A Day in São Paulo

Wednesday 25th January was an annual holiday in the city of São Paulo, to celebrate its 458th birthday. Being less than 60 miles away, we took this opportunity to visit some of the historical attractions of the city, and we've included a few snaps from our day.

Museu do Ipiranga

The first place we visited was the "Museu do Iparanga" - also known as the "Museu Paulista". This museum is famous as much for the building, gardens and surroundings as much as the contents of the museum. It helps if you know a little of the history of Brazil or have someone to explain it in order to appreciate some of the items on display - many of which are paintings. The children were interested to see some items which they had seen in books, and learnt about at school. As it was a special day, entrance to the museum was free!

Museum Ipiranga and Gardens

Nice Tree near the Museum!

View from Museum Iparanga

City Centre

In the centre of the city, near the old banking district is a footbridge over a busy road system, called "Viaduto Santa Ifigênia". The interesting thing is that the bridge is made of iron, constructed in England, and then transported in pieces to Brazil by ship. Presumably it was flat-packed with numbered pieces and instructions…

Viaduto Santa Ifigênia in the centre

Praça do Sé

Close to the Praça do Sé is the official birthplace of São Paulo. In case you hadn't guessed, the city is dedicated to St Paul!

Of course, in one day we only saw a part of the city, and we hope to visit again one day.