We Are One (Part III)

USA vs Germany
Our second and final FIFA World Cup match took us to wet and humid Recife in the northeastern state of Pernambuco to see if Team USA could advance out of their "Group of Death," otherwise known as Group G.  After winning against Ghana and drawing with Portugal, odds were in the United States' favor to advance, however, it wasn't a guarantee.

The morning of the match Recife awoke to torrential rain and flooded streets.  To make matters more complicated, the Itaipava Arena Pernamuco stadium is located some 17 kilometers outside the city, in the municipality of São Lourenço da Mata.  After trudging through shin-deep puddles to a bus stop were were already soaked.  A bus ride to the metro station, train to the end of the line, bus to the middle of nowhere, and a half-mile walk to the stadium in the unrelenting rain and were there!  I've never been so happy to have seats in the upper-decks; under cover and out of the rain we actually began to dry off a bit.

Wet and happy: #ibelievethatwewillwin

Itaipava Arena Pernambuco: Good luck filling this thing after the World Cup.

Germany won the match 1-0, but due to the results of the Portugal/Ghana game running concurrently, both teams in front of us advanced to the next round of play.  A little strange leaving the venue for the long trek back to Recife with both sets of fans happy with the results.

Our entire crew reunited after the match: USA! USA! USA!

Pretty Olinda

Olinda is a small picturesque town located just north of Recife.  Literally translated, "o linda" means "the pretty one."  Early Portuguese settlers built the city in the 1530's on a hill as a means of defense against neighboring Dutch settlements, who at one point burned it to the ground.

The central area is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the best way to visit is simply to wander up and down the labyrinth of narrow cobblestone streets.  The day we went was a bit wet and rainy but that didn't dampen (pun intended) the beauty and charm several hundred years of history has made.

Igreja do Carmo, built in 1580, is the first church in the Americas of the
Roman Catholic order of Carmelites.

Walking out front of the Convento de São Francisco, the oldest Franciscan
convent in Brazil.

Alissa posing with a "costume" used in a past Carnaval.
In Olinda the parade is free and takes place in the street
with no bleachers or set spectator areas. 

Oh, what these streets have seen over the years...

City of Reefs

The city of Recife (pronounced "heh-see-fee") is located in the most eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco, and gets its name from the plentitude of reefs off the coast.  This both makes the sea here more calm, but also attracts a lot of sharks.  Originally a Portuguese settlement in the 1530's, it was captured by the Dutch and grew under their control during the mid-1600's, at one point serving as the capital of Dutch Brazil. Today, Recife is the 5th largest Brazilian city with just under 4 million inhabitants.

While the majority of the city in not a tourist destination, it is a good jumping off point to visit nearby Olinda, hang out on the beach of the Boa Viagem neighborhood, and take a stroll through Recife Antigo (Old Recife) to admire the architecture and imagine traveling back in time.

A colorfully decorated street in Old Recife.

Brazilian fans on their way to the FIFA Fan Fest area, located (poorly) on one
of the narrow streets along the water in Old Recife.

Many buildings in Recife Antigo date back to the 1600's.

Fans watching the Brazil vs Chile match overflow from a bar into the street.

Monument by artist Francisco Brennand in Recife's
Parque das Esculturas. 

Praia Boa Viagem on a nearly cloudless afternoon.

What could make a beach day better?  Grilled cheese on a stick, of course!

Photo of the Francisco Brennand monument taken by Dan Monfre.