Tuesday (Terça-Feira)

The neighborhood on the outskirts of town where Wally and Marli live is alive with birds. One especially striking little visitor, with a bright yellow chest and belly, sat just a few yards from me, entirely at ease, as I was in the garden enjoying the cool air of the early morning.

Wally woke once again with a headache and chose to return to bed for some additional rest. Meanwhile, Marli was already busy in the kitchen, preparing a traditional Brazilian caramel flan from a recipe passed down by her mother, while Ursula took care of some ironing.

Breakfast did not take place until well past noon, and for a time it seemed as though the day might drift by without much happening. That impression, however, proved to be misleading. We had simply gotten off to a late start. The clock hanging project was postponed until tomorrow, and before long, we all climbed into Wally’s car and set off.

Our first destination was Parque do Cristo, a hilltop park overlooking the town of Araxá, crowned by a prominent statue of Christ. There, I found plenty of opportunities to photograph a variety of unusual plants and flowers.

We then continued to the neighborhood where Marli grew up, visiting the house that still holds so many of her memories. She now owns the two-story home and is in the process of renovating it, with plans to rent it out. As we walked through the rooms, stories from her childhood came vividly back to life. One in particular stood out. At the age of fifty, she entered a beauty contest and won first place among fifteen contestants. She even showed us the poster as proof. Quite remarkable.

As we were leaving, several neighbors gathered to greet us, having noticed our visit. Among them was a woman approaching her ninety-fifth birthday who looked much younger and was as sharp as ever.

Our next stop was the Dona Beja Museum, located in one of the most emblematic mansions in the historic part of Araxá. It pays tribute to an iconic local figure and displays objects and artifacts that tell the story of the city. The building dates from the early colonial period and features architecture characteristic of that era, when gold and diamond mining shaped the region’s economy, including artifacts of early civilization.

Interestingly, today the state of Minas Gerais, where Araxá lies, accounts for roughly seventy percent of the world’s Niobium (Nb) production, a rare metal widely used to strengthen steel.

After returning home to freshen up, we headed back once more to the historic district, where we treated ourselves to a delicious Sushi dinner at Kimono, while it started to rain.

Afterwards, Marli delighted us with a slice of her homemade flan for dessert (sobremesa), for a sweet ending to an interesting day.Read more