Brazil
Fortaleza

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 330

      Fortaleza

      January 28, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      In der fünfgrössten Stadt Brasiliens genossen wir die riesige breite Strandpromenade und spazierten durch die Gassen.
      Langweilig ist uns generell selten bis nie, doch bringt Brasilien in letzter Zeit eine ziemlich faule Seite von uns zum Vorschein.
      In Fortaleza wurde die Vorkarnevalszeit gefeiert, wobei wir besonders die Kostüme feierten. Umzüge zogen laut durch die Strassen und es wurden massenhaft Kondome verteilt.
      Am breitesten Strand, den wir jemals gesehen haben, fand ein Konzert statt. Dort trafen die Meisten mit einer riesigen Kühlbox voller Bier ein oder tranken den Schnaps direkt ab der Flasche und tanzten Barfuss im Sand.
      Jeden morgen frühstückten wir auf der Dachterrasse die liebgewonnene Papaya.
      Wir genossen die Sonne, welche uns jeden Tag anschien und uns zum Schwitzen brachte.
      Read more

    • Day 91

      Fortaleza, Brazil

      March 12, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

      New-to-us Port: #19 … I am not counting yesterday in Natal, since we did little more than visit a handicraft market.

      We still had about two hours to go before arriving in Fortaleza this morning. I was sitting on the veranda … reading, relaxing. Suddenly, it started to pour. What little could be seen of the skyline was suddenly hidden by sheets of rain. Uh oh! A day forecasted to have a high of 86F was now going to be quite a bit more humid thanks to the rain.

      The good news is that the rain stopped as we were on approach to our berth. The brief shower that followed was over by the time the ship was cleared and we were ready to go ashore for today’s Do Brazil Right tour.

      As was the case in Recife, there were two small groups in two separate vans … with two separate guides (ours was Roberto) … joining together for any walks and sightseeing stops.

      Poor Roberto and Reynoldo. They tried so hard to give us a good tour. Unfortunately, their efforts were hampered by the fact that it was Sunday and many of the places on the planned itinerary were closed.

      Downtown, as we drove around the deserted streets, felt like it was completely abandoned. The only place we saw any action was at a deli/café, where customers were sitting under the trees, sipping beer and eating cheese. Apparently the owner, who came out to talk to us (through Roberto’s translation) and share samples, has a dairy operation where he makes some 500 pounds of cheese daily.

      Regardless of the city pretty much being shut down for Sunday — except for the beaches where the locals had congregated — there were plenty of highlights.

      The first one was at Meireles Beach, where we met a triathlete, Armando. He had just placed 28 amongst the hundreds of people competing today … 1 km swim; 28 km run; 40 km bike ride … and this after hurting his ribs and having to undergo jaw surgery following a fall two weeks ago. He asked if he could have a photo taken with our group … we happily obliged.

      Next came the Sé — aka the Metropolitan Cathedral of Fortaleza. Roberto said that the style of the Gothic church was inspired by the cathedral in Cologne, Germany. With a capacity for 5,000 worshippers, the concrete church was built over a period of 40 years (1938-1978). Inside, it was bright and airy. None of the glitz of the churches we’ve seen in some of the other cities, but beautiful stained glass windows … brought from Germany but painted in São Paolo, Brazil. Sunday mass was in progress, so we discreetly wandered the side aisles, staying near the back so as not to disrupt the service.

      After a brief stop at the packed central market and a quiet park, we went to the Teatro José de Alencar, named for a favorite son of Fortaleza who was a novelist and poet. Opened in 1910, the art nouveau style theater seats 120. The complex includes a number of other facilities, including a Center for the Arts and an outdoor stage where 600 people can be seated. A young man gave us a brief tour, explaining that the building through which we entered had been built to protect the actual theater. He also told us that the beautiful cast iron railings and staircases were imported from Glasgow, Scotland … and the original stained glass windows from England … replaced with replicas after they were broken.

      The Dragão do Mar (Dragon of the Sea) Cultural Center was our next stop. This is a government-funded center where there are facilities for exhibitions, a movie theater, a library, a planetarium, and more. It is named in honor of Francisco José do Nascimento, a hero of the State of Ceará’s abolitionist movement. He was given the nickname of Dragon of the Sea for refusing to transport slaves to be sold in Southern Brazil.

      Following a quick stop at the fish market in Beira Mar — a beach neighborhood — we continued onto Croco Beach. Our guides treated us to crispy calamari and potato/bacalhau (cod) croquettes. We also had a chance to walk the beach, which was hopping with locals enjoying the sand and surf … and the very loud music. We would have walked further on the beach than we did — it was low tide and the sand was hard-packed — but a couple of people ran up to us and stopped us from going beyond the beer pump disguised as an old gas station pump. While the area around the beach club was safe, the further reaches on the long beach were not. Typical, it seems, of much of Brazil.

      We returned to the port just after 4:00p. All aboard was at 4:30p, so we made our way directly to the ship. R&R on the veranda — with wine/rakı and snacks as we bid farewell to Brazil. Then, dinner in the GDR … with Pat & Norm and Sonia & Boris.

      Afterwards, we went to check out tonight’s event in the Insignia Lounge — live broadcast of the red carpet pre-show (actually champagne carpet this year) from the Oscars … followed by a performances by some of the singers of the production cast and guest entertainer, E Sarah (the Irish fiddler) … followed by the live broadcast of the 95th Oscars. Mui stayed for a while. The introvert in me needed peace and quite, so I opted to return to the cabin to read on the veranda instead.
      Read more

    • Day 132

      Jericoacoara et Fortaleza

      February 4, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

      Nous continuons notre route de Jericoacoara vers Fortaleza en passant par les belles plages de Combuco, de Morro Branco et de Canoa Quebrada.

      La côte brésilienne du nord est est très particulières et s’étend sur des centaines de kilomètres de littoraux aux plages blanches. On ne s’en lasse pas ! 😏Read more

    • Day 57

      Fortaleza, Brazil

      March 12, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌬 75 °F

      Fortaleza (meaning fortress) is the capital of the state of Ceara since 1799 and located in the Northeastern corner of Brazil and South America with a population of over 4.1 million. A city of forts,
      the first was built in1603, taken over by the Dutch in 1630, destroyed in 1644 and then later rebuilt when the Portuguese took it over in 1654. Fortaleza is known to be the first city in Brazil (in 1883)to give freedom to slavery.

      We drove through the city and surrounding areas with stops to see the Mucuripe lighthouse, the main city square, Praca de Alencar, futbol stadium (of course) and commercial, residential and hotel areas. Fortaleza has 350 miles of coast and beaches and has perfect weather being flat and 2.8 degrees (less than 200 miles) South of the equator.

      The main focus of our tour was three stops:

      -Teatro Jose de Alencar - where we visited a still very active theater with furnishings that were brought from Scotland. The theater is named for a native 19th century novelist, poet and dramatist who wrote 54 books. The early 20th-century Art Nouveau-style was constructed in 1904-10. With an 800-seat concert hall, the theater also includes a theater garden, an outdoor stage and a small annex with another 90-seat theater.

      -Gothic-Roman style Metropolitan Cathedral built from 1938-1978. It is an interesting building that looks old from the outside but is actually very beautiful and modern on the inside. Designed by French architect George Mounier, the third largest cathedral in Brazil. It seats 5,000 worshippers, honoring St. Joseph, the Patron Saint of the Brazil. The cathedral’s central alter was brought over from Verona.

      - Lastly, we visited the Fortaleza Central Market (Mercado Central de Fortaleza) which was once a 19th century prison (ironically, with all the challenges Brazil has had in recent years with crime, this prison is now a store) converted into a very large handicraft center with hundreds of stalls of embroidered textiles, woodcarvings, and lace. But since we never shop so we just took a nice walk around.

      We did find that a nice 3 bedroom apartment on the beach may only cost $200k here.
      Read more

    • Day 58

      Fortaleza, Brazil

      March 12, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

      This is our last stop in Brazil before crossing Atlantic Ocean to Africa.
      Initially we did not want to go anywhere today. We have been in this city before.
      Well, I have to go somewhere when the ship is in port.
      We changed into our swim suits, called Uber and went to the beach.

      The beach is very nice with lots of chairs, tables, people and vendors.
      I went in the ocean and the tide was very low and the waves were pretty strong. I did not go far.

      After one hour on the beach, we were back in Uber going back on the ship.
      Read more

    • Day 20

      Beira Mar Fortaleza 🥥☀️🇧🇷

      November 9, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

      Ein Tag ohni Handy und mir händ so viel gseh und mitübercho 😍 Delphin, Kiter, Fischer, Hundespass, etc. Social Detox hät mega guet taa😍 drum hämer fascht kei Föteli vo da🤷‍♀️

      Am Abig hämer no Bekannti vode Sabi troffe imene Schwiizer Restaurant bi Zürigschnätzlets und Medaillon Café de Paris🤣Read more

    • Day 12

      FORTALEZA, Brazil

      March 12, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

      What a change since our first visit here. The city itself is just another modern city of Brazil but still has retaining historic areas. Visited Meireles Beach, where a triathlon was in progress. Since it was Sunday, it was a quiet day and made getting around the city easier. Only disadvantage was that most places were closed. A stop at Metroplitan Cathedral which was designed after the cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Cathedral holds 5,000 people.
      From
      to the Central Market and on to the Teatro Jose de Alencer Theatre.
      Finally, we reached a part of Fortaleza that we remembered, the fish market and beach. One more stop at Croco Beach and then returned to the ship.
      Read more

    • Day 48

      Fortaleza

      October 18, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

      Gestern erreichten wir Fortaleza, das Ende unseres Roadtrips der Küste entlang. Nach 3'000 km haben wir unseren T-Cross ohne Kratzer oder "Platten" zurückgegeben.
      Fortaleza kann gut in einem Tag besichtigt werden. Sogar der Lonley Planet bestätigt, dass es ausser 20 km Stränden keine Sehenswürdigkeiten in der Stadt mit 2,5 Millionen Einwohnern gibt.....also machten auch wir einen ausgedehnten Spaziergang auf der Strandpromenade.Read more

    • Day 41

      Fortaleza - CE

      February 11, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

      Unsere Rückreise nach São Paulo machte für 6 Stunden in Fortaleza Halt. Die Zeit nutzten wir zu einem kurzen Besuch am Praia Iracema. Für mich war’s eine Rückkehr, für Max war’s neu und nicht unangenehm - er badete im Atlantik und ich machte einen ausgedehnten Spaziergang auf der sehr langen (ca. 700 m) Mole.
      Zuvor, auf dem Flug von São Luís nach Fortaleza, konnten wir noch ein paar Blicke auf die Lençóis Maranhenses werfen. Ich hoffe, meine Fotoversuche können die Dimension dieser kleinen Wüste etwas widergeben.
      Read more

    • Day 30

      Last Chapter @ Parajuru

      November 19, 2023 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      Von Ilha do Guajiru 3 Stunden nach Fortaleza. Ein kleiner Abstecher zu Sabi‘s Mami an der Praia do Futuro und danach 2 Stunden zum Casa Graf in Parajuru. Und jetzt noch 2 Stunden wieder hoch nach Fortaleza um Jost abzuholen und wieder 2 Stunden runter zum Casa Graf. 🤪Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Fortaleza, فورتاليزا, Форталеза, ফর্তালিজা, ফোর্টালেজা, Fortalezo, فورتالزا, פורטלזה, フォルタレザ, ფორტალეზა, 포르탈레자, Fortalaetia, फोर्तालेझा, Форталезæ, ฟอร์ตาเลซา, 福塔雷萨

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android