A Little Big Building in a Little Neighborhood of a Big Cit

I will be sad to leave Rio. It is a shame that the image which is exported (at least to me) is of poverty, instability, and drug trafficking. I do not have statistics but it seems like many of the touristic regions would compare in crime rates to large cities anywhere in the world.

Today I walked around Catete, a region with beautiful, though decaying, architecture. Lovely buildings which seem like they would make prime real estate in other cities and once held fashionable elite now house tiendas (or convenience stores or deps; depending on which country you translate to), grocery stores, and deli/bakeries.

I ate lunch at a wonderful place which was something I would expect to see in a movie. The store was a cross between a bakery, diner, mini grocery shop, and convenience stand (gum, candy, etc.) and sat on a street corner with two side walls removed so it was completely open to passers-by and precious breeze. The convenience stand section held up the building at the corner. The bakery/diner was behind a winding glass counter borrowed from the 1950's. Customers could shop from delicacies behind the glass and sit on a stool to dine upon the top of the counter. Grocery items lined the back of the store and fully cooked chickens were available to buy for dinner. The bakery section of the counter had lovely pastries and divine cakes. The chocolate cakes of Rio must be among the best in the world and in this shop there were three cakes of particularly luscious chocolate truffle. The waiters buzzed behind the counter in light yellow uniforms edged in white and little hats.

The help was extremely friendly. When broken Portuguese tumbled from my mouth three waiters appeared. They were perfectly eager to help but I doubt any had studied any English. They continued to be attentive during my lunch as each took a turn offering me a glass of water and my counter must have been cleaned nearly four times while I was there.

Adorable houses reflecting (Portuguese influence I assume) line the avenue. A few stick out with intense beauty. Of note is the hospital.

A woman informed me the hospital is bad but it was a gorgeous building, appropriately dressed in pale blue and soiled white. Some of the faces have been cleaned but the back of the hospital has sagging shutters, graffiti and other sores leaving the building looking ill itself. The hospital with its statues, small gardens, and roof decoration occupies an entire street block. It sits with majestic gates enticing the pedestrian to weasel in and tour the medical palace. The fact that the hospital maintains some dignity while looking blatantly ill, is heart wrenching.

I had mistaken it for my destination - the presidential palace.
The palace is lovely with a wonderful garden of draping trees. The street level left me gaping at the beauty which sits in Rio. The first rooms are spectacular and worth a visit for any Rio tourist. However, the money spent on each room was clearly exponentially linked with the room's proximity to the street. Aplomb drastically decreased on the second floor and again on the third where the president's room is, fully preserved from the moment when one of Brazil's presidents committed suicide. The room is a national treasure indeed; but surprisingly ascetic even for 1954.

While I admire the palace as a fine work of art, I must admit it is fun to see in comparison with the excess of Europe. Every floor was a unique pattern of inlaid wood but there was little wood used else where which I found unfortunate as Brazil has the most beautiful wood. Instead, the palace imitates European palaces but, unable to afford granite, marble, and other fine rock, the palace becomes a monument of fine decorative painting. It was staggering how much of the palace was painted and the range of quality in the painting. A few of the stone finishes were incredibly accurate but there were a few pieces of granite which were..... where an apprentice must have been hired.

There were a few other indications that the palace is not in Europe: one is free to walk out on all balconies and to use the palace toilet.