Another sunny day at sea, and it is hot.
Salvador was hot too, on Wednesday, at 29C, though not as hot as Tuesday, when it was 39C apparently!! Initially, we thought we were going to get very wet, as at about 0800 it poured with rain. So hard, that it was difficult to see the ship moored behind us. The rain, however, added to the humidity.
Interesting city, the original capital of Brazil. As a result there are some very impressive buildings, and some prettty shabby ones. The city is built in two parts. The old part, which is up on the hill, and the new part which is on the low lying ground. It lies on huge bay, apparently the largest in South America, and has a population of some 3 million. To get between the upper and lower towns, there are three cliff railways and a huge lift system. The alternative is a long uphill climb, which even coaches seem to find hard.
The highight of the visit had to be the 'golden church'. Originally a Franciscan facility, the outside is relatively plain. The inside though is very very different. After passing through the attractive cloisters, the decoration comes as a complete shock. The carvings are elaborate, and every surface, unless it is a painted face, is covered in gold. As a result, the whole place 'glows'. It is almost impossible to describe, except to say that it is startling and rather beautiful.
By comparison, the cathedral is rather drab, and surprisingly small.
Walking along what would have been the old ramparts, one comes acros a large empty space, which seems strange(bearing in mind this is an old settlement dating from the beginning of the 1500s). In this space stood another church, which was torn down to make way for a street railway. That does not exist any more, though some of the tracks are clearly visible.
We started our tour at about 0830, and were very glad to finish at around 1230, as by then the temperature was soarinhg, and the humidity was getting unbearable. The sanctuary of the ship and its air conditioning certainly beckonned. How we are going to cope with Rio will be interesting.
There were three cruise ships in Salvador at the same time. The city had so much space, that one was not really aware of this unless one was on the waterfront, where they were parked line astern. Black Watch was the smallest.
Salvador was enjoyable, though maybe that was down to it being the most interesting place so far. Rio is next, and we are there for two days.
It seems strange that we have been away for two weeks, yet only made landfall four times. After Rio we have a spell of more land days than sea days, which will make a change, but that is some days away. Two days at sea before we get to Rio.
We have been sleeping well, so we are going to have to set our alarm clocks etc, if we want to be up and about fo the sail in.
Dressing up night tonight, ie black tie and all the frills. Bit different to last night, when 'caribbean' shirts were the order of the evening. Stiil maybe we will go dancing for the third time today, after the show. Dancing class after lunch, Tea Dance this afternoon, life is hectic!