Salvador, Brazil - Day 1 of 2

We’ve never been to Salvador before so we took an Oceania excursion to see the highlights and get oriented to the city so we can explore freestyle tomorrow on our own. It was a hot day - 29 degrees Celsius - but there was a breeze so it was tolerable. And the tour bus was air conditioned 😁

Salvador is a fascinating city. Its historic area is a UNESCO World Heritage site: “As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Salvador witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures. It was also, from 1558, the first slave market in the New World, with slaves arriving to work on the sugar plantations. The city has managed to preserve many outstanding Renaissance buildings. A special feature of the old town are the brightly coloured houses, often decorated with fine stucco-work.”

Our tour took us to the lighthouse and then on a walking tour of the historic area. It was wonderful. We returned to the ship for dinner and then headed out around 8:30 p.m. to find samba bands and dancing in the historic squares of the old town.

As Brad and I walked to the city elevator that takes you from the lower town to the upper town a police car started driving alongside us and then stopped in front of us. Four officers got out and one asked us where we we’re going. We explained and they expressed concern that we were walking but said we could carry on but to take an Uber home. They then drove alongside us again until we reached the elevator. We reached the square without incident and met up with our friends Geraldine and Thomas and enjoyed a couple of samba bands. So glad we went! (We Ubered back to the ship 😉)Read more