Today’s post is 1300 words, 47 photos, 1 video, a 6 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
This week I’ll pick up where I left off at the end of last week’s post. We’ll visit a Cathedral, a fortress, a theatre, and take an evening boat ride along the Belém waterfront. Click here to review or read last week’s post.
To read any of the previous posts in this series on Brazil, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Let’s get started.
Our Lady of Grace Cathedral
It was a short drive from the Ver-o-peso Market to the Catedral Nossa Senhora de Belém. In English, its name is Our Lady of Grace Cathedral. This church is the seat of the Archdiocese of Belém. The history of this church goes back to the early settlement of the Portuguese in Belém in 1616. It wasn’t until 1748 when construction began on the current cathedral. It was completed about 40 years later in the Baroque style. 
While the soaring towers and bright white color give the building exterior its majesty, the interior is where it becomes elaborate and detailed. For us, it was a relief from the heat of the day. Marcus, our guide, pointed out the ten side alters, the magnificent pipe organ, and several famous paintings and frescoes. It was not unlike being in a cathedral in Europe.
This was a very pleasant and relaxing visit but it was time to move on.
Forte do Presépio
Back in the heat, we walked over to the Forte do Presépio built on the waterfront by the Portuguese in 1616. It’s considered the birthplace of Belém.
We checked out the canons and admired the panoramic view of the city and the bay. 
Inside the fort is a museum that contains many articles retrieved during archeological digs. We spent some time looking at the exhibits where it was nice and cool.
These jars are said to be indigenous burial urns. Apparently, the deceased were stuffed into the jar and buried. They must have been small people!
These curious indigenous boys watch as a Catholic priest conducts mass. Many were coerced or violently forced to convert to the faith. There were some that willingly accepted and incorporated their own traditions into their new beliefs.
Para Religious Art Museum
It was a short walk over to the Para Religious Art Museum. This was the former Jesuit monastery and Church of St. Alexander. The Jesuits were kicked out of Brazil and other colonies of Portugal in 1759 after an assassination attempt on the King of Portugal. While their involvement is debated, the state seized all their assets and sent them on their way. No one knows where they went. After the Jesuits fled, the building was used for administrative and military purposes. After sitting empty for over 50 years, the building and chapel were restored. In the first photo, note the walls. The stones are held together by a sticky substance from the gut of a fish mixed with sand. It was kind of like a cement, only stronger. Those walls have stood for over 300 years.
After touring this museum, we walked over to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was a Brazilian buffet or churrascaria where the plate is weighed after going through the buffet line. It was very good.
That evening, our hosts, Nazaré and Cornelio, took us for an evening drive around the city. We stopped for a bite to eat at development owned by Nazaré’s sons. It’s made of freight containers. Here’s a few photos of what it looks like.
Theatro da Paz
The Theatro da Paz (Peace Theater) opened in 1874 built with money donated by the rubber barons. At the time it was considered the most important house of culture in northern Brazil. After it was constructed, a newspaper reporter wrote that the entrance was very plain. There was no lobby to speak off so one was added that offered patrons a place to visit and be seen.
Meet Carlos, our guide for the tour of the theatre. He showed us the inlaid mosaic and parquet flooring during the addition of the lobby. The grand stairway led to the main floor where the sons of the rubber barons were seated. Underneath their seats there was cool air blowing during the long performances, some lasting 7-8 hours. The eligible ladies sat in the side boxes overlooking the stage where they could be seen by the young eligible men. This is where courting began. 
Carlos is pointing to the mezzanine and balcony seating. The third balcony was where the commoner stood for most of the performance.
There was preparation for a program that was opening that week. Some of the ambassadors attended one of the shows.
These are the seats where the eligible women sat for the performance.
It was a very enjoyable tour, we learned some Brazilian history and culture.
After the tour, we walked around the Plaza do Republica. This park was created in the late 1800s as a place to gather. It still is. Every Sunday there is market with local crafts, regional products, and cultural presentations.
In the center of the plaza is a large statute of the Greek goddess of justice, Themis. It represents the legal and moral order of Brazil. 
We took taxis to a park near the place where we would have lunch. Since we were a little early for lunch, we enjoyed the park across the street. There were several white egrets or herons, as they are called locally. We enjoyed sitting one of the many benches and watching them watch us. 
Myself and another Ambassador walked across the street to take photos of murals painted on the side of a building. They were nicely done and brightened up the neighborhood.
After another nice lunch, this time at the Privilege Resto. 
Dock Station
Late in the afternoon, our hosts took us down to Estacão das Docas (Dock Station) for a waterfront tour with Valeverde Tourism. The Dock Station is a converted port area that has been transformed into a tourist and cultural complex. There are restaurants, bars, shops, and event spaces along the waterfront. It’s a beautiful area that has keep some of the relics of the past.
We boarded the tour boat at about 5:15 PM. It took us along the waterfront in Guajará Bay.We pasted the Ver-o-Peso market complex, the Forte do Presépio, the Cathedral, and Porto do Sal. Here’s a little of what we saw.
I was told that this ferry takes passengers from Belém to Santarém in the interior of Para state. The trip takes over 24 hours. Santarém is a jumping off point to the Amazon River. If someone wanted to take a ferry on to Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, that’s another 36-48 hours on the ferry. There are a few small state rooms but most passengers sleep in a hammock on the deck and bring their own food.
The boat ride featured a live band and regional dancers. When we boarded the boat, we were greeted by one of the dancers who flared her skirt for photos.
The music was loud but pleasant while the dancers had a great time moving to the beat.
When we arrived at Dock Station our hosts were waiting for us. We took them to dinner at one of the restaurants that served Italian dishes. It was very nice and relaxing. It was the end of a good day.
I should mention that some of the Friendship Force Ambassadors from Madison were coming down sick including my Traveling Partner. She missed one day of activities as did some of the other Ambassadors. I didn’t really have any symptoms until we returned home.
Join me next week for the last post in this series about our time in Brazil.
Now for the five senses plus one.
Saw – the waterfront, a beautiful theatre, many egrets/herons, loud talking at the restaurant
Heard – traffic noises, loud music on the boat, the horn on the boat
Touched – hand rails, the wall in the Jesuit monastery
Smelled – cool air, hot air
Tasted – good food at the restaurant
Learned – a lot of history of Brazil at the theatre
Until next week, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM