Brazil: Recife

From Olinda we rode the local bus to Recife historic center for a tour. Recife is another child of the sugar fortune. Sugar was so lucrative that the Dutch captured and controlled the region in the 17th century for 24 years. Though it was brief, the layout of the center remains Dutch and it was the Dutch that determined Recife's prominence over Olinda.

Recife reminded us much of Rio, except worse for wear. Again the past riches evidenced in the churches were amazing, at the same time such reminders of the violent basis that gave rise to European powers.

The historic center of Recife, the Island of Recife plus the Peninsula of Bairro do Recife, is reinventing itself around Marco Zero, a small 'Km 0' marker in the middle of the broad waterside Praça Rio Branco, marking the place where the Portuguese founded Recife in 1537. The yellow building with two domes is the new CAIXA Cultural Center.






And on the north side, the Cais do Sertão Museum.


Former Building of the Port Inspection of Recife (1st below) and another nearby historic building.




Just off the Praça Rio Branco, the Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue is on Rua do Bom Jesus (Street of Good Jesus), aka "The Jewish Street". This street is very busy with tourists, touts, and vendors.








Some street scenes.






Over the bridge in Bairro do Recife are the Pernambuco government municipal buildings like the Palace of Justice (1st below) and the old Train Station (2nd below)




Nearby are a few very extravagant churches like the Capela Dourada, a chapel of the Franciscan Order. First below is the painting of the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan which hangs on the wall of the chapel. Second below: tons of gold leaf.




Co-Cathedral of St. Peter of Clerics






Lunch at Vegetariano Restaurant.


Lastly, we stopped in the Recife City Museum to investigate F.H. Carls, a 19th-century lithographer who worked in Recife, and is related to my cousin Danny on his mother's side. We received a very warm welcome from researcher Sandro who showed us a folio of Carls's lithographs put together by the city of Recife in 2007: "The 2007 "Album de Pernambuco e seus Arrabaldes - 1878 Lithographs of F.H. Carls".


Carls had an office/workshop/company on Rua do Marques de Olinda. The building does not exist today although the street is in the same location, but maybe it's shown in the print below.


Teatro de Santa Isabel - at left in the print below. And my recent photo (2nd below).




Patio do Terco




View to Olinda from Recife.