A day in Salvador, Brazil

The city of Salvador is the third largest city in Brazil.  It is one where 85% of the locals trace their ancestry to Africa.  It's a beautiful city with a strong religious influence. Locals have merged the Catholic faith with African traditions and tribal religion.

You cannot escape from Walmart.  This is the first one I've seen in Brazil.

This is the Farol da Barra Lighthouse.

Salvador is a very colorful city.  Here's the sign near the elevator that takes you from the lower to the upper city.

I made a new friend in Salvador.  This lady is dressed in a traditional outfit. 

This is the Lacerda Elevator that links the beach part of the city with the "old city." 

One of the government buildings outside the main square.

A cross overlooking the lower city below.

There are many fountains in the city.  It was hot, and I wanted to jump in it to cool off.



The church in blue is the Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black Man.  It was built by slaves for worship because they could not attend other churches.  A mass was underway during our time in the church.

Michael Jackson did the video "They Don't Care About Us" in this square and balcony.,

The city streets are like those in Lisbon, Portugal. 

This is Terreiro de Jesus Square. The Cathedral is behind me when I was taking this picture.

The exterior of San Francisco Church.



The Baroque style cathedral has many beautiful paintings and original wall tiles.

Everything is covered by gold leaf in tis church.  It's a little overwhelming.

The courtyard outside the cathedral.

Again, everything is covered in gold leaf.  Silver was more valuable than gold in Salvador because it wasn't as plentiful.

The group had a "snack" and drinks in a local restaurant.  This is one of the employees dressed in traditional garb.

One last view from the port.