In the days after

A before photo taken from the top of the cable car.

 

It is obvious from my last post that I really was not tuned into the scope of the disaster in Nova Friburgo.  Only after arriving in Rio, talking with all our friends and family that had been looking for us, after reading news posts, reviewing photos, and watching international news coverage last night did I finally understand how devastated Friburgo is.  Conversations I have had this morning ranged from how to help now, to how will the city rebuild; replacing homes and businesses without using those areas that now show themselves as unsafe?  In this minute there seems to  be no answers.

As you can see from the before photo above  the city is built on steep hills along a river that runs right through its center.     On the outskirts of Friburgo - on the 116 between the new bus station and the city center is an old factory.  It is for sell, and could be converted to many small apartments.  The asking price last year was $R5,000,000.00 - to rich for my pocketbook, but have always thought it would make a great 'loft' apartment complex – Could the government buy this building now.  Now maybe it could house many of the homeless, temporary but stable, and much better than living in a school cafeteria.  And later turned into homes that could be sold to the poorer but strong middle class of Friburgo. 

 

More before shots, so we can all remember how beautiful it is up here in the mountains.

  
If people aren’t allowed to build on the steep hills, where will they live?  Does the government just say ‘sorry, the good building areas are full you have to move to a slum in Rio’?  Where, by the way, most are built on unsafe sides of mountains.

Friday Shoot out - Houses

My home ground of Rio and Nova Friburgo are different than the USA in so many ways, one obvious way is the Homes. There are more apartments here than individual homes; there are high rise apartments (rich and poor), sobre Lojas (above the shops), apartments line the main streets, and there are old houses that have been converted to small apartments.

Individual homes, in smaller numbers, also come in many variety of sizes and values; Small, chronically incomplete (illegal) houses, moderate sized but expensive walled in homes on city dime sized lots, farm houses on hills or valleys with large pieces of land – horses and cows grazing. Most often the individual homes are behind high fences and you can only guess at what is there. You see a roof top, a chimney, a water tank.

This house sits just off our road to Lumiar, there is only a romantic glimpse through the trees – a veranda wraps the front with high arched windows – flowering trees add the only color other than green of the forest and white of the house. The house looks out over white fenced horse paddocks and cattle grazing land that runs at least 3 miles along the road. In contrast to this large richly designed home is this small pink house that sits on the edge of the forest on a dirt road I often walk below our house. This simple home was more than likely built by those that live in it. It is a typical style and size of homes for the local workers. Not fancy but paid for as it was built just for a bit of whimsy, I include the House of bird houses where you can find every size and color of hand painted bird houses and mail boxes.

 

 

and a play house we found at a Pousada (B&B) that was the house of Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs to delight all little girls. There was a table and chairs inside where the little visitors could have a tea party.

 

 

 

But my favorite house in the neighborhood is our house. It has all the components that make a house a Home; spaces inside and out that make room for family and friends, a feeling that the inside and the outdoors belong together, space that please the eye and welcome you in.

My favorite house