|
 He was good, very good. Good all the time and everywhere.
His kindness caused me nausea. I don't know why, but it did.
By Brazzil Magazine
PETRÓPOLIS
Petrópolis is a lovely mountain retreat with a decidedly European flavor. It's only 60
km from Rio de Janeiro, making it an ideal day trip. Petrópolis is where the imperial
court spent the summer when Rio got too muggy, and it's still the home of the heir to the
throne, Princess Isabel's grandson, 78-year-old Dom Pedro de Orleans e Bragança. He runs
a real-estate business, and can often be seen riding his horse around town.
Wander around, visiting Petrópolis' attractions, or ride by horse and carriage through
the city's squares and parks, past bridges, canals and old-fashioned lamps.
Information
From any newsstand or souvenir shop, you can pick up a copy of the Guia de
Petrópolis, in Portuguese and English, for $6. It's even sold at newsstands in Rio.
Walking Tour
This tour is around four km and takes about two hours, including time spent at the
attractions. Start at the Catedral São Pedro de Alcântara, which houses the tombs
of Dom Pedro II, Dona Teresa and Princesa Isabel.
As you leave the cathedral, turn right down Rua 13 de Maio and walk a couple of hundred
meters past some crummy shops, until you reach the river. Cross over and turn left for the
Palácio Cristal, an iron-and-glass structure built in France, then imported in
1879 to serve as an orchid hothouse. Continue down Rua Alfredo Pachá. You'll see the
Bohemia beer brewery on your right. Sorry, no free samples.
Turn left again into Avenida Rui Silvera and go down to Praça Rui Barbosa. Cut across
the park to the right, and up towards the pink university building with the floral clock
in front. Next door, perched up high, is the Casa de Santos Dumont, the interesting
summer home of Brazil's father of aviation. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm.
Go in and have a look.
As you leave, turn right and start walking uphill, then turn right at the first street
on your right. There's a sign advertising the Hotel Margaridas. Keep walking uphill,
always taking the right fork, until you reach the Trono de Fátima, a 3.5-meter
sculpture of Nossa Senhora de Fátima Madonna, imported from Italy. From here you have a
great view of the town and surrounding hills.
Head back down the hill, past the university and through Praça Rui Barbosa (you may
want to grab a drink in the park), then along Avenida Koeller, where you'll pass some fine
mansions. Turn right at Avenida Tiradentes and make your way up to Petrópolis' main
attraction, the Museu Imperial, housed in the perfectly preserved and impeccably
appointed palace of Dom Pedro II. One interesting exhibit is the 1720-gram imperial crown,
with its 639 diamonds and 77 pearls. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from noon to
5.30 pm; it costs $0.30 to get in.
For Places to Stay and Places to Eat read the book.
Entertainment
For a drink in elegant surroundings, try Casa d'Angelo, on the corner of Rua do
Imperador and Rua da Imperatriz. In the suburb of Itaipava, there are lots of nightspots
along the Estrada Bernardo Coutinho.
Getting There & Away
From Rio, buses to Petrópolis leave every half-hour from 5 am onwards. The trip takes
1 ½ hours and costs $2.50.
Around Petrópolis
If you have the use of a car, take a ride out on the Estrada Industrial. It's 70 km to
the little church of São José de Rio Preto. You'll pass a few good restaurants on the
way.
In Itapaiva, visit the Recanto porcelain factory. In Pedra do Rio, find the hiking
trail to the Rocinha waterfalls in the Secretaria neighborhood, and then visit the farms
and ranches of Posse.
Vassouras
Vassouras, a quiet resort 118 km north of Rio, was the most important city in the
Paraíba valley in the first half of the 19th century. Surrounded by the huge fazendas
of the 19th-century coffee barons, the town still wears the money they poured into it.
They were literally barons, for 18 of them were given titles of nobility by the Portuguese
crown. With the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the resulting decline in coffee
production, Vassouras' importance diminished, and this preserved the town.
Museu Chácara da Hera
Vassouras' favorite grande dame is the noble heiress Eufrásia, a woman who
claimed devotion to Vassouras despite palaces in London, Brussels and Paris. Her home, the
Museu Chácara da Hera, is on Rua Fernandes Junior, and is open Wednesday to Sunday from
11 am to 5 pm.
Fazendas
There are a few old churches in the Center, as well as old buildings of the schools of
medicine, philosophy and engineering, but the real attractions of Vassouras are the coffee
fazendas. Unfortunately, if you don't have a car, you're in for some long hikes.
Although the historical preservation institutes protect the fazendas, permission
must be obtained from the owners before touring the grounds. For more information, ask at
the Casa de Cultura, next to the cinema on Praça Bardo do Campo Belo.
Nine km from town is the Fazenda Santa Eufrásia, one of the oldest in the area, dating
from the end of the 18th century. If you have a car, take the road to the small town of
Barão de Vassouras, five km away. Pass through the town, and after three km you'll see
the impressive Fazenda Santa Mônica, situated on the banks of the Rio Paraíba.
The Fazenda Paraíso and the Fazenda Oriente are further out on the same road.
For Places to Stay and Places to Eat read the book.
Getting There & Away
The bus station is on Praça Juiz Machado Jr., frequent buses make the 2 ½ -hour trip
to Rio ($6). The first leaves at 6.45 am, with others leaving every 1 ½ hours after that.
TERESÓPOLIS
Do as Empress Teresina did and escape the steamy summer heat of Rio in the coot
mountain retreat of Teresópolis (910 meters), the highest city in the state, nestled in
the strange, organ-pipe mountains of the Serra dos Órgãos. The road to Teresópolis
first passes the sinuous curves of a padded green jungle, and then winds and climbs past
bald peaks, which have poked through the jungle, cover to touch the clouds.
The city itself is modern, prosperous and dull. The principal attraction is the
landscape and its natural treasures—in particular the strangely shaped peaks of Pedra
do Sino (2263 meters), Pedra do Açu (2230 meters), Agulha do Diabo (2020 meters), Nariz
do Frade (1919 meters), Dedo de Deus (1651 meters), Pedra da Ermitage (1485 meters) and
Dedo de Nossa Senhora (1320 meters). With so many peaks, it's no wonder that Teresópolis
is the mountain climbing, rock climbing and trekking center of Brazil.
There are extensive hiking trails in the region, and it's possible to trek over the
mountains and through the jungle to Petrópolis. Unfortunately the trails are unmarked and
off the maps, but it's easy and inexpensive to hire a guide at the national park, or go
with a group organized by one of the hiking and mountaineering clubs in Rio.
Teresópolis is not simply for alpinists: it's a center for sports lovers of all kinds.
The city has facilities for motocross, volleyball and equestrian activities—many of
Brazil's finest thoroughbreds are raised here—not to mention soccer. The city bears
the distinction of hosting Brazil's World Cup soccer team.
Orientation
Teresópolis is built up along one main street, which changes names every few blocks.
Starting from the highway to Rio in the Soberbo part of town and continuing north along
the Avenida Rotariana (with access to the national park), the road is renamed Avenida
Oliveira Botelho, Avenida Alberto Torres, Feliciano Sodré and then Avenida Lucia Meira.
Most of the sites are west of the main drag and up in the hills. The cheap hotels are
found in the neighborhood of the Igreja Matriz de Santa Tereza, Praça Baltazar da
Silveira.
Information
Tourist Office The Terminal Turístico tourist office is in Soberbo, at the
intersection with the road to Rio. It's open daily from 8 am to 11 pm, and the view of Rio
from the office is great. If you're traveling by bus, however, it's a hassle to get to;
you can pick up the same maps at the tourist stand on Avenida Lúcio Meira, which is open
Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.
Post & Telephone The post office is on Avenida Lúcio Meira. The rodoviária
has a phone station for long-distance telephone calls.
Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos
The main entrance to the national park is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm (admission
$0.25). The 3.5-km walking trail, waterfalls, swimming pools, tended lawns and gardens
make this a very pretty park for a picnic.
Other Attractions
The Mulher de Pedra (Rock Woman) rock formation, 12 km out towards Nova
Friburgo, really does look like a reclining woman.
Colina dos Mirantes is a good place to view the Serra dos Órgãos range and the
city. On clear days you can see as far as the Baía de Guanabara. To get there, take
Avenida Feliciano Sodré. The Quebra Frascos, the royal family of the Second Empire, lived
in this neighborhood. The best spot for viewing the Dedo de Deus peak is from
Soberbo.
For Places to Stay and Places to Eat read the book.
Getting There & Away
The rodoviária is on Rua Primeiro de Maio, off Avenida Tenente Luiz. Buses to Rio
depart every half-hour from 5 am to 10 pm ($4, 1 ½ hours, 95 km). There are seven buses
to Petrópolis (from 6 am to 9 pm), and plenty to Novo Friburgo.
Getting Around
To get to the park from the city center, take the hourly `Albuquerque Soberbo' bus
($0.50). Its last stop is the Terminal Turístico in Soberbo.
NOVA FRIBURGO
During the Napoleonic Wars, Dom João VI encouraged immigration to Brazil. At the time,
people were starving in Switzerland, so in 1818, 300 families from the Swiss canton of
Friburg packed up and headed for Brazil. The passage to Brazil was horrible; many died,
but enough families survived to settle in the mountains and establish a small village in
the New World.
Like Teresópolis and Petrópolis, Nova Friburgo has good hotels and restaurants, as
well as many lovely natural attractions: waterfalls, woods, trail, sunny mountain mornings
and cool evenings. (it's chilly and rainy during the winter months, from June to August.)
The Cônego neighborhood is interesting for its Germanic architecture and its apparently
perpetually blooming flowers.
Information
Tourist Office The tourist office on Praça Dr Demerval B Moreira is open daily
from 8 am to 8 pm. As well as maps, they have a complete list of hotels, including the
cheapest, with updated prices.
Post & Telephone Both the post office and the telephone office are on Praça
Getúlio Vargas. There's also a branch of the post office at the bus station.
Things to See & Do
Most of the sights are a few km out of town. Scout out the surrounding area from Morro
da Cruz (1800 meters). The cable-car station is in the center, at Praça do Suspiro.
Cable cars to Morro da Cruz run from 10 am to 6 pm on weekends and holidays. Pico da
Caledônia (2310 meters) offers fantastic views, and launching sites for hang-gliders.
It's a six-km uphill hike, but the view is worth it.
You can hike to Pedra do Cão Sentado, explore the Furnas do Catete rock
formations, or visit the mountain towns of Bom Jardim (23 km north on BR-492) or
Lumiar (25 km from Mury and a little bit before the entrance to Friburgo). Hippies,
cheap pensions, waterfalls, walking trails and white-water canoe trips abound in Lumiar.
For Places to Stay and Places to Eat read the book.
Entertainment
The place to go is Baixo Friburgo, Rua Francisco Sobrinho, opposite the Friburguense
Football Clube. There are four bars in a row—Ancoradouro, Campestre, Deixo Saudade
and Frago Legal. On Friday and Saturday nights, it's packed.
Things to Buy
Cinderela Artesanato works with semiprecious stones and sells heraldic family shields.
Praça Getúlio Vargas has shops where homemade liqueurs and jams are sold. Nova Friburgo
bills itself as the lingerie capital of Brazil, and there are lots of factory outlets
around town.
Getting There & Away
Nova Friburgo is a little over two hours ($6) by bus from Rio via Niterói on 1001
Lines. The ride is along a picturesque, winding, misty jungle road. From Novo Friburgo,
buses to Rio leave every half-hour to an hour from 5.40 am. To Teresópolis there are four
daily buses, at 7 and 11 am, and 3 and 6 pm ($4, two hours). If you're heading to the
coast, an adventurous trip is to catch a bus to Lumiar and from there catch another to
Macaé.
Getting Around
The local bus terminal is behind Praça Getúlio Vargas. Local buses go to just about
all the tourist attractions. Ask for details at the tourist office.
THE ITATIAIA REGION
The Itatiaia region, a curious mix of Old World charm and New World jungle is comprised
of Itatiaia, Penedo and Visconde de Mauá. This idyllic corner of Rio de Janeiro state was
settled by Europeans—Penedo, by Finns, Itatiaia and Visconde de Mauá by Germans and
Swiss—but it is now popular among Brazilians of all ethnic groups. Resende is the
main center for the area.
The climate is alpine temperate and the chalets are Swiss, but the vegetation is
tropical and the warm smiles are purely Brazilian. There are neatly tended little farms
with horses and goats, and small homes with clipped lawns and flower boxes, side by side
with large tracts of dense jungle untouched by the machete. This is a wonderful place to
tramp around green hills, ride ponies up purple mountains, splash in waterfalls and blaze
jungle trails without straying too far from the comforts of civilization—a sauna, a
fireplace, a soft bed, a little wine and a well-grilled trout! Budget travelers beware:
the region is frequented by wealthy Cariocas and Paulistas, so food and accommodation tend
to be expensive.
The region lies in the Serra da Mantiqueira's Itatiaia massif, in the northwest corner
of Rio de Janeiro, and borders the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The Parque
Nacional do Itatiaia is due north of the Serra de Bocaina. Itatiaia Turismo (511-1147), at
Rua Visconde de Pirajá 540 in Rio, arranges weekend bus tours from Rio to Penedo,
Visconde de Mauá and Itatiaia.
RESENDE
Resende, the largest city in the area, is the transport hub for Penedo and Visconde de
Mauá. Resende has no tourist attractions, but it is the home of Brazil's military academy
(Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras) and a university.
For Places to Stay and Places to Eat read the book.
Getting There & Away
Buses from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo go to and from Resende several times a day.
From Resende it's reasonably easy to hitch, or catch a taxi or bus to your final
destination. Cidade de Aço lines runs 11 buses a day to Resende from Rio, the first
leaving at 7 am and the last at 9 pm ($6, 2 ½ hours).
Excerpts from Brazil - A Travel Survival Kit, 3rd edition, by
Andrew Draffen, Chris McAsey, Leonardo Pinheiro, and Robyn Jones. For more
information call Lonely Planet: (800) 275-8555. Copyright 1996 Lonely Planet Publications.
Used by permission.
Buy it at
Amazon.com
Lonely Planet
Brazil - A Travel Survival Kit
by Andrew Draffen, Chris McAsey,
Leonardo Pinheiro, Robyn Jones,
704 pp.
Send your
comments to
Brazzil
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed