A Taste of "Sampa"

Mão (Hand) by Oscar Niemeyer

Despite its proximity to Campinas, I have yet to explore the largest city in all of the Americas and the capitol of the state I reside in.  I think the very closeness of this megalopolis is what makes it so easy to put off visiting, like people who know few of the attractions in their hometown until visitors come.

I've been to São Paulo before for various conferences and in-transit stops at airports and bus terminals, but those hardly count. At only about a 90 minute journey down the highway by bus, I really have no excuses!

Last weekend we were finally officially introduced.  On a day-trip with the Portuguese language school I attended - hopelessly, at times - twice a week, we visited several cultural points of interest in the city.  The first stop was the Memorial da América Latina, a large, predominantly concrete plaza and separate buildings designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

The Niemeyer-designed Salão de Atos Tiradentes (Hall of Acts)

The complex included a museum of Latin American art from Brazil and many other countries including Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala, among others.  There was also an impressive map of South America set within the floor that visitors could literally walk above and cross in a few large strides.

Latin American art of all types!

Standing above the continent (top).
Looking down on Brazil (bottom).

Next stop was the Museu do Futebol (Soccer Museum).  Located underneath part of the stands of the Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho this is a "must see" and I would gladly take anyone here.  Exploring all things Brazilian soccer, each room and exhibition is sensory experience unlike anything I've experienced.  Strangely, though we were allowed to take photographs in all the other museums filled with preserved artifacts, taking pictures of any kind was prohibited here.

Proof of my visit: the outside, the field, ticket stub.

After that healthy dose of national pride we headed to the Memorial da Resistência (Resistance Memorial), a museum implemented to remember a darker time in the city's history.  Originally built as a railway depot, the building was later made into a place where political prisoners were held, officially called the State Department for Political and Social Order, from 1940 to 1983.

A view up at the Memorial da Resistência from the only
outdoor prisoner area, a stretch of hallway open to the elements.

Our final stop before heading back to Campinas was a quick stop along the Avenida Dr. Arnaldo, where a section of curb several blocks long is filled to the brim with flower stalls, open 24 hours a day for whosoever might need them.

Até mais, Sampa!  I'll be back...