly concerned about tourists. Nevertheless the townspeople are particularly hospitable and the local buses are free. There is a university. We later looked it up. Brazil's public universities are federally run, tuition free, and educate almost 10% of the college age kids, with quotas and assistance for low income and historically disadvantaged groups. We have been so impressed with Brazil in so many different ways.

Looking to Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (1st below) and Carmo at night (2nd and 3rd below)






The Sao Joao City Hall catches the eye for sure.


On ascending a compelling set of stone steps, there is a city view from Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Mercês. We walked up those steps at least 3 times to take in the view; once at night.






There is a tourist train that runs several times a day from Sao Joao del Rei to nearby Tiradentes and back. The old station (below) is pretty cool.






The morning we left San Joao we first walked up to their Cristo Redentor for a view of the city.




Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário.


Teatro Municipal

Brazil: Petropolis

From Rio we started heading north, first to Petropolis, ~60km in the hills and 850 m.a.s.l). It is a planned city commissioned by King Dom Pedro II as a summer retreat, and first settled by German immigrants. Today the old center appears distinctly European, even the centro commercial area bustles the way European towns do. Coffee built much of Petropolis.

On the second day we took city buses to Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, and did a little hiking in the Atlantic Forest. Most people were setting off on the 3-day traverse. Surprisingly, from the bus rides, we saw that many, many people live in the hills outside Petropolis, and the morning commute is not single directional towards town. People were going all directions all over the place. No wonder the city center bustled.

The Petropolis Cathedral was setting up tents and about to celebrate its centennial when we walked in. The tombs of the Imperial Family are here.




Many Mansions were built when Petropolis was rich, from 1870 to 1914, and King Pedro II summered here at the Imperial "Summer" Palace (1st below - no photos allowed inside). Not to mention the Bohemia Brewery (2nd below).








The most interesting mansion is the so-called Casa dos Sete Erros (House of Seven Errors). Why this name? There are seven deliberate and distinct differences between its two halves. But can you spot them? The building is undergoing a much needed major renovation and we were not able to go inside.






Palácio de Cristal (Crystal Palace)


Lutheran Church.


There were also some nifty mid-20th-century modernist and art deco buildings. First and second below is the old train station, now the bus station, designed by Oscar Niemeyer - we'll see his work again and again on this trip. The Art Deco Teatro D. Pedro is 3rd below.








On our second full day in Petropolis we took two buses, in what we thought was the direction opposite to the morning commute, to get to Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, only to find commuters going in every direction. We were lucky to get seats!




The side trail, Circuito das Bromelias, was very cool, with waterfalls and pools, and lots of bromeliads.










Then up, up, up to the Veu da Noiva (Bride's Veil Waterfall).




There was a well-tended cabbage field near the return bus stop.


And a Caracu Sweet Stout with dinner was pretty darn tasty.


Some bonus scenes around town.










We twice ate lunch at a tasty pay-by-the-kilogram Taiwanese-run vegetarian restaurant.