Today we head out to explore the old town of Olinda. Olinda was founded in 1535 and is designated a cultural heritage site by UNESCO due to the large complex of colonial architecture that survives to today. The town is spread over a number of hills and is quite challenging to explore on a hot day as we go up and down the many hills on the uneven cobble stoned lanes and streets.
We check out a number of churches on our wanderings, but we are largely disappointed. The churches are not as old as they may seem - the Dutch burnt down all the original churches except one, built none and then left the Portuguese to replace them all in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. When we visited, most seem to be under renovation and are closed or bare. In one church, the huge altar was removed for restoration and had been replaced by a full size photo poster - it just was not the same. The main cathedral was completely bare during the renovation. The only one open and not being restored is the Convento de Sao Francisco. We were very impressed by the tiled cloister and the sacristy's beautiful Baroque furniture carved from jacaranda wood.
After lunch, we had an ice cream and went to the puppet museum before checking out another church (also closed). The ice cream was so good and cheap that we went back for seconds. Then back to the hotel for a short siesta and a shower.
Around 5 PM we headed up to the main square, which is one one of the highest hills, to have a drink at the restaurant that has a terrace that over looks the modern skyscrapers of Recife shimmering in the distance. It is a great spot to just sit back and relax and take in the combination of the old and the new as the day comes to an end.
We wander the streets a while before having a light dinner. We make it an early night and return to our room to work on our journals.