Tomorrow is here....

Sometimes people are amazed when I say that most Brazilians are very worried about the environment and care about sustainability. Non-Brazilians instantly start remembering the cutting of the rain forest.

 In December 2015 President Dilma of Brazil opened the Museum of Tomorrow here in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). We all know something has to change about our behavior towards sustainability. The term "tomorrow" is far more urgent than the more abstract "future". A nice article about the museum was published in the Guardian.



It is one of the most fantastic buildings (by the architect Santiago Calatrava) I have ever seen. It is as amazing as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the radiant white curves makes one think of Oscar Niemeyer's soft lined buildings . This is a stunning image; a primitive reptile or an elegant flying fish like structure....stepping out of the the Guanabara Bay into the city.

 

Going inside is like walking into the mouth of an alligator.

Inside the museum is beautiful, but nothing beats the outside.

This place made me really think of Niemeyer. (The Cathedral of Brasilia / the Edificio da Bienal in São Paulo) Brazilian structures.

Our blue planet hangs (or should hang....my fault) right in the middle.

Dancing veils on a glass plate.... fantastic.

Large panels with pictures of our Earth. (On Google there are also some good pictures "from above"...)

Also interesting pictures of people all over the world on columns inside a kind of cube. It was so busy I didn't even think of taking a picture myself.

Everywhere a lot of interactive information on consoles and then again information on huge pillars.

The only physical object in the museum is the "Churinga". A "tool" of Australian Aboriginals. It symbolizes the connection with the past and the future. The knowledge and values we want to share with following generations....

From within the museum you look over the basin with the star. On the horizon is the bridge across the Guanabara Bay to Niteroi



From this angle the museum is like a magic bird landing on its peninsula in front of the old Rio.

Majestic.

Playfull.... The "Feathers" or maybe "Wings" move on the energy from solar panels.

Puffed Star II ( 6 meters in diameter) by Frank Stella.

It was hot (alsmost 40 degrees), so it was nice sitting for some time in the shade.






Everything is still new and clean. You hardly see the difference between a reflection and the real thing.

As the Museum reflects its surroundings, at the same time it reflects on the surroundings. The originally very poor and dangerous neighborhood is becoming a hot spot for tourists. The original inhabitants have been "moved". Now is the time for entrepreneurs.... to change old buildings into trendy apartments.... Prices will explode. The city is where the work is.... affordable houses are far away. Public transport is a bottleneck. Busses bloc the narrow streets. The traffic jam is enormous.
Eventually when everything is going as planned and the (above ground) metro is finished (Olympic Games!!) then half the busses will disapear and the traffic will be able to run as it should.

A misty mountain

Guess!!! Where are we??? Doesn't it look like a scene somewhere in the British Isles?
No! This is Brazil. In some places the mountains of the Serra da Mantiqueira (between the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais) look a lot like England. The woods are more dense, but as you can see the weather can be rainy....



This time we went out to have a view over the Valley of the Paraiba river. This is the Pico do Itapeva near Campos do Jordão. On a good day you can see about 7 cities. Today there were clouds.



So we stayed on the parking place.



Looking at the local products that were for sale. Sweets and honey.... and cachaça.



And look there.... in a corner behind the commerce. A snowman and a cow. Like in all countries in Latin America... concrete figures!



A happy looking cow.... could this be a reference to the chocolate they sell in Campos? Campos poses itself as a kind of German / Swiss city. Yes that means chocolate!!



For Brazilians snow is magic. Campos is a mountain resort. In winter on a very rare occasion this means snow!! So what better than to put a snowman here?



I loved the way some inventive person mended the window in this building. Don't throw out your old serving trays. One day they might come in handy!



The weather stayed as it was. Gloomy and wet.



The dog didn't mind.



On the way back home we passed the small lake again.

 

The horses were at the same spot.



The rain kept falling.



We went home. Leaving the lake for better times. A perfect place for a picnic.

Another colorfull sunset

Just a few times in a year you find this extreme situation where the sun is low and fierce and the sky is heavy with thunder. You get these smashing pictures of bright trees and buildings and dark skies.

The view of the place I was staying is not that magnificent, but this light made it into something special.

 

Then the sun started to set. Everything went red. 

Isn't it wonderful to see a sunset like this. 

Rush-hour at Heathrow.....

 Heathrow (UK) is a very busy airport. The KLM-plane was not the only one that was leaving... There were two planes "staring" at us from the side. Then there was this huge British Airways plane (I am quite sure it is some "Airbus".) passing us. We both took different turns in the end.....  In the end we flew and there was only the beautiful sunset to be admired.

Enseada is Portuguese for bay

One of the beaches of Ubatuba (Brazil) is called Enseada: The Portuguese word for bay or cove. There are a few small roads to enter the beach. Almost there, the views of the sea, framed by trees and shrubs, look enchanting.

Enseada is a medium large beach. I never found it to busy. 

Out of season during the week it is quiet and almost empty.  Especially when the weather is not sunny, or even when the clouds keep hanging against the mountain wall of the Serra do Mar and the infamous rain of Ubatuba keep falling. This makes people refer to Ubataba as Uba-chuva (chuva = rain). To me even the darker weather has it's charm. 

On a cloudy day, out of season, you might be alone on the beach.

Some people just go to sit there and look at the waves....

When the weather changes and the weekend is near, the beach changes character completely.  The commerce takes over. The subdued tones of sand and sea are wiped out by the bright colors of the Brahma or Skol (Brazilian beers) chairs and tables.

 Like a ballet dancers the chairs are lined up for action. Let's hope it will stay sunny.

When you leave the beach, don't forget to look back for the last time and try to come back soon.

The ever changing "sandscape"

The miniature canyons, rivers, ridges that appear on the beach will be wiped out by the incoming waves. Just to reinvent themselves into other landscapes. Forever changing with the tides. Every time a completely new sandscape.....

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