Curitiba is thousands of kilometers from north-east of Brazil and the difference is abysmal as the distance. From the cool climate to the looks of the people, from landscapes to house architecture. Everything reminds a little corner of Germany here in Curitiba. Lacking only the snow because everything else is already there.
Curitiba is not as cozy as the metropolis of the north-east, for example Salvador de Bahia, but has been recognized among the cities that stand out for their environmentally sustainable urban development. The city’s architecture is very modern and cosmopolitan, green parks and oases appear at every turn. The city buzzes with college students and it seems really alive.
Back to Salvador de Bahia and São Paulo
Back to Salvador de Bahia. What a thrill to meet it again, so sensual, shiny, black… more beautiful than the first time and we also have the good fortune to meet again some friends for one last moqueca with macaxeira and feijoada together.
Back to São Paulo. What impression to meet it again: relentless, ever-changing, cosmopolitan… in a breathless mix of looks, cultures, religions, a strong heart that never stops beating.
A few hours and we can already feel the electrifying air of a fiery sunset, those that penetrate the soul and blind thoughts, already walking toward the sweet rest of the starry night, feebly illuminated by a honey-colored moon…
Salvador de Bahia, black soul
Salvador de Bahia is a living city, sensual, enveloping. It breathes its own cadence, without hesitation or shyness, very black: a happy alchemical lotion generated by a turbulent and difficult past.
The black soul of Salvador pervades every alley and is associated with contagious smiles, happy eyes and finely wavy hair, an ostentatious happiness shamelessly mixed to the worst misfortunes. Every glance reminds Teresa Batista home from the wars, the masterpiece of Jorge Amado, who is one of the most illustrious adopted sons of Salvador.
Salvador de Bahia and Itaparica
Often chance plays some wonderful jokes: walking in the center of Salvador de Bahia we meet friends from Corumbá. We had not found in Rio where we were in the same beach, but everything happens 2,000 km further to the north.
First taste of Nordeste, the vast region of Brazil where everything is mixed and changes face…
The island of Itaparica extends in front of the Bahia de todos os santos. We get lost in long stories and visit the village on the island, so it’s late when we try to take the ferry back to Salvador. After 3 hours of happy expectation, we can take the last passage, but we are so many on the ship that after a few meters we run aground and only with great difficulty we take the short drive to the port of Salvador de Bahia… chills. Soon comes the night and to celebrate the success of our adventure, we eat a delicious moqueca de peixe, the most typical Bahian dish: palm oil, dogfish, coconut milk, vegetables, rice and farofa. The Nordeste, black soul, sensuality, smiles, music and taste.