While Rio is Brazil’s epicenter of style, Salvador do Bahia is the country’s soul. Pousada Sao Francisco de Assis is situated right across from the history center Pelourinho famous for its spectacular sunsets. Not to mention Carnival which starts right at our door step.With accommodations available year round this makes it the ideal place to stay while in Bahia.
Soon it may turn into another Canoa Quebrada, but its stunning beaches, clear water, and traquil (as yet) fishing village still make Morro de Sao Paulo a deserving destination. The village consists of but a single street. For the people who love the sea very much, you cannot miss a visit to the MORRO de SAO PAULO (2 hours by catamarano from Salvador), crystal waters, forests, infinite coconut palms, and beach parties during the night.
Even the ITAPARICA island, 30 minutes by boat from the little MERCADO MODELO port, has its charm, in fact here the time seems to have stopped along the little roads of the island; we can see villages with fisherman, and residential constructions that date back to the last century, everything goes together almost perfectly with the habits and customs of the islanders (quiet and relaxing NO STRESS).
The location of the city favors the entrance of swells coming from several directions: in winter, from April to September, the cold fronts coming from the south bring waves of up to 10 feet. And in the summer, from October to March, the prevailing swells come from the north and may reach up to 6 feet. For the first half of its 500 year history, it was the capital of the New World’s southern hemisphere. You can still live this history with its unrivaled collection of colonial architecture as you wander its labyrinth of hills and narrow streets. November is springtime in the southern hemisphere. Expect temperatures in the 80’s and lots of sunny days.
A significant portion of the sugar from the northeast and gold and diamonds from the mines in the southeast passed through Salvador. It was a golden age for the town; magnificent homes and churches resplendent in gold decoration were built. From stunning mansions and plantations from the times of the Portuguese conquest to colorful little houses framing the narrow streets, Bahia is a crowded, busy and joyful south American city with its own flair and even carnival.
This area is colorful, sweet smelling with about fifty huge baskets all filled with roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, as well as miniature boats, plastic dolls, perfume bottles, and ribbons from the Church of Bonfim. Most of its historical monuments are preserved, among those, you find 365 outstanding churches. One example is the plaza Praca Ancheita with its cross of Sao Francisco in the center, and the Igreja de Sao Francisco, a high-baroque church, at the end of the plaza. Pelourinho is a unique location where European, Amerindian, and African cultures have converged and blended as a result of Africans and Brazilians reclaiming their identities in this old city center of Salvador.
Salvador-Bahia became Brazil’s first capital back when the country was one of Portugal’s colonies, and remained like that for 214 years (until it was transferred to Rio, and finally to Brasilia). The city became a base for the Brazilian independence movement and was attacked by Portuguese troops in 1812, before being officially liberated on July 2 1823. It settled into graceful decline over the next 150 years, out of the mainstream of Brazilian industrialization.
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Tags: Bahia Beach, Beach Parties, Beaches In Brazil, Canoa Quebrada, Catamarano, Coconut Palms, Cold Fronts, Colonial Architecture, Crystal Waters, Gold And Diamonds, Itaparica Island, Mercado Modelo, Morro De Sao Paulo, Salvador Bahia, Salvador Do Bahia, Sao Francisco De Assis, Single Street, Southern Hemisphere, Spectacular Sunsets, Stunning Beaches, Unrivaled Collection
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