Fortaleza and Recife, Brazil

December 26-28, 2023

Brazil covers close to 50% of the landmass of South America -a little larger than the “lower 48” of the US and a population of 200,000,000. When you look at a map of South America, a large part of Brazil bumps out into the Atlantic like a nose. Fortaleza sits at the bridge of the nose and Recife at the tip. Both large coastal cities offer attractions for businesses and tourists alike.  

Fortaleza is the fourth largest city in Brazil and capital of the northeastern state of Ceara. The mainly industrial port does not allow pedestrians, so we took a shuttle bus the 400 yards from the ship to the terminal, where the people of Fortaleza greeted us with free baseball caps, tote bags and even straw hats. We met Rafael, our guide from Brazildoneright.com, who explained that since it was Boxing Day, he was not sure what sites would be open, but would escort us around to give us the best impression he could of the city. The roads from the port had seen better days, but the initially bumpy ride smoothed out as we approached the city of 2.7 million. Our first stop was a former jail turned into a market (a common use of the old buildings – the former cells make for natural market stalls that can be locked by their proprietor). It also offered views of the harbor. We continued along a short walk through the park and to the Cathedral (closed) – but Rafael showed us some good vantage points for photos.

Then visited the “big” market- five floors of shops with stairs and ramps. John negotiated the purchase of a small leather purse to use when I wore dresses without pockets ($10).

We proceeded to the grounds of the Museum of Art and Culture, which was closed, but it had some interesting architecture and a mural.

And then on to the beach (with a brief stop at a pharmacy – I can get a generic Symbicort inhaler device with 2 months of inhaled capsules for $30). John took a dip – though he felt the water was a little “oily”, we did get some good beer in the shade, and relaxed in the afternoon breeze. 

We sailed on to Recife, which sits at the easternmost tip of South America, and the capital of the state of Pernambuco. The area was settled by the Dutch, and the territory went back and forth between them and the Portuguese for close to two hundred years – with alternating capitals – Recife – meaning reef for the coral reefs that protected the harbor, and Olinda – the city on the hill – meaning “beautiful”. The port was similar to Fortaleza – a working port for mainly cargo ships, so a shuttle bus from ship to terminal, then pick up our tour bus at the terminal.

Our guide introduced himself as Heider, a gentleman of German descent who learned English by listening to TV (and learned well). (He also translates sign-language at the University and is a tour guide for the blind.) We started our tour with a 30-minute drive to Olinda, then walked along cobbled streets to view multiple convents, monasteries, churches, and an old slave market now open air market for arts and crafts, with beautiful views along the way.

The hot day forced one in our group to return to the ship. We returned to Recife to tour the old town,

including one of the oldest Synagogues in South America (though no longer in use),

and two very interesting – but very creepy – doll museums that display the “dolls” used during Carnival. 

History lesson: 

The Caribs inhabited most lands north of the Amazon River. I described their fierceness in other blogs, and did they did not make early settlement easy for the Europeans when they landed in 1500. The first settlers were further south, near the base of the “nose” near what is now the City of Salvador and home to the Tipunamba tribes. Initially, the Portuguese harvested the pau-brasil tree for its red dye, and named the colony for the tree. Once the tree population was decimated, leaving cleared land, plantations were built, enslaving the native population for workers. The natives either died or fled into the interior, and slaves from Africa took their place- over 300 years nearly 4,000,000 of them (approximately 40% of all slaves from Africa were brought to Brazil). The Portuguese territory limped along under the “captains” – minor nobles interpreting Portuguese law in their own way, until 1549 when the Portuguese crown sent a Governor General and set the capital in Salvador. Brazil became a true jewel in the Portuguese empire when gold, emerald and diamond mines were discovered in the 17^th century, and the true exploitation of the natural resources began in earnest (to this day, Brazilians say about their economy – “Brazil grows the oranges and imports the juice”). 

When Napoleon swept across Europe, the Portuguese King Dom Joao VI escaped to Brazil in 1808. He brought a boom in the arts and building in the second capital – Rio de Janeiro. With many changes sweeping Europe, Brazil was declared an independent monarchy 1822 under Joao VI’s son – Pedro I. Pedro I was succeeded by his son, Pedro II, and then grand-daughter Princess Isabel, who decreed the end of slavery in 1888. This caused an uproar among the land owners, and Brazil became an independent republic in 1889. 

After gaining independence, a policy of “racial whitening” began, encouraging intermarriage of races to “lighten” the populace in an attempt to “lighten” the darker skins of slaves and their descendants and deliberately erase cultural ideals not held by the ruling class– trying to make Brazil more “European”. As a result, most Brazilians are a combination of natives, blacks and Europeans, and a large portion of African-Caribbean culture continued, especially through the country’s unique observance of Carnival. 

The Brazilian Government decided to move the capital to Brasilia in the country’s center in 1960.

Speaking of Carnival – next stop – Rio for New Year’s Eve!