Fortaleza = Rio de Janeiro vs. Sao Paulo 🏖🌁

Our first real day in Fortaleza and we started it by sleeping in. We went to breakfast around 9 and it was one of the best of the whole vacation. Goodbye bikini figure 2016. 🙈 Since a guided city tour in English was too expensive for us, we decided to explore on our own as the reception gave us information about the most important sights. Of course, we would have loved to spend the whole day at the beach, but the clouds ruined our plans. ⛅

1. Station: Estátua de Iracema

Please don't ask us about the historical background. It's simply a statue right on the beach that, according to the receptionist, has something to do with the liberation of slaves. They are currently renovating the sidewalk and bike path in front of our hotel, so we were only able to take a few pictures of the statue. We managed the first 3 minutes of our sightseeing walk.

Right on the beach, we found a Japanese garden that, although it had palm trees, was beautifully designed in the Japanese style. The Japanese are one of the largest immigrant groups in Brazil. Just like the Japanese quarter in São Paulo, we also find Asians here. 👲 Among all the high-rise buildings on the beach (mostly hotels), the whole scene seems somewhat unreal. 😃

3. Station: We need money, off to the ATM

Yes, you can't get far in Brazil with a total of 5 Reais in your wallet (about 1.30 €). The only bank that doesn't charge us fees for withdrawals is Santander Bank (we haven't tried many others 😁). According to the super Google Maps offline map, the nearest one was 2 km away. But we found one earlier as we came across a shopping center. At that moment, the sun was shining so much with a relatively blue sky that we decided against the sightseeing tour and opted for a day at the beach. 🌞🌡 While looking for a beach towel (preferably with a Fortaleza motif), we spent some time at the center. When we came out again, the clouds had formed again. So we changed our minds again and decided to go for another walk. Strangely enough, we were right at Station 4. 🤗 We didn't find a towel, though.

4. Station: Praça Portugal

Here, too, there was construction or renovation going on. Through a small peephole in the construction fence, we caught a glimpse. Again, we don't know what it means. But someday we can say: We were at the Portuguese square in Fortaleza. ✌