On the outskirts of Olinda, we drove through the area of the black community before taking the road to Recife which was by far the larger part of a continuous conurbation with many high-rise buildings. In the old town, we walked to the Marco Zero near the harbour from where all distances in the State of Pernambuco are measured.
The former building of the Bank of London and South America, demonstrating the British trading connections with the city, is now the Caixa Cultural, a museum and exhibition space. Other commercial buildings had a British interest and there's a British cemetery. British pirates attacked ports along the coast, and Admiral Cochrane may have been in Recife supporting Brazil's war of independence against the Portuguese.
We visited the Embaixada dos Bonecos Gigantes, giant puppets of the King, Queen, the Beatles, Pele, Messi and many other personalities paraded during Carnival.
We walked past the Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel, the site of the oldest synagogue in the Americas.
Many buildings in the old town were being renovated and we went inside a previous convent which still had its superstructure and facade but had been hollowed out with a bank, cafe, shops and offices inside. On the way, we passed a man who had been a car washer for 35 years with a bag of keys of the owners who trusted him.
We drove across some bridges to the modern part of the city and had lunch at a kilo restaurant in an area with many private hospitals and clinics.
There were many election banners and supporters on the roads.
There were areas along the pavements in Recife and Olinda with trees and plants protected by small fences, all part of the worship of candomblé.
Back at the hotel, I had a salad for dinner and then scrolled through the TV channels, full of novelas, some from other countries dubbed in Portuguese, before having an early night to catch up on sleep.Read more
October 1 in Brazil