Retracing Our Steps

6/30 – 7/1/14

With the Round of 16 games coming to a close (man, I can’t believe this thing is more than half way over), we had two free days to roam around Recife and do some of the sightseeing we missed the first time through. We headed back to Olinda to watch the France v. Nigeria game. Part of me was really rooting for Nigeria to win – they’ve done so well and it would be great to have one of the African teams (or Asian teams for that matter) move on to the quarterfinals for once. But alas, France won and I can’t be too disappointed in that. I got a chance to mail some postcards and let me tell you: people in the States should give our postal service a hell of a lot more credit. I have a very soft spot in my heart for the USPS and if you disagree, you should travel outside the U.S. sometime and try to use another country’s post office. Sure there can be long lines and rude people – but that’s just a human issue, not specific to any one industry. The level of service and efficiency at USPS, not to mention the bargain basement prices (when was the last time you waited 45 minutes in line to mail 10 post cards for $25?), are worth well more than their reputation back home affords them. So kudos to the USPS and now I’ll get off my soapbox about it.

Olinda Market with Igreja da Se in the background

That is A LOT of coconuts

Olinda laundry

We spent the afternoon walking the charming colonial streets of Olinda and checking out the Church of Our Lady of the Mount and the San Francisco Convent, the latter of which was beautiful! If I had to be a nun, I’d want to live in this convent for sure! We ended up at the same rooftop restaurant as before to watch the Algeria v. Germany game. Once again, I was rooting for the African team to qualify (Algeria was so close, they played so well!) and always rooting against Germany; but the Germans made it through, as expected, and will be playing France in the quarterfinals. (I’d like to think there’s hope that France could beat Germany but I kind of doubt it.) Surprisingly, the place was pretty empty, which is unusual for a game – quite possibly because most of the tourists were gone by now, since there are no more World Cup games scheduled in Recife. [Nick: Tourists are mostly gone and it was a weeknight. The wait staff was super nice to us and were interested in the game along with us.]

Convento de Sao Francisco

Convento de Sao Francisco

Portuguese paintings at Convento de Sao Francisco

Convento de Sao Francisco courtyard

Vultures over Convento de Sao Francisco

Convento de Sao Francisco Sacristy

Portuguese painting at Convento de Sao Francisco

Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo

Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo

Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo

Our last morning in Recife was spent at Boa Viagem beach, lounging in chairs, and drinking coconut water – which I realize totally sounds like bragging. ;o) But if it makes you feel any better, we didn’t get in the water because it’s considered Brazil’s most dangerous beach. We were told that high tide is the most dangerous time to be in the water at Boa Viagem thanks to unusually large numbers of bull and tiger sharks that roam close to shore. With a record setting average of 3 shark incidents a year (59 bites in the last 21 years, over 30% of which are fatal), it may be the first time I’ve given the idea of swimming with sharks any pause. Scientists attribute these outrageously high numbers to untreated effluent and recent dredgings at the port; so rest assured it’s not a Jaws-type situation. (For you aquarium folks, here’s a good article on the whole mess: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-and-tv-19720455.) So we spent our morning just enjoying the beach part of the beach, lounging around, people watching, and either being annoyed or entertained by the vast array of venders that wheeled or walked past every couple of minutes. [Nick: There was a vendor selling kites and we saw a Costa Rica one!! A mom had just bought a kite for her little girl and seemed so happy with it; naturally, we had to get kites to take to Isabela and Camila.] But alas, the rain came a few hours later and we headed back to change and get ready for the day’s games.

Recife from the beach

Boa Viagem Beach

Boa Viagem Beach

Using an air mattress at a float

Boa Viagem Beach

Some people braved the waters at low tide but didn't go beyond the reef

We tried to watch the Argentina v. Switzerland game in the historic Santo Antônio neighborhood but were surprised at how hard it was to find a restaurant with a tv. Clearly, this part of town is more of an administrative/commercial area. So we headed back to Recife Antigo to catch the rest of the game (yay Argentina!) and roam the streets before the next match. We saw the museum where they build the giant Carnival puppets that we saw parading through the streets a few days before, which (randomly enough) was situated right next to what is supposedly the oldest synagogue in the Americas (now just a cultural center). The most impressive site was across the river: the Cupola Dourada or, rightfully named, the Golden Chapel. Built at the turn of the 18^th century, there was so much gold leaf in this windowless Baroque chapel that it almost appeared lit up!

Recife Antigo

Santo Antônio

Capela Dourada statues

Creepy face!

Capela Dourada sculpture

 

Capela Dourada

Capela Dourada

Capela Dourada

Nick admiring the Capela Dourada