A Church and a chapel

In the Serra do Mar, between Ubatuba and Taubaté lies the town of Redenção da Serra.

Going to Redenção coming from Taubaté the first thing you see is a derelict church with a wall around it and some houses on the edge of a muddy end of a lake. This is the old church. Redenção used to be a nice little place in a valley.

It was the first town in the state of São Paulo to free its slaves; on the 10^th of February 1888, even before the “Lei Aurea” came into power on May 13 1888. Also because of this fact in the first half of the last century the name of the town was changed from Santa Cruz de Paiolinho to Redenção da Serra. Driving into town right across the bridge there is a large statue to commemorate the abolition. The statue was made by José Demetrio, a well known local sculptor in the Paraiba valley.

In the 70-ties the demand for electrical energy was growing. The solution to the problem was to build a dam in the Paraibuna river. Then the dam came…. And the old town of Redenção was flooded. The church on the high ground still stands but is slowly falling apart. Now it is protected by a wall against the water. When we were there the water level was low. But the water can rise until almost the top of the wall.

For the inhabitants there was no option to stay. They either could go away and start a life in another city or they could move to a new town on the hill a kilometer to the east.

The new town is build on a steep hill. In the middle is a square with a bandstand. Every Saturday morning you can listen there to typical music from the countryside. 

But there are also other cultural happenings. When we were there The “Prismáticos”, a street circus group from Argentina, were performing for the children of Redenção.

A bit to the side of the town lies a chapel with great views to the lake. The chapel is not used, but it has beautiful bright colored murals painted in the eighties by Mestre Justino (born in Redenção). 

It is a pity that the chapel lies derelict. The paintings have been restored and deserve to have more admirers. The perfect place to enjoy the view on the end of the day….. 

The street….

Coming back to the same place after some time makes you see things different. As this blog is not so much about text, but about seeing things…..  So after some months you certainly happen to see “other things” or “new things” in the street where you have been many times before.

A little mount of sand… ants? Or is there somebody else living on the edge of the road. 

Why didn’t I see these footprints in the concrete before?

Common knowledge tells us there is a bus stop in front of our apartment bloc…. But no sign anywhere. A bit further there is also a bus stop… I only saw the sign this week, although I am walking there already for 5 years. Normally bus stops in this region are very obvious and obnoxious; firm concrete hideouts to protect us from sun and rain.

 

By then I got completely into local pavement. The municipality orders the use of tiles with a certain pattern for the pavement (sidewalk). Most of these are old and worn. 

There are also other patterns, or just concrete, or bricks, or sand….. 

Don’t think you can walk without using your head. There are holes, bumps, steps, declining parts for cars, lower parts to lead water to the gutter when people clean their patio’s…. 

I asked about what happens when somebody trips over a gutter or some other irregularity….. No one seems to know. Walking on Havaianas probably prevents a lot of stumbling. It could take a long time before you know who has to pay your hospital bill.

And yes, what do you see in every other street…..  If we can’t go to Copacabana we will just have the pavement in front of our houses!

Of course there is nothing like the real thing…..

It smells like autumn……

Fresh, blue sky and almost no wind.  It smells like autumn: Herbs, rotting leaves and mushrooms. The weather is crisp (and crunchy too - like “Dennis the Menace” once said). 

After walking around a bit I decide to go to the Arboretum in the Delftse Hout. It is a like a small sheltered valley divided into differend habitats. (I just hear on a BBC gardening program that an Arboretum is the place to go in autumn!!)

Orange and yellow leaves float on the water. Most leaves are still on the trees. The reeds are dying off.

On my way to the Botanical Garden of the Technical University in Delft it is obvious that winter is coming. Dead leaves gather in quiet corners against a wall.

The fallen berries (very poisonous) of the Taxus Baccata are alarmingly RED. 

The first thing that catches my eye in the Botanical garden is a sign calling attention to the fact that Delft University is working on alternative ways to get Taxol from the needles of the Taxus tree. According to the text Taxol is the most expensive drug in the world in the fight against cancer.

The Botanic garden is hidden behind some old university buildings. It is hard to imagine that the entrance on a busy street corner gives way to an unexpected green oasis in the city of Delft.

 

 

Although the greenhouse is not as grand as the one in Leiden it is worth visiting. It contains tropical and subtropical plants. In some places you see additional educational information.

But the best part are the mini quails. I was warned that I had to be carefull not to release them from the greenhouse. At first I thought they were all gone. I didn’t notice them. But then there was this soft squeaky sound in the “bush”. Surprise; they are really mini. A few extremely well camouflaged chicks were walking almost under my feet. Keeping in mind that they are completely deaf……. 

The Dordrecht Museum

It was a long overdue birthday present…. A visit to Dordrecht and the Dordrecht Museum.  

We had heard a lot about the splendid renovation (2008 – 2010) by architect Postel  

The museum is one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands. It dates from 1842 and it is housed in a former orphanage and pest house, dating from the 17^th century. How nice to be in a building like this. The architect sure has done a perfect job. Just being there is almost enough.

So arriving at the museum after our train trip and seeing the inviting restaurant, we decided to start the day with coffee and a pastry.  Sitting in the conservatory it is as if you are sitting outside… but you are not. The restaurant area consists of different spaces and is also a meeting place for cultural activities.

If you have been in the Amsterdam Hermitage then you might notice that the interior design is done by the same designers Merxx and Girot. Their find for this museum are the “jewel boxes” high legged cupboards that contain drawings and prints on paper. You pull a drawer and there is another “jewel” to be admired. 

Apart from the beautiful building ...................

................................. there is a good collection of Dutch paintings from over a period of 400 years. The city of Dordrecht was a wealthy city. Part of this wealth was due to the wine trade. 

part of a wooden frame once belonging to the Wine guild

Rich citizens donated money or collections to the museum. There are works of The Hague School and Amsterdam Impressionists. The collection has two main focus points: the 19^th century and the 17^th century.

Very special is the large collection of painting from AryScheffer who was born in Dordrecht and later lived in Paris.  

We spend a good part of the day looking at the different paintings, drawings, statues etc. 

Here just some items….

“The Amsterdam Lauriergracht in winter” By George Hendrik Breitner 1857-1923

 (The Hague School).

 

And this painting of a dead hare by Joris Ponse (1723-1783).

This fly won’t go off (I almost tried) … it is very life like!

“View of the Oude Maas at Dordrecht” by Jan van Goyen 1651

A favourite of the public.

The weather was nice, so we did a quick tour of Dordrecht. Yes we need more time to visit Dordrecht. The city deserves it. Maybe a next time....