Carnival in Brazil

To understand more about the city and its history, we had a bike tour with La Ursa. We met our guide, Roderick at a city bike hire station down at the golden beaches of Boa Viagem. Here he set us up with hire bikes, to be returned to another hire station at the end of our tour. What a great idea for a business.

Cycling along the beachside cycle paths was a safe and efficient way to experience life in the bustling city. Then, moving through Brasilia Teimosa, we saw the traditional fishing area where local life seems to go on unchanged by the years.

Next, we cycled along the breakwater, enjoying views across to the city. At the end of the breakwater is the Francisco Brennand´s Esculturas Park. Built in 2000 as a commemorative landmark for 500 years of the discovery of Brazil, it contains 90 works by the artist. The main sculpture is the Crystal Column (although locals have another name, not so polite name for it). This 32m tower is made of clay and bronze, topped by a flower inspired bud and housing a special egg. The column is surrounded by strange creatures including mermaids, a gigantic sea serpent and human footed pelicans. All very peculiar.

From the park, we took a short boat trip across to the old island with its cobbled streets and many bridges. Standing in Marco Zero, the main square, we observed the city preparing for the upcoming carnival. The streets were lined with streamers and banners, street vendors were setting up stalls and every plaza housed a stage with monster sound systems.

A short 20km drive from Recife is the colonial town of Olinda. Founded in 1535 by the Portuguese, it was rebuilt by the Dutch in the 18^th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated on a steep hillside, the narrow, cobbled streets are crowded with brightly coloured houses, baroque churches and monasteries and brightly painted houses.

Here we took another tour with Roderick; this time walking. As well as the history of the town, Roderick told us all about carnival and especially the ´bonecos gigantes´. These are giant puppets up to 15 feet tall, weighing 45 kilos. They are representations of popular local or international figures and are carried through the streets during the carnival period. The most famous is ‘homom da meia noite´ (midnight man) who opens the carnival at midnight on the Saturday. The story goes that he was a tall, elegant man who would come out at night searching for romantic encounters with lonely maidens. It was all a bit spooky.

Wanting to get more of a feel for Olinda, we spent two nights in Pousada Alta Astral, rustic accommodation in heart of the old town. A perfect place to join in with the pre-carnival celebrations.

The largest bloco in Recife is ´Galo da Madrugada´ (dawn´s rooster). This starts at 7am on one of the city’s many bridges. The meeting point is marked by a giant rooster sculpture, specially constructed each year and, from here, the procession winds through the main streets with its trucks of enormous speakers blasting out carnival tunes. The streets are crammed with party goers dancing and singing. Ending at the old town with its large staging areas, the music and dancing goes on through the night. There are usually over 2 million people partying.

Heading back to Olinda, we secured places at Olinda Pousada Quatro Cantos (Inn of the Four Corners). Its tree covered courtyard had an excellent vantage point for watching the blocos dance past.