Ouro Preto

From Alto Parasio, it was a long day drive (6:30am-9:30pm) and then a half day drive to Ouro Preto, where we spent the rest of the day and the next two full days.

Ouro Preto is a historic town that has kept its 18th century features. On the back of slaves and with the wealth of gold, the Portugeuse created a town that would revival the ones back home. The architecture is well-preserved. In the core of the city, there are over twenty churches. On the first full day, I explored many of these churches. While the outside of the churches are plain and reflect their age, inside there are beautiful carvings, paintings and altars. They are pieces of art. On the second day, I took a brief tour of a gold mine. There wasn´t much to see, except some deep caverns and a place where we could go for a short swim.

As a major tourist destination (especially for Brazilians), there are plenty of good restuarants to chose from. So eating out was also part of the experience, even if it was more expensive than the rest of Brazil. It also had some good chocolate shops. Our hostel provided a create view of the city. This was a wonderful place.