We reached Salvador da Bahia in the early morning hours of
the 25th of October. The sun was shining out of a clear blue sky and
the temperatures reached already 30 degrees Celsius at 7:00h; you can also say
it in a more simple way: it was hot, a very hot morning. Nevertheless
passengers gathered on the bow on deck 5 when we passed the amazing skyline of
Salvador, with 2.6 Million inhabitants the third largest city of Brazil.
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| Oil ships are common as the harbour has its importance in the oil industry |
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| The southernmost tip of the Salvador peninsula |
Salvador was founded in 1549 by the Brazilian Tomé de Sousa.
The town has been for a long time the largest city of the southern hemisphere and
Brazilian’s capital until 1763. (1763 -1960 Rio de Janeiro, since 1960
Brasilia) The fertile soils in the surroundings of Salvador have been the
condition for the huge sugar cane plantations which set the starting point for
the industrial importance of Salvador. The descendants of the African slaves, working
on these plantations, dominate still the people living in Salvador. The whole
town gives the visitor strong African impressions.
Salvador is located on a small peninsula that separates the
Bahia de Todos os Santos (All Saints Bay) from the Atlantic. An escarpment, a
long cliff, divides Salvador into the Cidade Alta, the Upper Town, and the
Cidade Baixa, the Lower Town. An elevator connects these two sections since
1873.
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| View from Cidade Alta to the Mercator in Cidade Baixa |
Our excursion of the day started at nine o’clock and was
mainly focused on the historical centre of Salvador, a UNESCO World Heritage
Centre. The centre is built in a Renaissance style, typical for the colonial
time of Salvador. The whole city is mixture of Brazilian, European and African
elements, an amazing and colourful cultural arrangement.
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| The historical center |
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| In the São Francisco Chirch |
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| Fresh Coconut milk tastes wonderful |
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| Capoeira, a dance that has its origin in the African dance NiGolo |
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| Ladies of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé |
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| Nothing is impossible with a helping hand |
