Founded in 1549, it was the first square of Salvador and gathers all the public buildings of that era. This square is located in the in the city centre of Salvador and is popularly known as Plaza Municipal . It was named after Tomé de Souza, first General Governor of Brazil. This is a place rich in history and currently we can find there the following buildings:
City Hall, Palácio Tomé de Souza
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| AFTER |
Headquarter of Salvador City Council. This building was designed by the architect João Filgueiras Lima (known as Lelé) and its structure is made of pure steel and glass.
Something that catches the eye are the architectural characteristics, this building is so different from the nearby buildings .Construction began on May 02, 1986. The metal structure was made in 35 days and the work was completed in just 14 days. Why was that? Because that building was supposed to accommodate City Council on a provisional basis so that it had to be a removable structure. So... this building has 26 years being a only temporary construction! Of course it has gone through several reforms but is currently in use.
Palácio Rio Branco/ Rio Branco Palace
Former Government of Bahia headquarter and one of the oldest palaces of Brazil. It has had historically several functions, among them, it had been used as crew quarters and even as a prison. You can visit the inside of the Palace through guided tours that are available weekdays Tuesday to Friday at 10 and 16 hrs and on Saturday two visits at 9 and 13 hrs. (Monday off).
If you can not catch this guided tour, you can make the visit by yourself anyway, but you will only have access to the ground floor.
Chamber of the ongressmen/ Câmara dos Vereadores
The Councillors of the city still work in this old building, which already had been used as jail. Ironic isn't it?
Lacerda Elevator/ Elevador Lacerda
It is a public elevator that connects the upper part of the city with the lower part (known as Cidade Baixa and Cidade Alta). This elevator was called popularly Elevador do Parafuso, but in 1896, its was renamed as Elevador Lacerda, in honour of Frederico Augusto de Lacerda, its constructor.
This tourist point is so important that it deserves a mention apart.
For some time here was located the Public Library (Biblioteca Pública) which is the first library that was introduced in Brazil and in South America.
In 1912 it caught fire during a bombardment and the building that housed the library was ruined. By the sixties this building was demolished and transferred to a building in Barris neighborhood.
As all these buildings are concentrated in one place, worth visiting it. There is lots of history between those walls. In addition, remains of road heading to Pelourinho or the Cidade Baixa. This is a truly historic place. In addition, it is located way to Pelourinho or the Cidade Baixa. So there is no excuse, you have to go there during your visit to Salvador city.
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| DIQUE DO TORORÓ |
A beautiful artificial lake that has been declared as monument by the Historical and Artistic Heritage National Institute (Instituto de Patrimonio Historico y Artístico Nacional).
The word tororó comes from the tupi tororoma (pitcher) and, according to the informal dictionary, is used referring to a source of water or a river spring.
Long time ago, by the time of the Colony, this dike was part of Salvador's defensive system, and by that time its waters were crystal clear so that people used to drink them. There you could find a great variety of fish. This is different now, waters are not more as clean as then but still, it is worth to visit a place with such a beautiful landscape and is certainly an obligatory stop while visiting Salvador.
Located between Vasco da Gama and President Costa E Silva Avenues, it is close to the Engenho de Brotas and Barris neighborhoods. The dike is also located just in front of the Arena Fonte Nova Stadium.
This artifical lake houses eight orixás( orixás= orishas /they are candomblé deities) and those deities make this place particularly appealing.
Those gods' names are:
XANGO (God of Thunder and lightning).
OXUM (Goddess of fresh water, ponds and fountains).
OGUM (God of war and iron).
OXÓSSI (God of the forest and hunting).
OXALÁ (God of creation. Father of all deities).
IEMANJÁ (Considered the sea's queen. She is also mother of the orixás).
NANÃ (Divinity of the rain and the mud. Grandmother of deities).
IANSÃ (Goddess of lightning, wind and storms).
A LOT OF THINGS TO DO AND HAVE FUN
TO EXCERCISE
From sunrise untill sunset you will find sport enthusiasts along the lake shore. People of all ages (in groups, in couples or solo) use to practice a variety of physical activities and take advantage of the beautful landscape.
TO WALK AND RELAX
This place is perfect for walking and also to have a break and relax. A lot of people take advantage of this quitness to make a stop in their routines and have a chat. It is true that going there very late at night or extremely early at morning is inadvisable. You should be cautious because, unfortunately, there are homeless people and drug addicts who have made the dike a place to sleep. But the truth is that, during the day, it is pretty safe to go there.
FISHING
Professionals and amateurs have fun doing this activity.
ROWING AND PADDLE BOAT/ PEDALO
What about having a tour by the lake on a small boat or paddle boat?
You certanly not only will enjoy the landscape but also you can exercise.
BICYCLING, SKATING AND SKATEBOARDING
It is something you can do throughout the week, strictly on the sidewalk around the dike. But on Sunday, there is a cut off the circulation on President Costa e Silva Avenue and this allows that adults and children can use this space to ride a bicycle, roller skates and skateboards.
THEATRE PLAYS FOR CHILDREN
Taking advantage of this space, on weekends the city government promotes this plays, that are for children but all family enjoy. There are also jumpers, bounce houses and other items for kids.
RESTAURANTS
If after walking, fishing, rowing, bicycling, chasing your kids etc. you are starving, this place offers its own restaurants. You can choose wheter to eat there, have a Subway sandwich or a lunch in Habib's. Both of them are just across the street.
Having so many things to do, surely you don't want to miss a visit to this beautiful Dique do Tororó.
One of the host cities for FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and the 2014 World Cup will be the beautiful capital of Bahia, Salvador.
The stadium, that will host six games at the tournament, is being built right in the place where the old stadium Octavio Mangabeira used to be. This stadium stopped working in 2007, it was demolished and the Arena Fonte Nova Stadium took its place.
The Grand Opening Day was scheduled by the end of March, this year. Official date was on March 29 but it was cancelled and there is not another opening date available right now.
This edifice was not only designed to play soccer matches, but it is expected to be used for other kind of shows. It has maximum capacity for 56,500 spectators. This stadium also has natural grass field, shops, parking lot, restaurants and other amenities and is located right in front of the well-known Dique de Tororó (the only natural spring of Salvador city, which by the way is worth to know).
Since it is close to my home, I have been able to witness the construction. Little by little I have seen how it was taking shape and it is running really well, at least in regards to the streetside facade. Construction is about to be completed on these days, builders are working at full steam because, the truth is that they are right because the first international events are already here, just around the corner!
If you bought tickets to attend any of the matches, you should not worry, the stadium is located in a very accessible part of town, which is also relatively quiet in terms of security matters.
Of course, crowds attract dishonest people so you have to be cautious and take proper precautions. Sometimes, the problem, is the time you will spend to get to the stadium by car or by bus because, as it is usual in big cities, heavy traffic can play you a dirty trick. Leave your accomodation with plenty of time in advance taking this in mind.
Here there was a rumor about some FIFA prohibitions regarding street food vendors. They were supposed to be restricted at a really considerable distance from the stadium. It would be made in order to favour the sale of products of certain big companies such as Coca-cola, McDonald's and others.The problem was that these restrictions would also include the selling of a delicious and super typical Bahia food (the acarajé) and here these sellers (known as baianas) are higly respected and they are consider as a cultural expression deeply-rooted in Bahia. Such measures in no way would be well received by the population.
But, at the end, it seems that everything was a simple rumor, "habemus acaraje" and such restrictions won't take place. We will have the chance of enjoy such a famous food if we want and near the stadium.
By the way, If not you can afford to spend much on food but you want to eat in a formally established place, What about to enjoy a delicious Subway sandwich? It is pretty near to the stadium.
Another cheap option (that includes a big playground for kids ) is to have a meal at Habib's, which is located right in front of the Dique do Tororó and also in front of the stadium.
In fact it has a privileged view of both. The theme of the restaurant is Arabic fast food. And some good news, it is open till midnight.
Personally, I like spinach esfihas (which are like mini pizzas) and pastel de carne (which is like a beef pasty with bits of egg and olives). Here you can eat and rest a bit, enjoying the view and everything by a moderate amount.
I leave you the link where you can find all menu with photos and even the table of nutritional values of each thing. All to give you an idea of what you can ask for there and, if youre on a diet, you are diabetic or have any alimentary restrictions, you can order and eat guilt and risk-free. Although they have salads and juices, for example, you must not forget that it is basically fast food, now you are already advised ok?
It is worth, after having meal, taking a little walk along the dyke. In my next post I will tell you its history and characteristics.
