Author: Brent Nichols

Withdrawal

Being back in Columbus only brings one felling to both my mind and body. Simply put, this feelings is the feeling of shivering. I thought the three blanket incident on the delta flight back from Rio would be the last time I was shivering this year. I had great expectations of spring as we headed home. I had remained in contact with some people in Columbus during our brief yet glorious tenure in Brazil. They were telling me that it was indeed warming up in preparation for spring. The very next day after I arrived we receive 2-3 inches of snow. I truly think it is impossible to express my sadness into words when I saw that first flake fall. It was an absolute blessing to be able to seek refuge in a tropical climate for 9 days, drink Caipirinhas on the beach, visit some of the best examples of contemporary architecture, as well as getting to know and hanging out with some pretty swell individuals. I am really going to miss all the bartering for cheaper goods, as well as the freshness of everything: whether it be the culture and people around or the food that I eat. I feel as if I am already suffering from churrascaria and fruit juice withdrawal. I will never forget this trip for as long as I live, and I hope this will not be my last trip to Brazil as I had such a great time the first time around.

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Brasilia

Brasilia seemed to be a case of expectation versus reality in our one day trip. Before the trip I had done some research on the Capital city noting its utopian organization around one monumental central axis. Although we were warned that it wasn’t a pedestrian friendly city I found it quite manageable to walk up and down the central access exploring all of the contemporary architecture it had to offer. However I do have to admit that the city has been optimized for transportation in that there are barely any pedestrian sidewalks, crosswalks, or bridges to use to cross the seven and eight lane highways that exist in the capital city. Although we were only able to explore the contemporary works done by Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx that existed on Exílio Monumental I found it very rewarding and inspiring to see these buildings in person. One negative of the trip was that we were only able to get into the cathedral as well as some of the museums and memorials. We were not allowed to enter any of the federal buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer, whether it be because they were closed to tourism during the week or because our dress attire was inappropriate for the building. Looking back I certainly would’ve dressed differently for the trip as it seems to be a completely professional city geared towards capitalalism and governmental activities. Another surprising aspect of Brasilia was that there were absolutely no food or shopping options other than one hyperdense cube. Upon entry we discovered that this hyperdense cube turned out to be a five-story shopping mall with one small section dedicated to a food court. After a long day walking up and down Brasilia the site of this food is comparable to a mirage in the Sahara. All in all, I have no regrets on the trip and I found it very exciting to travel on my own to the capital city and explore the contemporary works of a world renowned architect and landscape architect.

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Blood-thirsty Landscape

Sitio Roberto Burle Marx was magnificent to experience both visually and auditory. Although many of my classmates quickly became walking buffets for the mosquitos, the bugs seemed to not like me very much (maybe i´m just not sweet enough). It was fairly humerous to see my classmates jumping around and swatting at each other as well as themselves in a feble attempt to fend off the air raid of mosquitos. That being said, I was intrigued by the feeling of immersion that overtook me as we walked throughout the site.no matter where we were along the path there was so much foliage that I felt almost consumed by the plants. It was impressive to see the sheer number of species of different plants located on the site. Igor said there were some 3500 different species of which Marx himself discovered 40 species. This was a little shocking but inspiring to hear about such a prominent figure trudging through the forest in hopes of discovery. It was also inspiring to see some of the plants which had been growing since he himself brought them to the site in 1949, meaning some of those plants have been there and continued to grow for more than 65 years. The fact that this was a personal site as well as later being protected by the government allowed the plants to grow without boundaries. There were some plants that I was able to recognize, however they were far larger than I had ever seen before. Some of the leaves of the plants were as large as my torso. I was also impressed by the restoration and incorporation of the previously existing derelict buildings. Roberto Burle Marx was a true Renaissance man in that he was able to successfully incorporate nature, art and architecture into one beautiful site.

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Centro e Praia do Flamengo

Step after step we traversed through downtown Rio de Janeiro (centro) absorbing the sites and sounds of a city in full swing during the work week. It was interesting to see the city so lively during the week as compared to the weekend. Although there were alot of people throughout Copacabana and Ipanema during the weekend, the amount of traffic and noise in the city doesnt even compare to the work week. One of the most shocking things to see other than the amazing architecture and landscapes were the way people interacted with each other. People were talking to the police (which almost never happens in the USA), walking in the middle of traffic holding normal conversations, and the cars of the city seemed to be in a constant horn battle to see who could honk their horn the most. I really appreciated walking as opposed to a bus tour because I think a derive throughout a city is truely the best way to experience and discover new things about a city. However, after the tour of Centro we were set free to roam throughout Parque do Flamengo. Parque do Flamengo was aboslutely beautiful in that once inside, I felt completely immersed in nature. Roberto Burle Marx was able to accent both the architecture as well as the surrounding landscapes with his plant choices as well as his precise organization of the plants: weather they were as small as a lilipad floating in a reflecting pool or as big as the linear organization of 60 foot palms.   This was a nice cap to a long day of walking because we got to stroll along the beach soaking in the sea breeze as we made our way to churrascaria porcao.

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Lost & Found

Off to the peak we went, all slammed into one cable car with at least a couple other families resembling something of a sardine can. There I stood in the cable car as it drew closer to the peak of sugar loaf mountain, snapping as many pictures of the beautiful surrounding landscapes as I could. Little did I know there was still so much more to see. I was under the impression that once we reached the peak of the Loaf it would simply be an observation deck or a small precarious platform to look out onto the bays from. However, to my pleasant surprise once we reached the top there was a gift shop, a place to eat, several observation decks in which you could see all of Rio de Janeiro, as well as an elaborate set of trails on the backside of the mountain. These very trails would become the cause of a very acute and temporary stress on my part. Somehow, Someway, my phone ended up outside my pocket. After retracing virtually every step I could remember taking, both before and after I remember having my phone yielded no results, I turned to Vanessa for help. She was able to quickly speak to most of the security guards atop the loaf asking weather or not they had found a phone or even heard anything about a missing phone. Luckily one of the security guards remembered another tourist asking where the lost and found was because he wanted to return “something”. This very security guard ran over to the cable car that was already on the platform about to leave, found the man the previously asked him about the lost and found and told him he in fact knew who the phone belonged to. With our fast acting wonderful tour guide Vanessa, the local security guards, a good samaritan (whom I wish I could have at least bought uma cerveja) as well as what seemed to be boundless luck on my part I was able to get my phone back and even get a few more photos coming down from the peak. To think all this happened on the first day, I simply cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

Airport Angst

I find myself sitting in the Atlanta airport beginning my three hour layover in route to a ten hour flight. Although some may find the idea of a ten hour flight slightly obnoxious, I am a firm believer in the idea of risk versus reward. I think a ten hour flight is a miniscule price to pay to escape Columbus and the climate it has had to offer for the past six months. About four or five months ago when we found out we would be going on the trip I was excited to receive the news however the trip itself was still so far away that it really didn’t hit me until recently. The course we have to take is a good foundation for the culture and architecture however, nothing can ever compare to actual immersion within a culture and society. Theoretical speculation is crucial for the discussion of architecture and culture, but, I just simply can’t wait to be in Rio de Janeiro to experience all of it firsthand. I would have to say I am most excited to go to sugarloaf the first day, as well as Brasilia later on in the week. I think it is going to be truly remarkable to see Brasilia and all the contemporary architecture it has to offer.