Imaging Brazil 196: Skyline of Canoa Quebrada, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

196. Canoa Quebrada

JANUARY 2008: Canoa Quebrada

Canoa Quebrada, a paradisaical beach resort at about 160 km from Fortaleza, state of Ceará, is known for its orange-red to reddish brown falésias (sandstone cliffs). From the azure waters of the Atlantic Ocean, these colorful cliffs form a wonderful composition with the blue sky and the azure blue ocean water. From the beach,  so-called jangadas (flat-bottomed boats) are available for a short cruise. One can also take a dip (with life jacket) in the warm ocean water. Jangadas are part of Brazilian history: at the time of the end of slavery in Brazil, the leader of the jangada sailors – Chico da Matilde, known as “Dragão do Mar” – and his colleagues no longer accepted slave transports. This was the beginning of the total abolition of slavery in Ceará, and in Brazil.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 190: Starry Road in Canoa Quebrada, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

190. Stars

JANUARY 2008: Stars

Once a calm fishing village, at present Canoa Quebrada has grown to a tourist attraction in the state of Ceará. The town was “discovered” by French filmmakers and hippies in the sixties and seventies of the last century. Not much later, the first tourists arrived, and the first accommodations appeared. Nowadays, many tourists pay a visit to Canoa Quebrada, not only for its natural beauty but also for its sparkling nightlife. The beaches of Canoa are bordered by high sand cliffs (falésias) with their bright orange, red and brown hues. Especially at sunrise and at sunset, these colorful cliffs offer spectacular contrasts with the bluish hues of the Atlantic Ocean. In the evening and at night, tourists enjoy a large number of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. The principal street is named Broadway. At day, I noticed this starred street, apparently the local Walk of Fame.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 185: Bridge on the São Francisco River, PE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

185. Bridge

JANUARY 2008: Bridge

It was a long and adventurous bus trip from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza, capital of the state Ceará. On the way to Fortaleza, which lasted no less than four days, we visited the beach resorts of Porto de Galinhas, Praia de Pipa, and Canoa Quebrada. The return trip was much shorter, only two days. From the capital, the highway across the arid landscape of the state of Ceará was followed. The bus drivers insisted to leave early in the morning, in order to reach the border with the state of Pernambuco before sunset. The highway Ceará was known to have frequent raids happening, especially at night. It was very hot that day, we had put all the windows wide open for some ventilation. The landscape was surprisingly interesting and varied, and I shot hundreds of photos of it. The sun was about to set, when we finally reached the São Francisco River that formed the border with Pernambuco. There was a bridge under construction, but the bus was – like the cars and even trucks – transported by ferry across the wide river. We had to wait patiently for the arrival of the ferry, before we could continue our way home.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 171: Sunrise in Canoa Quebrada, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

171. Sunrise 

JANUARY 2008: Sunrise

It was at dawn, when we arrived in Canoa Quebrada by bus. We were en route from Belo Horizonte, on the way to Fortaleza, and already had stayed at the famous beach resorts of Porto de Galinhas and Praia de Pipa. The distance between Praia de Pipa and Canoa Quebrada is relatively short, and therefore we could enjoy a special and colorful sunrise in the former fishing village. The first sun rays from the east caused a pale pink hue in the slightly clouded sky, while the sand cliffs gradually gained their reddish brown color. The ocean water was grayish blue mixed with pink from the sky reflected on the water surface.  Despite the very early hour, a little after five o’clock, and despite our sleepiness, we all enjoyed this pink sunrise. A good start for a warm and sunny day.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 167: Paragliding in Canoa Quebrada, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

167. Paragliding 

JANUARY 2008: Paragliding

In January 2008, I participated in a special bus trip from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza. A unique adventure of spending five days on the bus, thereby visiting the beaches of Porto de Galinhas, Pipa, and Canoa Quebrada. Canoa Quebrada – once a small fishing village – is a very popular beach location in the state of Ceará. The village with colorful sand cliff coasts at the Atlantic Ocean was ‘discovered’ several decades ago by French filmmakers,  and by hippies, and it has become an attractive beach resort with plenty of entertainment. When we had spent the evening prior to the final stage to Fortaleza, we visited a traditional bar with Brazilian music, followed by a visit of a nightclub with electronic music, and a bar with reggae music. During the day there was also much to do  and to see: we regularly noticed brightly colored buggies driving around,  and occasionally a para-glider circling over our heads. The shape of the parachute and the silhouettes of the two dangling below looked strikingly similar to the symbols of Canoa Quebrada: the crescent moon and the star.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016

Imaging Brazil 156: Faithful dog at Canoa Quebrada Beach, CE (2008)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

156. Faithful dog

JANUARY 2008: Faithful dog

Canoa Quebrada Beach is a very popular tourist spot in the state of Ceará. Canoa Quebrada – literally translated as ‘Broken Canoe’ – was a small fishery village, until the arrival of French movie makers and hippies in the sixties of the past century. Since then, the village has been transformed in a small town with many tourist facilities such as hostels, restaurants and bars. The beach is famous for the colorful sandstone cliffs (falésias) and nightlife in Broadway Street. In January 2008, I spent one day in Canoa Quebrada, when I was on the way from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza, by bus. We arrived at the time of sunrise and left after midnight. At day we stayed in the beach, and many of my fellow travelers – most students – took a nap and many beers. I spent my time walking around, looking around, and I spotted this poor dog tied to a table. It obviously looked in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean and waited longingly for the return of its owner.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015

Travel in Brazil: FORTALEZA (14). Dutch Glory at Ponte dos Ingleses

FORTALEZA (14)
Dutch bars at Ponte dos Ingleses

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Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará.
Episode 14. Dutch Glory at Ponte dos Ingleses

>> More information about FORTALEZA <<

 

>> All episodes of ‘Travel to Fortaleza’ <<

Evening

After a lazy day on Praia do Futuo beach, a group of students went to a festival where they stayed until dawn. They would sleep later, in our bus, when we were on the way back to Belo Horizonte. Others preferred to have a quiet evening in Fortaleza: they were too tired for more nightlife. Eilen, who accompanied me various times in Fortaleza, and I had another option: visiting Ponto dos Ingleses, one of the touristic attractions in Fortaleza. Apparently, an attraction that is mainly focused on foreign tourists. We took the bus that was heading back to the center and followed the directions of the cobrador (he is responsible for the bus fares). We had to cross a crowded avenue and walked in the direction of the pier.


Restaurants with expensive dishes…

Ponte dos Ingleses

Ponte dos Ingleses (Pier of the English) was a project, which had to improve port facilities in Fortaleza. The project was approved in 1920; in 1923, English engineers started the project. However, this harbor never was realized, thanks to shortage of fundings. The constructions were neglected, and gradually were destroyed by the sea. In 1994, the city decided to restore the 120-meter-long pier and to establish touristic facilities. At the pier,artists have their galleries, and scientists have an observation spot from where dolphins are observed. The English pier is also a favorite subject for local poets and singers. Not very surprising, since the pier is recommended as the best location in Fortaleza for witnessing colorful and breathtaking sunsets.

Artists offer their creations in the street. 

Dutch!

We approached the first restaurants and bars near the entrance of the pier. There were various restaurants that offered expensive dishes: more than thirty reais (10 euros) for an à la carte dish. Undoubtedly, foreign tourists will prefer these exclusive restaurants. Brazilian tourists may consider the dishes as much too expensive. On the left, I observed something obvious: a well-known beer brand on a green background. That could only be Heineken Beer! More striking was the logo of a famous Dutch soccer team: Feijenoord Rotterdam. A Dutch bar! As if that wasn’t enough, his neighbor also had a bar with a Dutch name: Het Pintje (Glass of Beer). Maybe Dutch-speaking Belgians? The waitresses were anything but Dutch; they were Brazilian girls. Were they able to speak Dutch? Not at all! They only spoke Portuguese.

Undoubtedly Dutch! Or: maybe owned by
Dutch-speaking Belgians?

Folkloric

Eilen and I went on. We walked along restaurants, bars, nightclubs. There was even a long, neat  row of people waiting in front of a nightclub, where foreign tourists would meet Brazilian dance styles. The billboard announced them as folkloric dances. When reading this term, I immediately would associate that with traditional European folkloric dances, and absolutely not with sensual and rhythmic dances as samba, forró, pagode, frevo, to name some. Unfortunately, we were too late for the enchanted sunset, but we enjoyed the city lights very much. After a short visit to the art galleries, we returned to our PSOL pousada. Our final night in Fortaleza would be very short, but relatively comfortable on a thin mattress. Relatively comfortable, because the two following nights were spent in a riding bus, on the way to Belo Horizonte…

Dutch Heineken and Feijenoord in Brazilian Fortaleza

Waitresses of the Dutch bar

The beach and city at night

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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Travel in Brazil: FORTALEZA (13). Praia do Futuro

FORTALEZA (13)
Praia de Futuro, in Fortaleza

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Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará.
Episode 13. The trendy beach Praia do Futuro

>> More information about FORTALEZA <<

>> All episodes of ‘Travel to Fortaleza’ <<

Weight

After our encounter with the very interesting history of Fortaleza – we had visited some historical buildings and Fortaleza’s historical museum -, it was about time to have some lunch, before we (Eilen and I) would take the bus to the trendy beach of Praia do Futuro. We were about to join the rest of our travel group; they already went there before noon. For sure they were already enjoying their ice-cold beers, delicious bites, and some fresh dives in the Atlantic Ocean. For many Brazilians, this is the best way of enjoying a day on the beach. Eilen and I managed to locate a rather cheap buffet restaurant in the center. The restaurant offered a wide variety of dishes. Since we had to pay for the weight of our meal, we were cautious not to add heavy food like lasagna or chicken meat that contain bones. It is better to take more salad, fruits, rice and chicken breast. According to the Brazilian tradition, Eilen and I shared a 600 ml bottle of soda.

Tourist information center:
“Fortaleza, you will love the city!”

Windmills

After our lunch, we went for the bus. We were lucky to meet a bus stop near the restaurant, where the bus just arrived. It was a luxury, air-conditioned bus, with comfortable seats. I took a window seat and took some pictures underway. The bus followed a route along some locations that already had become familiar for us: the cathedral, cultural center Dragão do Mar, the central market, Beira Mar. After Beira Mar, the route was new for us. The bus continued the route along the harbor, where we observed huge windmills that were placed offshore. Their enormous propellers rotated constantly. It was as if I were in the Netherlands, for a short moment…  

Windmills along the harbor in Fortaleza

Crawfish

It appeared to us as if the bus didn’t take a direct route: from the center eastward, and then southward. About fifty minutes later, we arrived at the bus stop near the beach. Praia do Futuro has a good reputation because of the fantastic combination of sun, sea, beach, and entertainment. Numerous bars, restaurants and boates (nightclubs) attract many (foreign) tourists and the youth from Fortaleza. Being lazy on the beach at day, having a delicious dinner at night, followed by partying later that night. Unfortunately, we lacked time to party that night. We had to get up early the next morning, since our bus driver wouldn’t risk problems when driving through the deserted and arid wilderness of the state of Ceará. We had to limit our stay on the beach until sunset. The numerous beach vendors approached us with a wide variety of merchandise, from sunburn cream to peanuts. One of them had fresh crawfish. Really delicious! We couldn’t resist the seductive smell of fresh crawfish and we bought one. It wasn’t easy to break the hard shell with bare hands, and the spines didn’t facilitate our efforts. Not a big deal, I used the bottom of an empty beer bottle, that I had wiped clean before. I was able to crush even the tiniest parts of the crawfish.

Beach parasols in neat rows

A seashell or a little house? Many people
scanned the beach for these tiny shells. 

Long shadows made by the beach parasols


Crawfish! A delicatessen for only 3 euros each

Relaxing moments on the beach!
These are NOT my feet…. 

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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Travel in Brazil: FORTALEZA (12). Street Images of Fortaleza II

FORTALEZA (12)
Images of Downtown Fortaleza II

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Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará.
Episode 12. More images of the center of Fortaleza

>> More information about FORTALEZA <<

>> All episodes of ‘Travel to Fortaleza’ <<

Catedral Metropolitana

Apparently an old cathedral, but this cathedral
was inaugurated in 1978 only. 

Praça Cristo Redentor, a square with
a 35-meter high column with a statue
of Christ on top of it (1922)

Entrance of Cultural Center ‘Dragão do Mar’

Colorful billboard at Fashion Center

Neatly polished taxi in Fortaleza

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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Travel in Brazil: FORTALEZA (11). Theatro José de Alencar

FORTALEZA (11)
José de Alencar Theater

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Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará.
Episode 11. Theater named after the famous dramatist, politician and writer José de Alencar.

>> More information about FORTALEZA <<

>> All episodes of ‘Travel to Fortaleza’ <<

The facade of the theater is located within the
walls of this building. 

José de Alencar

One of our most interesting destinations in Fortaleza was the famous theater that was named after one of the most famous Brazilian Romanticists, José de Alencar. José Martiniano de Alencar (1829 tot 1877) was journalist, politician, dramatist, theater critic, and above all writer. He write important works about Brazilian life and culture; famous is the trilogy about indians. ‘O Guarani’ is the most widely known volume of that trilogy. See this website for more information about his life and works.

Facade of the theater

Theater

In 1910, the theater was officially inaugurated; the fundamental stone was laid in 1896. The original project was not realized, since a law was required to complete the construction of the theater. The building is another example of the eclectic architecture style, in which earlier architectural styles are interwoven with each other. The theater room is decorated in Art Nouveau style. The wrought iron that was used for the original theater building, was imported from Scotland. Obviously the facade of the theater is not visible from the street. The ‘front building’ was completed in 1990 only. The theater is not freely accessible for visitors; regularly, there are rehearsals and the rooms are locked then. Nevertheless, we were allowed to enter the courtyard, from where we could take pictures of the facade of the theater. This website shows the rooms of the theater. Besides the theater (with a capacity of 764 visitors), the theater complex has a theater garden, which was designed by the famous landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, who also had designed the gardens of the Pampulha architectonic complex in Belo Horizonte.

The ‘courtyard’. Right: the theater, and left: the
main building. Behind: the theater garden,
designed by Roberto Burle Marx.

Wrought iron staircase, imported from
Scotland.  

Detail of the facade of the theater

Masks: the laugh… and the tear …..

Inside the theater

Book about the theater

Documentary Brazilian Ministry of Culture

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom

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