São Paulo

Goodbye South Africa Hello South America! 

Apartment time so chef Josh is on the case! 

Municipal Theatre of São Paulo 

A visit to the theatre which was free & they have an English speaking guide available twice a day.  It is a beautiful building inside & out & our guide was very well spoken & full of fascinating information.  It is used for operas and ballet mostly and was designed to replicate the European grand style.

     

                           

                                                 

        

A trip to the famous Beco do Batman (Batman Alley) where the streets are covered in some fantastic graffiti! It was a couple of trains & a bit of a walk but so worth it. 

               

               

                

              

                                                                       

          

                      Obviously Garys favourite!!!!!!! 

          

   Much excitement from our Josh as he spotted a tripple bendy bus!!!  

   Would not fancy taking that through the streets of São Paulo!!!!

    

We found a very quaint little transport museum which had a good selection of vehicles including the 'Bus two floors'!!! 

         

              

             

A visit to Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (One of the many fabulous art galleries/museums São Paulo has a o offer).

              

                

                                     

Just outside the art museum was a great little park (Parque da Luz) which used to be a botanical garden so has a great mixture of trees & plants and some sculptures due to its close location to the museum.

      

             

Also comes complete with a gym!! The guys were using stone weights, it was like something out of the Flintstones!!!! 

             

              

We found a couple of themed crossing lights on our walks around São Paulo.  The first was beside the theatre and the other beside a grand statue! Very cool thought Josh! 

                                         

Another park for a stroll, this time through the beautiful Ibirapuera Park.  Very popular with the locals on a sunny Sunday afternoon! 

There was basketball, football, rollerblading, kite flying, running & cycling to name a few activities going on.

          

                          The Olympics are coming so out with the Team GB flag!

             

           Josh having a selfie session!!!!

          

Monument as Bandeiras, (Monument to the flags).  This monument represents São Paulo's diverse culture and depicts the pulling of a canoe by Portuguese settlers as well as black and Indigenous men & women.  

This is where we found the other themed traffic crossing signal! 

The streets of suburban São Paulo have a striking resemblance to San Francisco! 

Up Up & Up!!!!

         

     

A stroll to the shopping mall & we spotted this sculpture made out of everyday objects including a computer mouse, wheels, toy cars, mobile phone & so on! 

           

Cathedral Metrapolitan de São Paulo

This beautiful work of art began construction in 1913 but took a further 4 decades to complete although was in time for the 400th anniversary of the founding of the village of São Paulo!  It can hold up to 8,000 people and has the largest organ in Latin America with 5 keyboards and 12,000 pipes! 

The stone sculpture situated in front of the cathedral is the sight of the very central point of São Paulo. 

                  

                                    

                                                       

    

      Outdoor dining in their 'Winter'!!! 

                 Last night in São Paulo & time for burgers & pin ball!!!! 

                 

                                                       

São Paulo has been a great place to explore.  We have felt very safe & welcomed by all of the locals even if our attempt at their language requires some work!!!