Day 10 - Saturday, February 14, 2015:
While waiting in front of our hotel in Rio for a taxi to take us to the bus station we saw Carnaval floats being moved from their warehouses to be closer to the parade site. These were covered in protective plastic, but one could still see what was in store to come.
We rushed to catch the 8 a.m. bus to Aparecida. It was not clearly marked where we would board and eventually Fr. Duane found the correct spot. We waited and waited. And waited. The bus was three hours late in arriving in Rio. Duane, Roger and Desra stood for three hours. After two hours someone gave me their seat. (Those over 60 are considered elderly). Many buses were late in arriving due to Carnaval traffic and the station was full of people. It was hot and humid and closely-packed.
Finally the bus arrived and we took our pre-assigned seats in the comfortable, air-conditioned bus. There was also a toilet on board. I took a few photos from the bus of the rural countryside and most notable was the red soil, the variety of trees from palms to eucalyptus, and the termite mounds/hills.
While waiting in front of our hotel in Rio for a taxi to take us to the bus station we saw Carnaval floats being moved from their warehouses to be closer to the parade site. These were covered in protective plastic, but one could still see what was in store to come.
We rushed to catch the 8 a.m. bus to Aparecida. It was not clearly marked where we would board and eventually Fr. Duane found the correct spot. We waited and waited. And waited. The bus was three hours late in arriving in Rio. Duane, Roger and Desra stood for three hours. After two hours someone gave me their seat. (Those over 60 are considered elderly). Many buses were late in arriving due to Carnaval traffic and the station was full of people. It was hot and humid and closely-packed.
Finally the bus arrived and we took our pre-assigned seats in the comfortable, air-conditioned bus. There was also a toilet on board. I took a few photos from the bus of the rural countryside and most notable was the red soil, the variety of trees from palms to eucalyptus, and the termite mounds/hills.
After stopping for a lunch break, and several other bus stops to drop off travelers, we arrived in the city of Aparecida. In 2004 the population of the city was 36,000. I suspect that now 11 years later it's much larger. Our hotel, the Rainha do Brasil, was beautiful and modern. From the 13th floor I took an IPhone photo out the window and posted it on Facebook. One comment was "This looks like a postcard." I agree.
We took the hotel bus to the Basilica - the second largest in the world only after the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. We explored outside and inside the vast church and I noticed the television monitors (luckily for next day) and Fr. Duane said they have their own television network and Mass is televised throughout Brazil.
We took the bus back to our hotel. Freshened up and had “buffet dinner by kilo" at the hotel with Duane and I having a nice glass of Chilean cabernet.
We took the bus back to our hotel. Freshened up and had “buffet dinner by kilo" at the hotel with Duane and I having a nice glass of Chilean cabernet.
We stood in line to view the statue of the Black Madonna - Our Lady of Aparecida, who is the patron saint of Brazil. "Come Lord Jesus; The Spirit, The Spouse, say, Amen." Rev. 22:17.
Like many photos this doesn't do it justice. According to Wikipedia.org Our Lady of Aparecida (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora Aparecida is a celebrated 18th-century clay statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the traditional form associated with the Immaculate Conception. The image is widely venerated by Brazilian Catholics, who consider her as the principal patroness of Brazil. Historical accounts state that the 16 inch tall statue was originally found by three fishermen who miraculously caught many fish after invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The statue is currently housed here in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in city of Aparecida, (state of São Paulo) , Brazil. The Basilica receives more than 7 million tourist a year.