Brynn Barineau

Tag: Things to do in Vitoria!

  • Happy Birthday, Vitoria!

    Happy Birthday, Vitoria!

    Today, the city of Vitoria turns 459 years old.  A long time ago, September 8, 1551 to be exact, the Portuguese fought and won a decisive battle against the Goitacazes tribe.  They were so tickled with themselves for winning, the Portuguese called the island where the battle occurred Ilha de Vitoria, or Island of Victory.  Thus, the city of Vitoria was born and has been continuously inhabited for the past 459 years.

    A founding date of 1551 seems quite old to me, at least for a European city in the Western hemisphere.  The city government claims on their website that Vitoria is the second oldest capital city in Brazil.  I did some research (i.e. went to wikipedia) and found a list of the oldest cities in the US for comparison.

    The oldest, continuously inhabited city in the US is St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565.  Pensacola, FL was originally founded in 1559 but destroyed shortly after it’s founding.  It wasn’t refounded until 1698, so it loses the title on a technicality.  Either way, Vitoria is older than the oldest city in the US.

    Actually, Europeans began living on the islands that now make-up Vitoria beginning decades before the city was officially founded.  The first Portuguese governor of the region of Espirito Santo, Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, arrived in 1535.  The bay was protected by a series of small islands making it an ideal port.  The Portuguese could easily defend against the French and the Dutch.  There were also some problems with the locals.  With thousands of people already living up and down the Brazilian coast, the Portuguese had a little trouble convincing them to relocate.

    The local Indian tribes called Vitoria Guanaaní, Island of Honey.  The calm bay, bejewled with emerald green islands, was a beautiful site.  The waters were filled with mollusks and fish and the forests were filled with parrots and monkeys.  It was an Island of Honey, an island of plenty.

    Unfortunately, a city cannot be a major port for 400 continuous years and remain an untainted oasis.  While not at the levels of Rio, Vitoria has serious problems with water and air pollution.  Fortunately, it only takes an hour or two to reach the small beach towns that line the coast of Espirito Santo.  There you can see glimmers of the paradise Vitoria must have been.

    So happy birthday Vitoria!  I’ve only been here a week but I’m already a big fan.  To be honest, you had me at your incredible fish stew, but throwing in centuries of history and a candy factory was a nice touch.

  • Welcome to Vitoria, Brazil

    Welcome to Vitoria, Brazil

    Last Monday, my husband and I loaded up our suitcases, and after being delayed by a meteor, we arrived at our new home, Vitoria.

    Vitoria is the capitol of Espirito Santo, the state immediately north of Rio de Janeiro state.  Including the metro area, Vitoria has a population of roughly 1.6 million people.  That’s only about 13 million less than Rio.

    I’ll be writing more about the city and how life here compares to that in Rio as I explore the city.  For now, here are some of the neat places I’ve found in our new neighborhood.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • I don’t think we’re in Rio anymore.

    I don’t think we’re in Rio anymore.

    Well, just when I’ve made it my personal goal to try every kind of snack food in Brazil, it looks as though our weekly road trips are coming to end.  Barring any changes of heart or collapse of the Federal government, my husband will be able to take a position in Vitoria starting in September.

    This means one apartment in one city and all our possessions in a single location.  Eventually.  Of course, we have to decide whether to sell or rent the apartment in Rio.  We’re going to rent an apartment in Vitoria as we get to know the city and decide where we would like to buy.  Some of our stuff will probably stay in Rio until we buy our apartment in Vitoria, because only masochists want to move all of their furniture twice in one year.

    But, eventually, at a now foreseeable date in the future, we and all of our stuff will be in one place.

    With this happy day in mind, my husband and I spent the weekend in Vitoria strolling around the neighborhood of Praia do Canto.  We wandered up and down the streets, taking note of the restaurants, shops, traffic, noise levels, and the many coffee shops.  My husband also literally noted down (always thinking, he had brought a notepad and pen from our hotel room) the address of apartments for sale that had the quiet street and netted balcony we are looking for.

    Praia do Canto is very, very promising.

    It wasn’t just tranquility and friendly cafes, that gave me hope of finding a home in Vitoria.  At one point, I realized I was walking around staring up at apartments without any consideration as to where I was putting my feet.  In Rio, if you take your eyes of the sidewalk for ten seconds you’ll probably be lost forever in a pot hole.  At the very least, you’ll have a sprained ankle.

    Not the case here in this tranquil, little hamlet of only 4 million people.  The sidewalks are almost entirely free of pot holes and garbage.  The city is new and the people calm.  Drivers stay in a single lane and use their blinkers when they want to move to a different one.  There was so little horn honking I wondered if the population was sedated.  When a car slowed down, came to a complete stop, and the driver waved at my husband and I to cross the street, I almost fainted in shock.

    I didn’t faint because I wanted to hurry up and get across the street in case this was some sort of trick.  Perhaps, the driver was going to floor it right when we hit the middle of road just to see us leap to safety.  But he didn’t.  He waited patiently, until we reached the sidewalk, and then slowly eased around the traffic circle.  I was amazed.

    After this series of events had happened a dozen more times and I realized coming to a stop for pedestrians was the rule as opposed to the exception, I knew this was the city for me.