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Friday, May 01, 2009

Friday Shoot-out: my town’s architecture

 Camillo and I have a house in Nova Friburgo and an apartment in Rio de Janeiro so I consider both ‘my towns’. I have taken photos in Friburgo for the past six week looking, searching, for the good and the interesting about the city and I am Friburgo’d out. Luckily this Friday I will go to Rio and spend a week there, then will be traveling for almost the next two months. I decided to do the Shoot-out this week and next around Rio, and will participate while traveling using photos of whatever town I find myself on a given Friday. AS this is a ‘no rules’ gang I think you all will enjoy the change and this will give you the opportunity to travel real time with me. DSC03906

“It is the state capital of Rio de Janeiro. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. It is also the former capital of the Portuguese Empire (1808 - 1821). Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or ‘The Marvelous City’.” (Wikipedia) This history has left Rio with an architecture that is strongly influenced by Portugal and by the utilitarian construction during the military dictatorship in the 60 & 70s and the 80s which had a floundering economy. When I say utilitarian construction I am really using dirty words. The downtown area once a graceful city with European styled building scan0001[1]grew by demolishing the old building and putting tall graceless structures. There are still pockets of what I feel are beautiful buildings but these areas are often neglected and dirty.

DSC_9906Interior of the Municipal Theater. (1909)

Video of early 20th century Rio

View of downtown from Santa Teresa – mixture of graceful older building and graceless newer ones.

Santa Teresa (blog with more about Santa Teresa) is one of the oldest barrios in Rio. Sitting high above downtown it maintains much of its original charm. There is still cable car access to the area from Lapa and is now filled with chic restaurants and well restored houses and museums.

 

 

 

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Scattered throughout the city are old homes, preserved but now restaurants, medical facilities, clothing stores. From time to time your eye will catch on an apartment building that reflects the designs from the 40s and 50s (Most of Ipanema is this way because it did not really get going as a barrio until the 70s, before that it was a place of summer, beachside homes.

DSC07064 Lagoa 1222005 (41) DSC00420

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26 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your photos. Such beautiful and intricate buildings. I look forward to seeing more from your trip.

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  2. So interesting ...more more more please ...

    AND I loved the sandcastle as well!

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  3. Fiburgo'ed out! LOL. My new saying for the day. What a prolific shoot. And the sand castle is a masterpiece. Also the angles on the stairways. Your blog is a feast for the eyes.

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  4. What a beautiful photo shoot. Rio has many gems, obviously. The sandcastle was fun but what people built in stone is gorgeous.

    Too bad so much of it was torn down.

    The word verification for this is "hosewar". How strange.

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  5. Santa Teresa.....WOW!! I love the verandas and the bright colored buildings GingerV. You always have such a fantastic angle on the themes for Friday Shoot-Outs my friend.
    Tell hot-buns Prince and I said hello and send hugs from Newnan....have and extreme weekend and.....

    Steady On
    Reggie Girl

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  6. So love sand castle! A day spent at the beach is my idea of fun.

    Those pink buildings are my favorite. Seems like all these pictures are eye candy!

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  7. Amazing pictures! Thank you for sharing!

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  8. These are wonderful! I love the sandcastle - LOL! Did you build it?

    Great photos.

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  9. Hi GingerV, such nice photos, it makes me want to hop on the next plane out of here and come see it all for myself. I am soooo loving blogging, it gives me a chance day for day, week for week to "SEE" places all over the world that i would not normally get to see unless it might be in a photography book. And blogging takes that one step better, I am getting to hear on the scene, real life stories of the places. I LOVE it all. I will be back again, you can bet on it! :-) take care, and hi from Germany, Debby

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  10. I will come and house sit while you are away. You and Pink Bird House always make me want me to pack up and take off for a month or two.

    The colors, the architecture, and the beauty of both your towns make me want to take off.

    I can't say which photos I like the best. They are all beautiful. And you do a great job composing your photos. I know I will always get a treat here.

    Good idea about shooting from the road. It will be fun seeing all your travel photos.

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  11. Sooo much beauty there! I would so love to go there. One day!
    Sorry I didnt make the shoot out this week~only one million things going on here. Dont give up on me!
    Have a great week end.

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  12. **thank you all for visiting. it gives me a different perspective on Rio and Friburgo to hear your appreciation. I Have so much trouble seeing the beauty here.

    ***Mr Barry, did you read my email to B&B - I thought it would be a clever/fun game to make up meanings for the security codes... like Hosewar - the firemen fought a true hosewar trying to save the warehouse! cucks I am in Rio and left my list of words in Friburgo - a real hazard to having two homes... now will have to start a new list.

    ****The old buildings with their wrought iron railings and the stairwells with the caved stone supports add elegance to the structures - the new buildings are of flat fronts with holes for A/C and with metal window frames that look flimsy and so USSR! All of this is overriden with black polution and grafity that to me is all an eye sore - I am glad I have been able to capture some of the past in the photos.

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  13. What a sand castle!!! That's incredible! Great pictures.. I love the doorways.

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  14. during the summer there are groups of men (families) that live on the beach and build these fantastic sand sculptures - they charge R$2.00 for you to take a photo - okay they work hard and stay there 24/7 to protect them - they should get paid - I walk with change in my pocket to pay for the photos. I could do a blog just on the ones I have photos of.

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  15. I like the church, and the iron railing the best. I also love it when an older section of a city is revitalized with the old buildings still intact!

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  16. ****I must say at least 2 times a day when in this city "I wish I had a million dollars" because I would buy blocks of the old buildings here and redo them - and it would take millions but what fun and how satisfying would that be.

    In my commet earlier I meant to type SHUCKS! sorry if anyone wasn't able to understand my bad typing.

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  17. I love the sand castle!! Post more pictures of those :-) I like the church architectural design and the doors. Thanks for sharing the history of your town.

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  18. thanks for showing me Rio! quaint, colorful and beautiful.

    love the sandcastle!

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  19. Hi GingerV,

    Your photos are so beautiful. It is like being offered a tray of chocolate and it is very hard to choose.

    One, however stood out. It's the red and pink building. I saw similar buildings in old Malacca in Malaysia.

    The Portuguese came to Malacca in 1511-1641. Some of the buildings still remain, and are painted red.

    There is still a portuguese village there.
    http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/02/malaccameleka.html

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  20. Incredible poat! Your photos always blow me away. Whoever made that sand castle has way to much time on their hands. Great stuff! Gordon

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  21. That sand castle is too cute! Love them, and wish I was at the beach :(

    Otherwise I love the diversity in all of our shoot outs, and see it from you eyes makes me long to come their even more...Gordon is right, that is what taking vacations is for,and I look forward to coming one day...

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  22. Wow! Your town is amazingly beautiful! You did a wonderful job capturing it. :)

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  23. New Recruit: Judie (Philippines) Her link is on my blog. Gordon

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  24. Hey Ms GingerV, kumusta? Thanks for visiting my site. By the way, are you a professional photographer? You did an amazing job on shooting those establishments in different angles. I was in awe while looking at those pictures. It's simply amazing. And also those plants and that unique tree were really incredible..wow!!! Thanks for posting those pictures. Looking forward for your next photos. Great job! :)

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  25. Gordon thanks for the heads up - but caught two new gang members this morning while catching up on my blog read with coffee. I think your list is still longer than mine... I will need to do better.

    Judie, was a pleasure visiting your blog this morning and no I am not a professional - just a spot and shoot fanatic. usually my angle is a direct result of trying to avoid a bus, or a sign or a homeless person sleeping on the street and is not planned with expert knowledge of photography. I do try to keep my horizon straight and/or on angle at least one edge straight with the camera - some little hint I read on the internet once.

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  26. Awesome picture of the sand castle. Exquisite work!

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