I arrived in Recife around 19.30 and took the metro to Joana Bezerra where I changed to a bus to Boa Viagem, where my host lives. I was surprised they have metro here!! Yay! And it worked so fine. It even announced how much time it was left for it to come! Haha.
Apparently Recife’s infrastructure is among the most developed in Brazil for travellers and business people.
I found the building where my host lives – huge complex, he lives at the 14th floor with a cool view over other sky scrapers and the beach (all though you don’t see the beach at night). And Jose was supernice! Like the first second he gave me a map over Recife and showed me some different attractions and how to get there and I liked him immediately.
His apartment is so nice too, filled with travel photos on the walls and different souvenirs from all the countries he has been to. A well traveled and experienced couchsurfer and host :)
Boa Viagem at night, view from the balcony!
My host José aka Zé and part of his wall of travel photos
My hosts living room :)
We prepared some dinner, a nice sallad of fresh mozzarella, tomato, balsam vinegar, carrots and warm bread in the oven. We talked a lot and then around 12ish I went to sleep, so tired! Haha.
Next morning I had some breakfast looking out over the buildings and the sea and then went to Olinda (where I’ve already posted from).
Taking care of the plats in the balcony :)
Good morning Recife!
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil, with about 3,8 million inhabitants. It’s the capital of the state of Pernambuco.
Recife is a major port on the Atlantic Ocean. Its name comes from the coral reefs that are present by the city’s shores. On wikipedia they say Recife is like ”the Brazilian Venice” because of the many rivers, small islands and over 50 bridges found in Recife city center. But I didn’t really find it that way.
The city of Recife is formed by three islands. I walked between two of them, where the historical center and the city center is. I visited a nice handcraft market and tried to find the ”important buildings” in the historical center, but I couldn’t find it really. I had a map but I wasn’t sure if that was the right building or not.. haha. But there are a few nice churches and colorful buildings, which I always enjoy :) Hehe.
The sculpture park at the port is made of Francisco Brennand
Some houses by the harbour
A street in the historical center. I like the round christmas light and the shade of the trees :)
The main hand craft market
Such a nice work. You might not notice the details….
…But here you see a close up :)
Plenty plenty of churches here though. I talked to some people and they are very friendly here, but so stressed. There is people and shops everywhere, and people walking around. Everyone seems like they know where they are going and that they are in a hurry. Is not really ”just walking around and chilling”. I wanted to sit down somewhere just to chill, but I couldn’t find a nice place or a park to hang out there. So I felt stressed there compared to calm and pretty Olinda. I like more the neighbourhood of Boa Viagem.. even if it’s very modern, it’s much calmer!
At night I had a dinner with my host again, we did a brazilian couscous with hot vegetables. :)
The bridge between the islands
San Francisco church I think
On of the central park in Recife
Basilica Nossa senhora do carmo
Church… Igreja do Pratos? Don’t know really
People waiting for the bus
Dinner with José. Haha, He had just put in a spoon before the photo went off, and he said ”I think I did a face, the food was so hot!” hahaha
I was leaving the afternoon next day, and my host works from like 7.30. So I woke up early and did some breakfast (he usually don’t have time to eat it in the morning even if he wants to). Super nice. I really feel at home at his apartment and I got the keys to it even before I met him haha. So then we said good bye and he left for work.
I visited the ”Oficina de Ceramica Francisco Brennand”. It wasn’t that easy to get there – It took about 1,5 hours and a few bus-changes and then had to take a taxi the last kilometers, because the museum is sort of in the middle of a forest outside the city.
These four guys welcomes you to the museum
Francisco Brennand is a famous contemporary sculpture artist in Brazil. His studio is set in an old ceramic tile factory that belonged to his father Ricardo. It’s a huge house with a studio, workshop, a gallery with his paintings and a museum of the sculptures he does. Really impressive!!
”Visitors traveling down Recife to the famous atelier are experiencing a dreamlike trip into a strange world. While there the visitors can take note that the studio is divided into two sections, the indoor and the outdoor. The courtyard is where you walk through a footpath enclosed by a Romanesque arcade leading to the outdoor section filled with sculptures. At the end of this area is the indoor section where a temple like structure can be found. The structure has a dome ceiling. ”
Very impressive courtyard
The walls
Nice sculpture
The courtyard and part of the fountain
The courtyard and big butts. Te gusta Duilio? ;)
The fantastic Francisco Brennand museum
It really is one of its kind!.. really remarkable! The museum with over 2000 pieces which all are different from each other and the gallery with his paintings and also his tile work is very impressive and very unique. There is everything from symbols to animals to butts to people to penises.. haha.
One of the rooms filled with sculptures
A hall with ceramic paintings
Love the small white tiles with black dots, looks like skulls.
The factory where they make wall tiles
Cool special faces. Reminds me of långa farbrorn!
The marx park, designed by famous desginer Marx with Brennand scupltures
After the museum I got back to the neighbourhood Boa Viagem, had lunch and then packed my back and got to the Rodoviaria.
Good bye lovely room :(
Bye bye Recife, hello Salvador!
