For nearly halft a year I went with Bosch to Campinas, that lies close to Sao Paulo. I my freetime and during a holiday I wanted to visit other parts of the country. In the following I am describing some impressions of the nicest spots I have visited during this time - from north to south. 

Recife and Olinda (Pernambuco)

The city of Recife lies close to very nice beaches and is called  because of the many water channels the Venice of Brazil. Some kilometers north of the city is the pituresque town Olinda. Narrow streets with cobblestone pavement, colorful houses, ateliers, churches - this is Olinda. This town has been considered a Unesco world heritage in 1982.

Fernando de Noronha (Pernambuco)

In about 2 hours flight from Recife you can reach the volcano island Fernando de Noronha - a archipel of 21 island - that lies lonely in the Atlantic Ocean. Fernando de Noronha is a very expensive place from Brazilian people. The prices for lodging and eating are about twice the price of the Brazilian average. But it is worthwhile it! The beaches of the island are clean, very beautiful and there are not many people. The water is so cristal clear as I have never seen in my life before! A fantastic place!

Salvador (Bahia)

Ouro Preto (Minas Gerais)

Minas Gerais was formed mainly by colonists who searched for veins of gold and gems, and later diamonds. And still today there are many mines in this area. But also from the cultural point of view this region is interesting: there are many baroque churches and palaces in the small narrow towns.

In Ouro Preto and its surroundings lived more than 300.000 people in the 18th century because of the gold rush. It was well known as the rich town not only within Brazil.

Pantanal (Mato Grosso do Sul)

The Pantanal is the biggest wetlands in the world covering parts of Brazil and two other states, has been declared a World Biospheric Reserve by the UNESCO. It is a 200.000 sq. km area located in the upper Paraguay river basin in Brazil, close to the border with Bolivia and Paraguay. This ecosystem, the size of Texas, consists of huge plains of marshy areas in which, during the rainy season (November to March), the rivers flood and the area becomes fully immersed in water. Agriculture is naturally limited to rather simple cattle farming.

Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

The Must for every visitor of Brazil  - and it is a unique city: Rio de Janeiro! The view from the Christ redeemer is breathtaking!

Parati (Rio de Janeiro)

On the coast line between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, there is the nice little town Parati another world heritage in Brazil. The centre of the town is prohibited for vehicles. Nice boutiques and restaurants are in the streets that have cobblestone pavement. Parati is a very historic town. In the 18th century the port was used in order to ship the gold from Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro. In the following century it was an important place for the exporation of coffee which was cultivated in the valley of Paraíba in the staates of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Today colonial houses, churches and streets show the richness of the former times. 

Sao Paulo (SP)

Sao Paulo - a moloch! Not only the biggest urban agglomeration in Latin America but also the third biggest city in the world (after Tokio and Mexiko-city) with about 20 Mio. inhabitants. Sao Paulo extends about  3.200 square kilometers: 80 km long and 40 km wide! Because of the vast number of cars, Sao Paulo has a huge problem with traffic jams on weekdays. The average inhabitant in Sao Paulo spends about 3 hours per day in traffic jams. Therefore was created a system that cars can only be used on certain weekdays depending on the number of the license plate.

Besides, for richer people in Sao Paulo the helicopter is the commun means of transport. there are about 400 helicopters in Sao Paulo - most of the helicopter taxis that bring the rich customers in minutes to the desired place. 

Morretes (Paraná)

Close to Curitiba there is a beautiful road called Graciosa which goes from the mountains to the coast. The serpentines meander in the mata atlantica, the atlantic forest. Hortensias are all along the way. The Graciosa goes to a little town called Morretes with narrow streets and nice restaurants in the middle of bananas plantations.

Foz do Iguaçu (Paraná)

The waterfalls of Foz do Iguaçu are gigantic. They spread more than 2 kilometros and the water falls up to 80 meters. The waterfalls are the biggest in the world (broader than the Victoria Falls and higher than the Niagara Falls). The Cataractas are in between a 2000 km2 National Park "Parque National de Iguaçu", that the Unesco declared as World Heritage in 1986.

Blumenau and Pomerode (Sta. Catarina)

Florianópolis (Sta. Catarina)

The city of Florianópolis (about 333.000 inhabitants) lies on an island with is 40 km long and 15 km wide. The island has more than 40 beautiful beaches. Some of the I have visited during my stay. I especially enjoyed the walking trails on the island. You can walk for hours without meeting anybody and finally reaching a beach you are alone! And this in high season - that was incredible for me! 

Gramado and Canela (Rio Grande do Sul)

Gramado and Canela -  2 towns that lie on the romantic road in the south of Brazil, in Rio Grande do Sul. They are pituresque tourist towns that go back to a foundation of German settlers. There are houses in the special latticed framework stile, hortensias, margaritas,... especially by night Gramado is a beautiful illuminated town. 

Canela is famous for its church Igreja Matrix de N.S. de Lourdes. It is 65 m high and was constructed in 1953. 

Cambara do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul)

Cambara do Sul in the Serra Gauchá - a town that has not many things! But the region around it is worthwhile a visit! It is a region with the highest concentration of canyons in the world! I visited the Canyon de Fortaleza, which is 9 km long, about 900 m deep and maximal 1500 m wide. After the clouds went away in the morning, I had a fantastic view! Besides, I visited the Canyon Itaimbezinho which is also called the „Green Grand Canyon“. It is up to 720 m deep, up to 2000 m wide and 7 km long - simply impressive.

Torres (Rio Grande do Sul)

Torres – a glamouros town at the coast – is well known for the Guaritas – unique, bizarre formations of basalt at the beach.