Olinda is so called as a result the Portuguese navigator who discovered the fantastic viewpoint overlooking the wonderful scenery of old Recife exclaimed “Oh! Linda!”. This literally translates to ‘Oh! Beautiful’, which were probably sighed out with all his alveolar capacity as he finished his grand hike up to the peak of the mini-mountain on which the small city sits today. It truly deserves its UNESCO Heritage Site status as it is a huge cauldron of old Portuguese-style churches, cobbled streets and brightly coloured buildings. It later became evident that people living there can paint their houses any colour they like and it’s almost like each of the fluorescent dwellings were trying to outshine their neighbours. There’s Frêvo here, there’s Umbanda and Candomblé and Capoeira: just like Salvador, and the brightly painted buildings look the same too. But here it’s much less frenetic, more peaceful, even more beautiful. And the carnival mannequins are huge! We popped briefly into the Museu do Arte Sacra to take a quick look at some relics from the colonial period just to get into the mood.
We stopped by a luring art gallery, where the artists demonstrated such versatility in their work styles. The two artists practiced oil paints, acrylics, clay modelling, watercolours and probably many other styles all hidden behind layers and layers of exhibits. The man, Senhor Calazans was both flattered and eager to deny any plagiarism when Simon likened his painting of Amazon warriors (the mythical women rather than from the mighty river) to Picasso’s ‘Demoiselles d’Avignon’; he was also proud of his painting of the Apocalypse, with an angel top left, Satan bottom right, and the globe being judged in the centre; we were also startled by his fisherman carrying red fish with a yoke, which was coincidentally reminiscent of Jon’s pastel version of a boy running down the lane with fish in Teknaf, Bangladesh. It is definitely inspirational art, and perhaps we will start getting involved in craft when we get home! When the woman in the shop had finished explaining the works of her ‘aquarela’ (watercolour), Jon started to sing a famous Brazilian song called, believe it or not, ‘aquarela’: Numa folha qualquer eu desenho um sol amarelo… She was over the moon and joined in.
Around Olinda we encountered many statues of St Francis with numerous birds, and as throughout this region of Brazil, countless images, bas-reliefs and statues of São Jorge Guerrero: St George in full warrior mode, slaying the dragon. The devotion to him here is something to do with the syncretic cults, and Simon seems to remember that he is the ‘cover’ for a deity in Candomblé, but can’t quite remember his name… In the Praça da Sé there’s a bar called Preto Velho, named after the old slave character in Umbanda, and in numerous craft workshops we encountered the Carnival figure of a Caboclo with a spear, again something more than just a mere legend.
Our friends who came along, including Donald, Dave and Cecilia, and equally ourselves were all impressed with the place and could have easily spent much more time here, but we had to check out parts of Recife too, so we headed for a Rodizio de Churrasco in Boa Viagem, where we could eat to our hearts content if we wanted. None of us did, however, so three beers went down and a Caipirinha whilst we watched the various meats being dished out. Jon and Cecilia took charge of the situation, both displaying consummate tact, diplomacy and hood humour! We only needed a small snack but it was very much all or nothing; so we only had the option to pay thirty-five Brazilian reais for all we could eat or to leave. We left and proceeded to the Casa Cultura: artisans’ shops in the cells of a converted three-storey, three-winged prison to enjoy some ‘salgados’ (small, savoury pastries/breads with various fillings) and pitanga milkshakes. Pitanga is a fruit found in Brazil, which doesn’t translate into English because we don’t have it at home but it tastes like an acidic raspberry.
We enjoyed views of both new and old parts of Recife and clusters of favelas were noticeable on riverbanks. There were even some being kept above river water on stilts. The blend of old and new, rich and poor, branco e preto is just what makes this part of Brazil so invigorating! To do full justice to Pernambuco, Recife and Olinda would take at least a week. There’s music to tantalise the ear, fruit to tickle the taste buds, ceramics, sculptures and carvings to furnish entire houses without fear of repetition: Hopefully there will be a window in the diary for 2012/3 to make a hop over the Atlantic…
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