Brasilia! Part 2

Brasilia is definitely a city full of politics, people and passion.  Everywhere you look there is wonderful architecture surrounded by interesting vegetation and it is all full of life like the Brazilian people.  This post will be a mixture of my most recent visit and my first visit to the capital city of Brasilia.  I visited some of the main tourist areas in 2010 so they did not get revisited today but I feel they must still be include in my blog.

As I mentioned in part 1 - Brasilia is a planned city located in the middle of the country on the central highlands of Brazil.  It has a subtropical climate so there is a long dry season followed by months of heavy rain.  I only state this as my visit now is during the dry season and in 2010 it was during the rainy season so I believe you will notice the vast difference in the photos included.  In "Brasilia Part 1" I compared the central part of the city to Washington DC with a large

grassy green space running down the middle of lanes of traffic moving vehicles in both directions.    This grassy area (the Eixo Monumental) is where I will start my adventure and our first stop in 2010 was the National Cathedral.  Designed by Oscar Niemeyer,  it is truly a wonderful structure with large white columns curving as they open towards heaven.  The cathedral has seen limited use since its completion in 1970 due to poor acoustics and a ventilation system that does not offset the natural heat produced by the sun.   Recently renovations have been underway to fix these flaws and allow it to function in accordance with its grandeur. 

When we visited in 2010 these renovations were underway as construction trailers surrounded the base of the building and we had to park the car on a make shift grass lot a short distance away.  The beautiful white house of worship lacks curb appeal as the front lawn consists of six foot wide slabs of cement with one foot strips of grass separating each slab.  I would expect something different in a city so rich with green space. We exited the car and as we approached the cathedral we were greeted by four statues.  On one side stood three statues representing the synoptics, Matthew, Mark, and Luke while the stature of John stands alone facing them on the other side.  They were like soldiers with spiritual weapons guarding the front of the religious palace.  After passing them,  we continue down into the dimly lit tunnel entrance almost like going into a culvert or man made cave.

Approximately fifteen feet into the tunnel my ears perked up as I began to hear angelical music and soon my eyes were treated to glorious light.  It was the stunning sanctuary where the local congregation was singing homilies during a traditional Catholic Mass.   Above the alter in the middle of the congregation, three angles floated in the natural blue sky and white clouds from outside.  This transparent natural beauty was accented by waves of blue and green stain glass all bringing your eyes to the alter and crucifix.  I remember, standing there in awe of the beauty complimented by the sounds of the wonderful singing.  How majestic and inspiring it was and I wanted to stay a little longer but the time to leave came and we quietly exited to continue our journey.

We traveled down the "Eixo Monumental" to the northwest end which is called the Praca dos Tres Poderes (Three Powers Square).  This large concrete square is where the three highest authorities in the country can be found -  - Presidential Palace, Supreme Court and right  across the street is the National Congress.   Let's start our journey with these three buildings.  Each of the buildings were designed by Oscar Niemyer and symbolize the future of Brazil.  The "Palacio do Planalto" (Presidential Palace) is where the President of Brazil and many other major

Palacio do Planalto 

governmental officials have offices and work from.  A large reflecting pool zig zags along the front of the building.  In the middle a ramp connects the square and the front door of the Palace.  This entrance is only used on special occasions or when the president addresses the citizens of Brazil.  Members of the Presidential Guard Battalion and 1st Guards Cavalry of the Brazilian Army take turns standing guard at the entrance.  I

Presidential Guard Battlaion
Guarding the Palacio do Planalto

understand tours are available but not offered today so another "must come back to see" added to the list.  The architecture is very simple and modern using fine lines and waves to create columns along the exterior of the building brushing up against the reflecting pools.  The buildings architecture is very similar to that of the Palacio da Alvorada, where the President and his family lives.  The Palacio da Alvorada lies on a peninsula at the edge of Lake Paranoa a few miles away which we will journey to later on this visit.

The Supreme Court Building

Back to the square and our next building the Supreme Court which houses the highest court of the country.  This building was designed by Mr. Niemeyer as well and has the same glass surrounded by white curved concrete columns and lies adjacent to the Palace.   There is not a whole lot more to say about this building as it blends with the rest and probably has less significance then the other things on the square.  I did find the large parking area in front a little distracting to the details of the architecture.

 The final building considered part of the square is the National Congress and it actually lies across the avenue in the Eixo Monumental.  Another wonderful design by Oscar Niemeyer,  it consists of a semi-sphere opening to the earth and a semi-sphere opening to the sky with two vertical office buildings towering in unison dividing them.  These buildings as well as several others around the edge of the eixo monumental house the Congressional offices of Brazil.  All the office are connected to the two main towers by tunnels under the city.  Brazil's Congress consists of the Senate

(the upper house) and the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house). On the opposite side of the building lies another great reflection pool and the large lawn.  When I read a little about their politics,  I found it interesting that there are 27 political parties in Brazil.  In 2010, 22 of them were able to elect at least one representative in the Chamber, while fifteen of them were able to elect at least one in the Senate.  Much different then the 2 political party system found in the United States (thanks again Wikipedia)

View of Palacio do Planalto
from the square

To talk a little about The Praca does Tres Poderes is to talk about Brazil's commitment to democracy and freedom after years of military rule.  Besides these three powerhouse buildings, the square is full of unique sculptures celebrating Brazilian artists.  Many of which were inspired by this theme with literal and abstract reference to doves, traditionally a symbol of peace and democracy.  Before I continue discussing what other finds are located on the square, I want to share my first impressions of it.  Like a lot of Brasilia's main attractions, the use of concrete seems overbearing to me.  I know it is a medium that Oscar Niemeyer uses quite often but a nice green lawn in front of the cathedral would be more inviting then the vast slabs of concrete.  The "Praca does Tres Poderes"  has no grass and the concrete radiates heat in the south of the equator sun.  It is just not very welcoming to me without some vegetation.

City Museum  in the middle - designed in the shape of a dove
on the right you see the "Dovecote" 

 For a city with a huge rectangular lawn down the middle in a country with such a diversity of plant life,  it seems like these areas would be filled with more natural beauty and not just concrete.  OK, just my first impression and now back to the square.  Tourist can visit the large glass and concrete visitors center which is filled with tourist information about the country.  There is a large tower designed my Mr. Niemeyer referred to as "Dovecote".   The tower is filled with holes to house doves which were an important part of western European history and as stated above the dove is a symbol of peace.  Today it is more referred to as "The Pigeons Towers" as they have  moved into the holes designed for the doves.  As you move along the square towards the Supreme Court building there is a sculpture called "Justice" by Alfredo Ceschiatti.   A women sitting blind folded in a chair with something in her lap.  I

honestly did not get close enough to give more details then this so I encourage you to share with me more about this beautiful piece of history or go and visit it yourself.   Several museums find their home on the square as well as a monument in honor of politician Israel Pinheiro and the UNESCO monument honoring accomplishments of the city.  My favorite monument is two bronze statues of abstract figures named Os Condangos.     This monument represents the pioneering spirit of those who built Brasilia and for me it is simply grand and a great place to stop for this post.  Brasilia has a lot more to see so I will continue with Part 3 soon.  Until then feel free to leave a comment or go and read some of my other entries.

Go back and read Brasilia Part 1 by clicking here. 

Historic Museum of Brasilia 

The Brazilian Flag that flies in the Eixo Monumental
One of the worlds largest continuous flying flags

Brazil National Congress Building 

One of the three synoptics statue -
National Cathedral

Part of Historic Museum of Brazil 

Brasilia! Part I

As many of my post start out it was a sunny morning with just a few white puffy marsh mellow clouds in the sky.  On several of my trips to Brazil, I have either caught a connecting flight in Brasilia or due to less expensive airfare it has been where stop I flying and find other ways to travel the remaining distance to Goiania.  The times when it has been my stopping point, we have met up with Lucia (Luiz's friend) who is from Brasilia. She has graciously given us a ride to the local bus station for the next leg of our journey.  Every time she has given us a ride,  she has asked us when we are going to return for a behind the scenes tour of the city and we have decided that today is the day.  Our friend Markos is with us and will act as our GPS, at least until we meet up with Lucia as he has spent some time in

Brasilia and knows his basic way around.  We head out of Goiania as the sun begins to shine on the vacant construction buildings this Saturday morning.  (Vacant only because no one is working Saturday morning)  It is a nice drive through the "cerrado" (a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás and Minas Gerais) with not a sign of rain.  The trip goes quickly with only a couple of stops; a quick stop for coffee of course and the second at a little hammock store along the roadside.  I have decided hammocks make great gifts for family and friends and when I spot a little store selling them, I insist we stop.  How can I go wrong with a gift that encourages you to take a nap and enjoy the outdoors all at the same time.  I second guess my request as we step out of the car and the odor of fish consumes us, but soon I notice there is a bait shop in the back of the store which makes it ok and I continue  looking around.  The

price is right and I purchase a couple hammocks for my next journey stateside.  The rest of the journey through the countryside goes quickly and soon we are maneuvering the streets of Brasilia.  I notice right away that the city is not as green as my previous visit (in 2010).  Everything is brown and dusty as it is the dry season and there has been no rain for two to three months. We have chosen the international airport to meet up with Lucia as we know there is plenty of parking,  we know where it is, and the limited signs all direct us to that one location.  We locate it quite easily and soon the phone rings.  It is Lucia calling to let us know she is nearing the airport.  We jump into her car and off we head to see the city .

Brasilia, well as you may know it is Brazil's Capital and the fourth largest city in the country with over 2,500,000 people living there.  It is an example of modern urban planning and even though it is a new city (built 1956-1960),  the dreams of a centrally located capital date back to 1827 when Jose Bonifacio, an adviser to Emperior Pedro I conceived the idea of a new capital city with a more central location.  He proposed moving it away from the heavily populated eastern coast and Rio de Janiero in order to create more equally represented government.  The concept  was not actually realized until President Juscelino Kubitschek ordered the construction of Brasilia to fulfill an article of Brazil's first republican constitution of 1891.  President Kubitschek began the move by awarding the main urban planning contract to Lucio Costa by way of a contest with over 5550 people competing for the opportunity.  The building began in 1956 under Lucio's direction with a majority of the public building design being overseen by world renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer.  Amazingly,  the core of Brasilia was built in just 41 months and in 1960 the city was officially inaugurated as the new capital of Brazil.  Today the city is home to most of the countries governmental offices.   (thanks wikipedia)

Well -enough about Brasilia's history,  let's get back to our journey today and after a short drive around,  Lucia takes us to a famous local restaurant located in one of the cities many parks.  We fortunately find a parking spot close and soon are under the thatched roof of the little establishment enjoying the shade and cool breeze. It is not long before the waiter brings out rice, beans, yuca, beef, collard greens, and a tomato salad all served family style.  Let's not forget the Guarana - a Brazilian soda with a refreshing exotic flavor.  It is a great traditional meal and gives Lucia time to catch up with Markos and Luiz. I spend the time intensely listening for Portuguese words I  know and attempting to figure out what the are talking about.  Lucia's daughter has come along and knows a little English so I provide her with a little practice as well.
 (this will act as my Portuguese lesson for the day)

Soon lunch is over and we are back in the car heading to our first destination the "Eixo Monumental" (Monumental Axis).  A large rectangular green space in the center of the city with eight lanes of traffic moving vehicles in opposite direction on each side.  Along this parkway is where most of the government buildings, museums, monuments, and other important structures to the cities vitality are located.  This vast sea of grass is anchored on the northwest end by the countries Supreme Court building, Congressional building, and Presidential Palace (where the president and other key officials perform their daily work).  The area reminds me some of the "the mall" area in Washington DC.

 Our journey today will start at the opposite end of the "Eixo Monumental" where there is a historical area dedicated to the founder of Brasilia Juscelino Kubitschek (JK).  It is a wonderful sculpture and museum designed by his friend Oscar Niemeyer.   The museum has artifacts of Kubitschek's life and is where he and his wife's remains lay entombed. We decide to pass on visiting the museum on this visit and I add it to my must see later list.  We do take time to investigate some great sculptures laying on the lawn in front of the monument.  These great metal spheres created with human figure cut outs and painted a variety of colors are set poised on the grassy area ready to begin their roll but 

no rolling is allowed.  It is easy to see how Mr. Niemeyer could be seen as a great visionary for the country of Brazil.  After about twenty minutes it is time to see more so back in the car for a short drive in the afternoon heat.  It is quite warm outside and shortly after getting into the car we find a great parking spot in some shade close to a wonderful garden of flowers in full bloom.  A color oasis of sorts in the middle of a brown dry plain.  With cameras fully charged and ready to shoot we leave the car in the cool shade to await our return.

Huge trees surrounding a field of red, pink and white flowers flowing endlessly as water shoots from the fountains into the blue sky.  It is a perfect place to sit and let our food digest and relax a little while.  I take in the sounds and smells of the garden and of course take a few photos.  Soon it is time to head on our way again.

Our next destination is the television tower in the center of the Eixo Monumental.  The tower is known for its observation deck with wonderful views of the city.  In 2010 we toured some of the main tourist areas of Brasilia and  this was one of our stops.  At that time there were vendor shacks lining the sidewalk between the parking area and the tower.  Today there is a newly constructed open air flee market to house these

vendors and their trinkets in preparation for the 2014 World Cup.  It is a short distance from the tower but it surely gives the tourist attraction a different feel.    We walk along the empty sidewalks and turn the corner, only to find the area fenced off.  To our slight disappointment,  they are in the middle of renovating the observation platform and it is currently closed to visitors.  I am OK with this as I was able to enjoy the views during my 2010 visit but Markos has never had that experience. The closed attraction does allow me to notice something at the foot of the tower.  I get a faint sound of music

being piped in and upon further investigation I notice the huge pond of water at the base of the small incline.  The pond has a blast of water shooting from the center some twenty plus feet into the blue

sky. Around the edges of the pond, smaller sprays and gurgles of water begin to dance in unison to the music.  What a wonderful show to watch and I soon find out this water feature is called the fonte da torre de tv (fountain of the television tower).  We stay a little while enjoying the Brazilian music and dancing waters.  I understand they have nightly shows which include light displays so I have added the fonte da torre de tv to my must return and see list.   As we begin walking away back to the car, I begin to wonder how I could have missed this on my last visit.  Maybe it wasn't on?  Maybe I just overlooked it?  Anyway,  I am kind of glad the tower is closed today so I did not miss it this time and was able to enjoy this beautiful aquatic display.

(link to video of fountain)

Well, this seems like a good place to pause in our adventure.  Don't worry it will be continued shortly.  Hope you have enjoyed it this far ...

JK Museum 

more of the beautiful fountains 

view from the tv towers observation platform - financial district

another view - hotel district 

yet another view - notice the newly constructed flee market below

view of construction for the new soccer stadium. 

view down the eixo monumental - see the fountain below
it was not working on my 2010 visit!