A RELAXING RIDE ON BRAZIL´S LAST PADDLE STEAMER

Yes, the Benjamim Guimarães  was built at Pittsburgh in the United States by James Rees and Company in 1913, one of a number of similar steamboats built for South American service. It originally navigated the rivers of the Amazon basin. In the 1920s the Benjamim Guimarães moved to the port of Pirapora on the Sao Francisco River.

Today, the Benjamim Guimarães is the only working steam paddle boat in all of Brazil. It is a tourist attraction and makes routine public trips on the São Francisco River from Pirapora downstream to the beginning of the Das Velhas River.

Forget the conventional cruises, both luxurious and extravagant. Simplicity is the word when boarding the Benjamim Guimarães boat. As a reward, the world´s last paddle steamer offers history, imagination and discoveries along a steam powered journey of six days by the Paradiso Turismo travel agency for about R$3.000/person in a double cabin.
There are, however, shorter four-hour trips leaving at 9 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. The fare costs R$40/person and tickets may be purchased when boarding, in Pirapora City (some 350 km from Belo Horizonte), at the Municipal Tourism office, or by telephone (for those who want to book in advance (38)  3749-6155)

http://g1.globo.com/minas-gerais/noticia/2011/12/pirapora-oferece-passeio-no-unico-barco-vapor-em-atividade.html

http://zerohora.clicrbs.com.br/rs/cultura-e-lazer/viagem/noticia/2012/05/benjamim-o-unico-grande-barco-movido-a-lenha-no-mundo-3747017.html

http://www.asminasgerais.com.br/?item=ALBUM&codAlbum=1101

http://www.almanaquebrasil.com.br/destino-cultura/9503-benjamim-guimaraes.html

http://www.feriasbrasil.com.br/mg/pirapora/

Where to stay in Pirapora

EVER HEARD OF BURLE MARX?

Roberto Burle Marx (August 4, 1909, São Paulo – June 4, 1994, Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian landscape architect (as well as a painter, print maker, ecologist, naturalist, artist and musician) whose designs of parks and gardens made him world famous. He is accredited with having introduced modernist landscape architecture to Brazil. He was known as a modern nature artist and a public urban space designer.
Much of his work has a sense of timelessness and perfection. His aesthetics were often nature based, for example, never mixing flower colours, utilisation of big groups of the same specimen, using native plants and making a rocky field into a relaxing garden. He was very interested in each plant's character and what effect that has on the whole garden.
Source: Wikipedia

http://www.parqueburlemarx.com.br/

Sitio Roberto Burle Marx

THE TWINS redesign the graffitti art

Os Gemeos (pronounced "ose zhe'-mee-ose.") are two artists from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Born in 1974, they are identical twin brothers (Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo) and their name translates to "the twins" in Portuguese. In recent years Os Gemeos have gained international notoriety for their unique works created on the streets of Sao Paulo. They also paint canvases, make sculptures, and are both graphic designers and photographers. 

In 1993, Os Gemeos met Barry McGee, who was in Sao Paulo on a painting fellowship. They became fast friends and immediately collaborated on pieces in the city. This experience opened them up to a wealth of information and mutual influence. As a result, their works changed from almost exclusively large murals to smaller, site-specific installations on the streets and in galleries. Since then Os Gemeos have exhibited their work internationally including exhibitions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cuba, and throughout Europe as well as numerous exhibitions in Sao Paulo and Latin America.
Source: Jeffrey Ditch Gallery









More on graffitti: Batman´s Alley
Graffitti in Sao Paulo



Official website
http://obviousmag.org/archives/2010/05/gustavo_e_otavio_-_os_gemeos_grafiteiros.html

A HONEYMOON NOT TO FORGET - EVER

If you are looking for pristine empty beaches then this is the place. Fernando de Noronha (Portuguese pronunciation: [feʁˈnɐ̃du dʒi noˈɾõɲɐ]) is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, 354 km (220 mi) offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 sq mi) and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2010. The area is a special municipality (distrito estadual) of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco(despite being closer to the state of Rio Grande do Norte) and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its timezone is UTC-02:00. The local population and travellers can get to Noronha by plane or cruise from Recife (545 km) or by plane from Natal (360 km). A small environmental preservation fee is charged from tourists upon arrival by Ibama (Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources).

Source: Wikipedia



http://www.noronha.pe.gov.br/
http://www.noronha.com.br/site/inicio.php
http://www.ilhadenoronha.com.br/
http://www.webluxo.com.br/menu/turismo/fernando_de_noronha.htm

Fernando de Noronha, 2010 from Daniel Solana on Vimeo.

SWEET AVOCADO

While in other countries avocado is eaten with salt, in salads, in Brazil we have it for dessert.

Check this out, and tell us it does not taste after pistachio...

1 avocado
1 can of condensed milk
lemon or vanilla drops
some grated lemon peel for decoration.

Blend it and serve it chilled. I bet it will serve only one person: YOU!

Enjoy it!

PHOTOGRAPHY OR PAINTING?

Alexandre Mury works from self-portraits which he relates to readings of cultural and literary icons, painting, sculpture and other references. Photography is the over-all support for these works.

He started with photography at the age of 16 and his work was recently shown in the 2010 exhibition of the collection of Gilberto Chateaubriand at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro .

Alexandre Mury has a degree in Social Communication (FAFIC - Faculdade de Filosofia de Campos - Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil) and was art director in advertising agencies, as well as acting professor of visual communication in three educational centers (FIPH, Faculdades Integradas Padre Humberto, Itaperuna, RJ, Brazil, 2003/2006; CEFET, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Campos, Campos dos Goytacazes, 2003/2004; FAFIC, Faculdade de Filosofia de Campos, Campos dos Goytacazes, 2003/2004).

He was born in São Fidélis, Rio de Janeiro on January 13,1976 and has drawn and painted since childhood.

His artistic legitimacy as a photographer became established when his work was first included in outstanding private collections of Brazilian art and photography, such as that of Joaquim Paiva (of Rio de Janeiro).

In a playful, intriguing and newly contextualized mode, he endeavours to reconstruct famous eternal themes and to re frame the Classics. Improvisation and allegory closely tie his oeuvre to Brazilian reality by means of a particular vernacular aesthetics that falls well within contemporary mainstream exercises in recycling and rereading. 

The Ugly Duchess (also known as A Grotesque Old Woman) is a satirical portrait painted by the Flemish artist Quentin Matsys around 1513.

The choice of materials and personal production of sets, costumes and ambiances reflect his freedom of interpretation and his truly personal rendering of the iconic subject matter pursued in his oeuvre.

The three Fridas

Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser 1940

Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser 1940

Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser 1940

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo

Salvador Dali

Dr. Gachet By Van Gogh

Icarus by Matisse

Satyrs by Rubens

Joker

georges-seurat-standing-model

http://www.alexandremury.com.br/

http://alexandre-mury.blogspot.com.br/

http://mury.tumblr.com/

SUBLIME BAROQUE SCULPTURES BY A CRIPPLE

Aleijadinho (b. Antônio Francisco Lisboa; 1730 or 1738 – November 18, 1814) was a Colonial Brazil-born sculptor and architect, noted for his works on and in various churches of Brazil. His crowning achievement was the Twelve Prophets at the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus of Matosinhos at Congonhas.

Born in Vila Rica (Rich Town), whose name was later changed to Ouro Preto (Black Gold), Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1738 (sometimes said to be in 1730) he was the son of Manuel Francisco da Costa Lisboa, a Portuguese man and his African slave, Isabel. His father, a carpenter, had immigrated to Brazil where his skills were so in demand that he appears to have been elevated to the position of architect.

Within a very short time he had become a noted architect himself and had designed and constructed the Chapel of the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi in Ouro Preto. He had also executed the carvings on the building, the most notable being a round bas-relief depicting St. Francis receiving the stigmata. 

It was shortly thereafter that the signs of a debilitating disease, probably leprosy, began to show and not long after that Antonio received the name by which he has come down through history, "o Aleijadinho", "The Little Cripple." Aleijadinho was disfigured and crippled by leprosy, and created his masterpiece with his chisel and hammer, tied to his fingerless hands. Between 1800 and 1805 Aleijadinho sculpted the twelve soapstone figures by having his assistants strap his hammer and chisels to what remained of his hands, which did not at this point include fingers. Since he no longer had feet to stand on he had pads strapped to his knees up which he'd climb the ladders needed to get him off the ground. The Twelve Prophets are arranged around the courtyard and stairway in front of the church.

Source: Wikipedia

WINDSURF SLALOM is hotter in São Miguel do Gostoso

São Miguel do Gostoso is a town and municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in the Northeast region of Brazil.  According to legend, there was once a man living in the area named Mr. Manoel Gostoso who was known to give shelter to travelling salesmen. Due to Sr. Manoel Gostoso's unique sense of humor (he entertained his guests with stories and jokes) and contagious laugh Mr. Manoel Gostoso became known in the town as Mr. Gostoso. Thereafter, not only the travelling salesmen but also the locals began to refer to the town as Gostoso. On 29th September 1899, Mr. Miguel Félix Martins, in order to fulfill his promise made to the Saint São Miguel, inaugurated the first church of the town and instated the Saint's image. From that day onward São Miguel has been the Patron Saint of Gostoso. Perfect winds explain the popularity of this place among kitesurfing and windsurfing lovers. It is well known for its wind and temperature conditions, likewise Jericoacoara, in Ceará State. Many tourists have come to practice their sailing skills at the surrounding pristine beaches.. Nominated by Men´s Health magazine as one of the ten best beaches in Brazil, São Miguel do Gostoso features a mix of strong winds, clean and empty beaches, tepid waters and irregular waves.
General information: Rainy Season: March to June Average Annual Temperature: 26,5° C Average Annual Humidity: 68% Population: Approximately 10.000 inhabitants Economy: Tourism, Agriculture and Fishing Electricity: 220v High speed internet: Yes Cell phone coverage: Yes.















http://www.saomigueldogostosobrasil.com/english/english.htm
http://www.oportalsaomigueldogostoso.com.br/kiteewindsurf.php?IdSetorPagina=5