Imaging Brazil 356: Green Bullfrog, VITÓRIA (ES)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

356: Bullfrog

This frog appears to be tiny and harmless, but this species is a bullfrog. Native to the United States and Canada, the bullfrog has been introduced all over the Americas. They are harvested for food: also in Brazil,  you may see A4-sized announcements anywhere, in which ‘carne de rã’ is offered. This bullfrog can become 20 centimeters lang and weigh over one kilo. The bullfrogs have the reputation to be noisy and aggressive. When I was in Vitória, I visited the Palácio Anchieta, seat of the state government. There was a small but interesting exhibition, and this bullfrog was there in a large terrarium. He was immoved by the presence of many tourists, and kept his large, bright green upper lip tight on his pale lower lip.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017

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IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2012 – 037

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2012.

Part 37:
Vitória (ES) – Frog
Vitória (ES) – Airplane in the sky

 

Vitória (ES) – Frog

Vitória (ES) – Airplane in the sky

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2012 – 036

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2012.

Part 36:
Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset
Vitória (ES) – Turtle

Guarapari (ES) – Morro Beach sunset

Vitória (ES) – Turtle

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017

Imaging Brazil 318: Our Lady of Victory Cathedral in Vitória, ES (2011)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

318: Our Lady of Victory Cathedral

When I was in Guarapari – a popular beach resort in the state of Espírito Santo – in 2011, I also went to Vitória, the state capital, for one day. I wandered through the center, visited the Anchieta Palace, and enjoyed the magnificent views of the historical buildings. One of the principal historical buildings is the Catedral Metropolitana de Nossa Senhora da Vitória. It is located near the place where the original Matriz Church stood. That church was demolished in 1918, followed by the construction of the new church. Its construction was halted for many years, and only in 1933, the cathedral was inaugurated. The church is built in the Neogothic style, inspired upon the Dom Cathedral in Cologne.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017

Imaging Brazil 308: Fishing Boat on Land in Vila Velha, ES (2011)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

308: Fishing boat on land

In 2011, I was invited for a guest lecture at a private university in the state of Espírito Santo. It was in the city of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, in the state countryside. After this lecture, which I had to give in Portuguese about my PhD thesis, I continued my travel to Guarapari, where I stayed for some days. From there, I visited Vila Velha and neighboring Vitória. The Baia (bay) de Vitória splits Vila Velha from the Ilha (island) de Vitória. On the picture is the skyline of Vitória visible, on the horizon. In front is a fishing boat on land, probably for maintenance. It was a very sunny day, there was only one tiny white cloud in the blue sky.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2010, 2017

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2007 – 045

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.

Part 45:
Vitória (ES) – Water mirror on the street
Vitória (ES) – Yellow footsteps
Vitória (ES) – St. Anthony Basilica-Sanctuary
Vitória (ES) – Detail of a fence

Vitória (ES) – Water mirror on the street

Vitória (ES) – Yellow footsteps

Vitória (ES) – St. Anthony Basilica-Sanctuary

Vitória (ES) – Detail of a fence

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2007 – 044

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.

Part 44:
Vitória (ES) – Colorful candies
Vitória (ES) – Racing car in action
Vitória (ES) – Street sign
Vitória (ES) – Racing car in action

Vitória (ES) – Colorful candies

Vitória (ES) – Racing car in action

Vitória (ES) – Street sign

Vitória (ES) – Racing car in action

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2007 – 043

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.

Part 43:
Vitória (ES) – Composition of blue, red and a net
Vitória (ES) – White flowers
Vitória (ES) – Iemanjá statue
Vitória (ES) – Spare wheels

Vitória (ES) – Composition of blue, red and a net

Vitória (ES) – White flowers

Vitória (ES) – Iemanjá statue

Vitória (ES) – Spare wheels

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2007 – 042

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.

Part 42:
Vitória (ES) – Iemanjá statue
Vila Velha (ES) – Sea shells on the beach
Vila Velha (ES) – St. Francis and the Holy Cross
Vitória (ES) – Water reflection

Vitória (ES) – Iemanjá statue

Vila Velha (ES) – Sea shells on the beach

Vila Velha (ES) – St. Francis and the Holy Cross

Vitória (ES) – Water reflection

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017

Imaging Brazil 147: Selling Snacks in Minas Gerais, MG (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

147. Sweet and salty snacks seller

AUGUST 2007: Sweet and salty snacks seller

It is quite a long ride, the train travel between Belo Horizonte and Vitória, almost six hundred kilometers. You will have to spend more than thirteen hours before you arrive in the capital of the state of Espírito Santo. Indeed, the train runs at low speed. You can choose between a seat in the air-conditioned first class and a seat in the cheaper tourist class. Open windows provide the ventilation needed. During the travel, there are some options of refreshments. One cart rides on the corridors, or you can take a short walk to the buffet wagon. The refreshments – including a hot meal – are quite expensive. The train stops regularly. At those stops, local people have found a new income source: they offer their home-made refreshments at much lower prices. They sell doces (sweets) or salgados (salty snacks). The woman in the picture sold something different: a kind of a pancake made of tapioca flour, with home-made cheese. Many train travelers grab their chance to have something delicious at a low price.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 132: Bee in Vitória, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

132. Bee

JUNE 2007: Bee

The bee was caught in action near the giant stone onion in Parque Pedra da Cebola in Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. Every weekend and holiday, the urban park attracts many visitors – the majority from Vitória and neighboring cities -, who spend their free time to relax, enjoy a family picnic, or a walk with the children. In 2007, it was still allowed to climb the stone onion and enjoy marvelous views of the park. Fathers encouraged their children to climb the stone, while the mothers observed them with worried looks. Because of the possible dangers of injuries, it is now forbidden to climb the stone. Meanwhile, the bee was doing her work. She had landed in a bright yellow field of sweet corn. The – spilled – corn probably had become an alternative nutritive source for the bees, and who knows, sweet corn-flavored honey may eventually become very popular.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 125: View on Vila Velha, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

125. Vila Velha

SEPTEMBER 2007: Vila Velha

Vila Velha (‘Old City’) is the oldest city and former capital of the state of Espírito Santo. The city is located 12 km south of Vitória. One of the main sightings in Vila Velha is Convento da Penha. The convent, founded in 1558 is located on top of a 154 m high mountain that is still covered with remains of the once widespread present Atlantic forest. There are two ways to the top and the convent: a paved path – with many stairs – for pedestrians only, and a paved road that is also accessible for motorized traffic. From the convent, one may be amazed by breathtaking views of the entire city of Vila Velha, the city of Vitória, the bridge connecting both cities, and the Atlantic Ocean. From this barred window, the city of Vila Velha can be seen, with the focus on Praia da Costa Beach, which is flanked by numerous hotels and towers.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 121: Turtle Beach in Vitória, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

121. Turtle Beach

SEPTEMBER 2007: Turtle Beach

Parque Pedra de Cebola, to be translated as the Onion Stone Park, is located near Camburi Beach, in the city of Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. The park is named after the onion-shaped giant stone, and attracts many visitors during the weekends and holidays. They not only visit the stone, but also will enjoy the bright colors of many plant and flower species, and the presence of a small number of animals. For sure, these turtles gain a lot of attention from many visitors. But they appear not to be much interested in the human species. They live their own, slow way of life: they sleep a lot, move around, eat their daily meals, swim around, and sunbathe groupwise. Because of the small size of their stone beach, they have to share the tine space with each other. For them it is no problem to lie down on each other.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 111: Street Race in Vitória, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

111. Street races

SEPTEMBER 2007: Street races

In September 2007, Vitória celebrated its 456th anniversary. A lot of festivities were organized by the city that month. It’s very likely that the city mayor tried to take advantage of the celebrations, in order to become re-elected in the following year. Four days long, many entertainment activities were held in Vitória. There were free open air concerts, including a concert by Jorge Ben Jor, a nationally known singer of Brazilian popular music. At the weekend, fans could closely watch the training sessions of their racing heroes. On Sunday, official racing events were held on a street circuit. These racing events were part of various Brazilian racing championships. For me, these racing events provided me good opportunities to practice photographing fast moving objects. Easier said than done….

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2015

Imaging Brazil 110: Vale do Rio Doce in Espírito Santo, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

110. Vale do Rio Doce

AUGUST 2007: Vale do Rio Doce

The almost 600 km long railway between Belo Horizonte and Vitória follows a great part of the course of Doce River towards the state of Espírito Santo. The railroad company is called after the valley, which is the river’s basin: Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD). Since 2007, the company has been renamed into Vale. Vale is one of Brazil’s largest companies and one of the world’s largest mining companies. The company possesses a thirty-year-concession of the railway, and is mainly used for the transport of iron ore, while transport of people has less priority. The passenger train moves on slowly, at an overall average speed of only 50 km per hour, and stops regularly for allowing long iron ore trains passing by. Sometimes a train with almost two hundred wagons! It is no surprise that the train travel to Vitória takes almost thirteen hours, and that there is only one train per day leaving in each direction. It was almost dark when the train entered the state of Espírito Santo. The sun was already setting, towards the horizon. The colorful sunset was reflected on the shiny metal sheets of the train wagon.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 105: Cicada in Vitória, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

105. Cicada

AUGUST 2007: Cicada

The start of the Brazilian spring is announced with a lot of noise. A penetrating noise, as if someone had activated the alarm system in a factory. Surprisingly, this sound is produced by an insect: a cicada. Brazilians call it a cigarra. The cicadas live in trees. The sound they produce is developed by a special organ at their anterior abdominal region. The first days are used to test and to optimize the sound quality. Then they please their neighbors with serenades from dawn to dusk. The cicadas are not fixed to one tree, but they move on, until they have found their female counterpart. When I was in Vitória, it was obvious to me that the cicadas already had started their noisy serenades, while in Belo Horizonte – about 600 km away – the cicadas hadn’t appeared yet. The cicada on the photograph apparently got lost, and landed on a safety net on the sixth floor. Like a professional artist, it posed in front of my lens.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 101: Bicycle on the Beach in Vitória, ES (2007)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

101. Bicycle on the beach

SEPTEMBER 2007: Bicycle on the beach

The flat coastline at Camburi Beach in Vitória is ideal for cyclists. In recent years, cycle lanes have been paved. You will notice that most bicycles are quite different from the solid European ones: Brazilian bikes are more suitable for any kind of terrain. More Brazilians possess bikes for short rides; they also are discovering the advantages of taking the bike to school, to the bakery, or even to the beach! However, bicycle racks were not that common in 2007. The only alternative was a young palm tree. In this case, a perfect solution. I was quite curious if the owner had locked his bicycle with what kind of locks. To my big surprise, it was only locked with a simple bicycle lock. It was not tied to the tree with a big chain. Dutch insurance companies would disapprove this, and there would be a big problem in case the bicycle had been stolen. Therefore, at a first glance, you might consider Camburi Beach as a secure place to park your bicycle, without the necessity of heavy chains and locks.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2014

Imaging Brazil 043: White Rose in Vitória, ES (2005)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

043. White rose

DECEMBER 2005: White rose

Reveillon 2005-2006. New Year. That New Year, I celebrated on Camburi Beach in Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. New Year was celebrated on the beach, together with thousands of people, most of them in white clothes. This is a tradition. Another tradition is the flower offering to the ocean. To Iemanjá, the Candomblé goddess of the oceans and the seas. Red roses, white roses, everyone bought one and dropped it in the ocean. I offered a white rose to the goddess of the sea in the Land of the Holy Spirit. This was the title of one of my former blogs. Some readers started to wonder if I had become…. However, this title was not that weird. Espírito Santo is Portuguese for Holy Spirit. I still have very good memories of the moment that my friends sang for me, watched by many people around us. They first were perplexed, but then realized why my friends sang: it was my birthday.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2005, 2014

COLORFUL BRAZIL: Water Mirror at Praia do Morro, Guarapari (ES)

Water Mirror at Praia do Morro, Guarapari (ES)

Guarapari is a popular beach resort, at about 50 km south  from Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. Many tourists from the neighboring state of Minas Gerais spend their long weekends and holidays there. Praia do Morro is one of the popular beaches in Guarapari. The beach is flanked by a long row of hotels, apartments and other high buildings. This photograph was taken just after sunset.

The original picture was taken in October 2012.

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Click HERE for general information about VITÓRIA. (tourism and history, including videos)

Click here for more information about Guarapari (tourism and history, including videos and weblinks)

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COLORFUL BRAZIL: Sunset at Praia do Morro, Guarapari (ES)

Marlin Sunset at Praia do Morro, Guarapari (ES)

Guarapari is a popular beach resort, at about 50 km south  from Vitória, capital of the state of Espírito Santo. Many tourists from the neighboring state of Minas Gerais spend their long weekends and holidays there. Praia do Morro is one of the popular beaches in Guarapari. The beach is flanked by a long row of hotels, apartments and other high buildings. At one end of the beach, a statue of a blue marlin attracts many tourists.

The original picture was taken in October 2012.

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Click HERE for general information about VITÓRIA. (tourism and history, including videos)

Click here for more information about Guarapari (tourism and history, including videos and weblinks)

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