Day 63 - São Paulo (Part 4)

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

And then it was almost 1 pm. I had been on my feet for almost 4 hours! I felt tired and phlegmy. So then I took a cab to my next destination, the Memorial da America Latina. This is a complex of buildings designed by (who else? - the lovely) Oscar Niemeyer to honor the struggles of the Latin American people and provide a place where celebrations or public events can take place. The buildings include a library, research center, displays of art including Latin American folk art, and the Brazilian Center for Latin American Studies. It was nice to walk around here and notice the interesting features of the architecture.

Then I took a cab to Parque da Independencia in Ipiranga, which is quite some distance away from the Centro neighbourhood. At one end of the park was a beautiful, big, impressive palace with European style gardens. This building was built in 1895 to preserve 400 years of Brazilian history and houses old maps, photographs, paintings, and furniture. Part of it has been turned into a museum known as the Museu Paulista, but it is currently closed for renovations, until the year 2020, according to one of my taxi drivers today (if I understood him correctly). Still, it was a beautiful place and I enjoyed walking around the palace grounds and in the gardens.

At the other end of the park is the Independence Monument, with Brazilian independence heroes such as Joaquim Goncalves Ledo and Hipolito Jose da Costa. Underneath the monument is a mausoleum (which we could visit) for Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and his wife, Maria Leopoldina. Maria Leopoldina was an archduchess of Austria, born in Vienna. Among her many siblings were Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma,  the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was also the great-niece of Queen Marie Antoinette of France.  She was married off to Prince Pedro, then heir to the Portuguese throne and Emperor of Brazil. When his father, Joao VI died, Prince Pedro inherited the Portuguese throne as King Pedro IV, while remaining Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. Maria Leopoldina thus became both Empress consort of Brazil and Queen consort of Portugal. Emperor Pedro I of Brazil was the one who declared Brazil's independence from Portugal in 1822.

After this I took a cab to my last destination, which is the Japanese town in Liberdade. Many Japanese people came to Brazil after World War 2 and settled down in São Paulo, in this area. Walking around this area, I felt like I was in Japan rather than in Brazil, here was all things Japanese - the shops, the restaurants, the people! It's like a little part of Japan in huge Brazil. 

Considering all the places I visited today and all the walking I did, I was surprised that it was only about 4.30 pm. I contemplated having a beer (what the hell, I was already sick anyway) but then I decided against it, I think it would aggravate the yellow phlegm. So then I took a cab back to my hotel. I must say this particular cab driver was young and cute, and I contemplated asking him out for a beer, but unfortunately 
he couldn't speak a word of English and what good would that be if I had to drink my beer quietly? I might as well drink alone.

In the end I just bought some food from a restaurant near my hotel, and some snacks and water, and went back to my hotel. My legs could do with some rest. One day I may be known as the girl who walked a thousand miles but got nowhere.