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| Farol do Barra (Barra Lighthouse) |
Salvador was the original capital of Brazil, and it was the entry point for most of the Africans who came to Brazil as slaves. The reason was twofold. It sits at the entrance to the Bahía de Todo os Santos (The Bay of All Saints), and it is one of the closest points to Africa on the American continents. We are staying in the Barra neighborhood, which sits right at the corner of the bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
see map
The center of Barra is the
paseo that has been built along Av. Oceanica right along the water.
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| Av. Oceanica |
The
paseo goes from the Barra Lighthouse to a park centered around a statue of Christ. This stretch has many restaurants, stores, and on a beautiful Sunday, loads of families out to enjoy the weather and water.
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| The beach is nice, but the water is rocky |
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| Setting up for a busy Sunday |
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| Looking east down the beach, the Christ statue is on top of that hill |
The beach in Barra has a nice strip of sand of sand at low tide, but you may notice all of the rocks. They make nice tidal pools for swimming, but I would suggest bringing water-proof swim shoes to wear. The beach was also home to one of the things Brazilians truly love - football:
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| Children playing football |
While I was walking along the beach I saw both pickup and organized games of football being played.
At the west end of the paseo is the
Faro de Barra - The Barra Lighthouse:
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| Your author relaxing at the Barra Lighthouse |
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| The Amazing Ms. D in front of the lighthouse |
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| Coconut vendor in front of the lighthouse |
Also at that end of the paseo is the first apartment building constructed in the Barra neighborhood -
Condominio Morro do Paciencia.
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| El Morro de Paciencia |
The top floors are apartments, the bottom has been and movie theater, a stage theater, a store, a disco and now is being developed in to high end restaurant and club.
At the west end of the paseo is a park topped off with a statue of Christ.
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| Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean |
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| Looking east from the Christ Statue |
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| Looking west from the statue |
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| Me at the top of the hill |
The walk up to the top of the hill is a little steep and the "path" is a series of cement tiles in the ground, but the view up and down the coast is worth it.
So far we are really enjoying out stay. Being near the water is great. The neighborhood is laid back. It is place that really mixes foreign tourists, Brazilenos and Bahians. My favorite type of area to stay in.
in Barra, we stayed at the pousada Casa Petunia. It is 2 blocks from the beach and near restaurants, markets and stores. Great location! The inn is beautiful and decorated in Balinese furniture and style. The owners, Marcos and Petunia are wonderful people and made our stay absolutely fantastic. The breakfast Petunia provides every morning is a gastronomic delight!!
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