11/23/2022

Sunrise 5 AM

Position of the ship

We docked in Recife, Brazil @ 6 AM.  The ship was away from the cruise ship dock, so we had to shuttle to the Cruise port – 10 minutes on uneven (understatement), cobblestoned streets.  We met our guide, Hugo, a very engaging dude who knew a lot about Pernambuco.  Pernambuco is the state, Recife is one of many islands in this area. And on Portuguese the “R” is pronounced “H” although we heard it both ways – Ray-See-Fay and Hay-See-Fay.  So, anyway the culture here is particular to the state – Pernambuco. 

 

Our tour took in the old town – a very unkept up part of the area (as opposed to the very posh high rise condos along the beach and financial center).  There was a time when this place rocked.  Speaking of rocking, Hugo explained the different styles of music in Brazil.  In Rio there is the Samba, but here in Pernambuco the style is called “Frevo”.  We were greeted in the cruise port with some Frevo music.  A snare drum, a bass drum, a sax, trumpet and trombone and a very driving beat.  At Carnival, there are many Frevo bands playing throughout the district.  The dance that accompanies Frevo is a frenetic dance that could be break dancing or the Brazilian martial art Capoeira - interesting.  Oh, and they dance while holding small umbrellas in the Pernambucan colors, Red Blue and Yellow.

The Lion because Recife calls itself the Venice of the South - 3 islands, bridges, waterways ...

the pillar commemorates the 500th anniversary of Recife's establishment

the iconic square

UNESCO architecture

Infrastructure (?) see Santa on top of the blue building? 

The central Square with a tourist department store in the background - you can get anything you want ...

The UNESCO street with Chinese Banyan trees (and buildings that were once pretty great)

Carnival - Dancing to the Frevo music - note the umbrellas

Back on the ship by noon – shower, ice, and lunch.  We departed at 1 PM.  Out on the veranda as we left Bob spotted an aircraft carrier headed north.  It was too far away for a good photo.  Just another piece of excitement as we sailed away from the coast of Brazil.  Winds blowing from the east and mild. 

The learning never stops – at 4 we listened to Dr Dan (MD, PhD, DABNS, FACS, FAANS(L)) expound about Darwin and the implications of his theory of natural selection.  It is a nuanced and often misunderstood theory (i.e., people are not descended from chimps, rather chimps and people have a common ancestor).  Ann and Bob took in another lecture about atomic energy (pro-atomic energy but reasoned).  While Paul and Shirley had high tea in the Wintergarden area of the ship.  Good tea, scones, mini sandwiches, and good conversations with a couple from Fairfield Glade.

 

   

At High Tea         

 

                                          Cinnamon and rose vanilla tea + tea tastes

 

There are several eating venues aboard ship.  On deck 7, there is the World café.  This offers a mega buffet with everything from sushi to a carving station.  A very popular gelato station is a must after dinner.  This is a relaxed area, no hurry, no stress, all good.  After dinner it was up to the Explorer Lounge for music by the very talented guitarist and tenor singing songs from the 70’s.  Then the trivia contest which is also very popular.  Our team scored 8 last night, but we did better tonight, scoring 13 out of 15.  A bit of star gazing in the Southern sky topped out the evening.