Brasília - thoughts and impressions

Today's post is not about Rio! simply because this weekend I went to Brasília, and I would like to share some impressions with you. Brasília is the capital of Brazil, planned and built to be so. The capital was formally moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília on April 22, 1960.  Of course Rio de Janeiro and its inhabitants never really recovered from the blow, the cariocas still consider their city to be the real capital of Brazil...

It is for me one of the strangest places on earth. No longer in the middle of nowhere, simply because new cities have grown up around the carefully planned administrative and political centre of Brazil.

Still when you are there it is a bit like walking around in an enourmous open-air museum. The difference is that people live and work there. But the first thing that always hits me about Brasília is how big the sky is. Since it is in the highlands and very flat you have a view to the sky 180 degrees around you.

The first morning I was there I woke up to see hot air balloons - there was a race going on, quite a view from my window!

From my window I could also see the almost completed Estadio Nacional Mané Garrincha - prepared for the World Cup in 2014 and scheduled to be opened on April 21 - but there has been a delay...the new date has been set for May 18, 2013.

From the other side of my hotel I got a view of the Monumental Axis - the avenue that concentrates the main government buildings.

I set out to walk down to the Cathedral of Brasília, one of my favorite places. I soon found that the distance was bigger than imagined, all the buildings are so big in Brasília that they seem closer than they really are. A friend of mine who lives there explained that it is part of the idea, Brasília was conceived to give the idea of power, and so the open spaces and the enourmous buildings make people feel small. Well, I certainly felt small!
As I got closer to the Cathedral there was a statue of a biker that I really liked:

I was now close to Museu da Republica - designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 2006. The construction is for me a typical example of Brasília.

The museum has an excellent art colection and was built according to modern, international standards. But the building gives me an idea of something you would expect to see on another planet...

I walked on to the Cathedral:

The Cathedral was also designed by Oscar Niemeyer. The four evangelists greet you at the entrance, but the biggest surprise is to discover that most of the Cathedral is actually under the ground. The light is fantastic, and I just love the three angels that float under the ceiling.

I sat for a while and reflected on Brasília, how the Brazilians of all people could build such a place. Brazilians love to be together, to talk, to sing, to dance and to play soccer...Brasília was designed without natural meeting places, no corners, no restautants or bars in between the buildings - only in specially designated spaces. It is not a friendly city, but it is beautiful, it is incredible, and Brazilian!

The next day I went with friends to see the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge. Opened in 2002 it crosses the Paranoa Lake, and is of course not only a bridge - it is a monument.