Olinda

After a little overnight rain, the day was hot and humid. This was true of every day on the trip with temperatures in the 30s.
This was also the first of many good breakfast buffets with cereals, fresh fruits, pastries and coffee.
Baruco, my guide, arrived at 09.00. We walked through the hotel's garden with its Royal Palms, figus, mango, coconut palms and other varieties of trees, noticing the sign about being aware of falling mangoes and coconuts. There were sculptures by the hotel owner.
We walked to the San Francisco Convent where there were young friars in casual dress. The baroque 18th century building has walls covered with azulejos tiles depicting colonial life. We continued to the Igreja da Se Cathedral which had great views from the terrace of Olinda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and, in the distance, Recife.
After visiting one of the many artist's shops in town, we drove along the steep hillside roads, flanked by colourful houses and shops, to the Mosteiro de Sao Bento. In the past, the lovely altarpiece had been disassembled for a Brazilian exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in the USA.
There was a demonstration by striking employees outside the Mayor's Office, maybe taking the opportunity of the forthcoming elections to make their point.Read more