Recife, Brazil

On Wednesday, November 18th, we docked at the port city of Recife which is on the very eastern coast of Brazil.  There are a number of natural reefs along the coastline, thus the Portuguese name Recife which means "reef".

Recife skyline

To tour the area, we shared a taxi with a couple from Australia for the morning.  Our taxi driver spoke a little broken English so between the Aussies and ourselves and some guidebooks we were all able to communicate enough to enjoy and understand the sights that we visited. 

First we visited the historic town of Olinda ("Oh Beautiful") located about 4 miles north of Recife.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Located up on a hillside overlooking the ocean, this is the area where the colonial elite once lived.  They made their fortunes from sugar plantations back in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Despite Brazil's limited economic resources for preservation, this area is remarkably well preserved.  The cobblestone streets, colonial buildings and magnificent churches were very charming.  We toured several churches that were adorned with ornate wooden carvings, colorful tiles and gold trim.  The churches were clearly the center of the community during colonial times.

A beautiful day for this panoramic view from the hillside

Olinda's "Cathedral Heights" area

Convento Sao Francisco (built in 1585)

Beautiful gold trimmed altar

Intricate ceiling fresco and
signature Portuguese blue tiles on the walls

Igreja da Se Cathedral on the hillside of Olinda

Igreja do Born Jesus Church

Olinda entertainment district in old colonial homes

After Olinda the driver took us through Recife pointing out places of interest to us.  He dropped us off at a busy market at the Casa da Cultura which was very cool.  The market is located in a historic former prison.  Each little shop was located in a prison cell.

Historic prison re-purposed for shopping in Recife

Imprisoned shoppers

Prison cell

Governor's Palace in Recife

At the end of the tour, the driver dropped us off at the waterfront a few blocks from our ship in a tourist area developed around "Point Zero" which marks the place where the colonials first landed in Recife (sort of the Plymouth Rock of Recife).  It is a very picturesque area and a was a great way to end our morning spent touring with the Aussies.

In the late afternoon, we enjoyed a colorful musical and dance performance on the deck of our ship performed by a local folkloric dance group.

Brazilian cowboys singing and dancing on deck

Brazilian folkoric group

Dancers on deck

 We sailed out of Recife and headed south to the resort town of Armacao Dos Buzios.