Ouro Preto - Portuguese colony or colony of repúblicas (Minas#2)

Ouro Preto arriving around 9 p.m... It is always quite interesting to land in a place after dark - you have no clue of anything, just bus or taxi indications to reach the place where you'll sleep and the certainty of the morning's surprises! Same feeling here.

My host Daniel takes me on to the república where they live - present that weekend: Bobbie, Saudita and Delicado (alias Daniel). All nicknames with their own very special story, and usually a good laugh following! Even though I am exhausted, it seems like the best way to get to the discussion, knowing each other and enjoying that it is Saterday evening, is around a beer. And then, as Bobbie esplains, UFOP - Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - is crowned by a research report done among all universities of Brasil, as being the one where students drink and smoke the most. So beer seems like a good way to get into the local culture as well, no? In a cosy, wooden decorated bar, right around the corner. Between Portuguese and Danish - yeah... Daniel speaks a close-to-perfect Danish, so here I am in the niddle of Brazil, speaking Danish with a Brasilian! Surreal.

Sunday's program had many variables but given the rain of the night, any more natural adventures are excluded, and we go on visiting the city center - passeiar, my prefered activity, especially in nice compagny. After some time, I can actually understand Saudita's half mumbling way of speaking, I can follow more or less the rapid word flow of Bobbie, and then rest with some Danish conversation with Daniel. The weather is slightly foggy/cloudy but fine enough for enjoying the views onto the landscape: green mounts punctuated by the colonial bell towers and houses. Actually the cloudy sky, with its dark greys and blues makes the scenery even more dramatic, beautiful and enjoyable! And with the nice company of the three guys, I would be able to put enough superlatives to describe my stay in OP.

Close relation between city and nature

OP's hilly townscape

Walking here is up and down constantly. Whatever heavy mineiro (=from Minas) food you might have eaten or many drunken beers, you surely loose the heavy stomach or headache walking those streets. But another more remarkable aspect of this landscape is the perspective it gives you onto the surroundings. The hilly landscape allows you to get the sight of OP in one turn on yourself, then you walk downhill and found yourself surrounded by old houses, looking up at churches, as wonderfully decorated as they are, with the dramatic scenery of nature. Or looking down at secret gardens.

Streets of OP

The combination of the heavy ornamented architecture with the natural sceneries, give to OP its particularly beautiful character!

1: Praca Tiradentes, the main square | 2: Fair with stone items from the region

We walk around thus, with the guys informing me on historical aspects and event, and with the special knowledge of Bobbie, a history student - what better guide could you expect? Then Daniel speaking of the past slavery, the social history of the city. Completed by a visit at a fine museum explaining the life 'back then'. Ah wonderful days we had.

At the end of the day, the rain catches up with us again. Back home we -well I actually- cook some nice pancakes and we enjoy a last meal together before my early departure on Monday morning. Marvellous experience and meetings follow me on the way back, and I am hit by strong feelings of saudade, already in the bus. The beauty of the landscape tames the feeling and I enjoy the morning ride.

From left to right: myself, Saudita, Bobbie and Delicado