Zoo, Bootanical Garden & Japanese Garden

This is probably the last post about saying goodbye to my home town. I'm glad I've spent sometime visiting the most special places for me back in January, because it's sure I wouldn't have any time to do it now.

All these Gardens I mentioned in the title are, in fact, part of our Zoo. Honestly, it isn't one of my favourite places in the city, but my memories about the Zoo were, actually, pretty worse than the ones I have now, so the visit was worth. =)

The place I liked most was the Japanese Garden. However, there isn't a single bank or bench for you to sit down and you can only stay in for 15 minutes. It's not like you can enter and stay there to meditate or to brood over life.

Then you have the Bootanical Garden, which is small, but still the best place to meditate or to brood over life. =P The problem is that the greenhouses were all closed and there are some broken parts in the Garden. Anyway, I left it with one thousand of ideas about school field trips that I could do there... only I won't work here anymore. =(

I suppose most of people who go to the Zoo want to see the animals, special the wild animals. At least in our Zoo, I wish you LUCK. Probably your favourite animals will be taking a nap or having lunch hidden from you. That was the case with all the felines, with the elephants (my favourite ones!) and many other species. Here is a bit of what I could see:

Black lion tamarin

Other primates - I can't only remember which. Any idea?

Poor Rhino...

This one is obvious

At the end, the most interesting part for almost everyone are the exotic birds. Only it's so sad to see them all caged and I won't show these pics here in the blog.

There are loads of pics of the Zoo HERE - the birds inclusive. ;-)

Countdown

Today we start the countdown. In just 30 days and I'll be flying by this time. =)

Yesterday, the Waters of March came... in Bossa Nova's language that means: Summer is finally ending, rain started to fall.

And the riverbank talks

of the waters of March, 

It's the end of all strain, 

It's the joy in your heart. 

To celebrate this, Tom Jobim's Waters of March (yeah, he wrote English lyrics for the song as well).

Mangabeiras' Park

The day I visited Parque das Mangabeiras was perfect: cloudy but not rainy. Therefore, although it was holidays time, it was very quiet, just a few visitors. It was the ideal atmosphere for an introvert who was deadly tired and wanted some time by herself. ;-P

Mangabeiras is the name of a tree specie, which names the Park. The park is a green refugee and what makes it really special is the forest. There are some safe trails to walk amidst the forest... this is the kind of thing that really suits me fine. =)

The Water's Plaza: This is located near the main gate.

Little Waterfall: I just love the music of water falling.

Dreams Lake: it should be called a pond, actually. So small, that the fairies who inhabits the lake must be even tinier than the average fairy!

One of the trails:

Near the Park, there is the Pope's Plaza. Yeah, Pope John Paul came here to celebrate a mass, so the Plaza was named after him. In country where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic, that was a great honour!

Nowadays the Pope's Plaza is a place to held big events, such as rock concerts or festivals. It has a beautiful   panoramic view of the city.

Wanna check some other pics of the park and the plaza? Go HERE! 

Playing homage is...

...  not to forget important people and stuff.

When I played with Simone Leitao, a couple of weeks ago, it stuck me hard that I was neglecting Music in my life. However, in the midst of an intense preparation I thought that it would be better not to feel guilty and to go ahead (yeah, it's important to play games with your mind, sometimes). 

And today, as everybody who googled something today knows, it's Rossini's birthday. With the late events in mind, plus having for the 100th time, the confirmation that the gift of making Music will be useful in my new life (although I gave up to be a professional musician) I couldn't let to have something by Rossini here. 

For me Rossini is a synonym of the great Cecilia Bartoli. Hope you enjoy and that your evening (and day) gets happier. For me, it's a landmark in the territory of priorities. Music has to be a priority in my life - even if it is a hobby. It is a part of who I am - so I should know better than take some days off from it. =)  

The Angels fall first

A friend passed away. In his memory, the beautiful "Tanzende Engel", by Carl W. Röhrig (the Dancing Angel):

I like this powerful image of an angel: a being who is good, but also has a very bombastic energy. 

Dudu was such a person: although he had some controversial opinions and behavior, he has been always caring and encouraging. And together with his wife, my dearest singing teacher, Liz, he has taught me that the ultimate goal of a musician was to be an artist to express the music with all her being. That Music had nothing to do with a series notes, but with expressing truths - whether joyful or sorrowful - and touching people. 

Hope he is composing and joking somewhere in eternal life. 

Learning

Found some time to blog from the Orientation Week, which has been great so far. I've made lots of friends and  people here are so supportive! =)

One of the lecturers gave me some advice which I can't but think about. He said I should remind two things when abroad:

1. Find and enjoy aspects of your new culture and places you like in your new country; 
2. Don't go to serve people you're going to work with - love them instead. 

Nice insights, don't you think? 

No photos yet, 'cause there are lots of professional cameras here, so I've got a bit lazy. ;-)

Liberty's Square/ Freiheitsplatz

One may think this blog is getting either too melancholic or too sentimental. But one of the things you're advised to do in order to have a cultural shock that doesn't kill but just get you stronger, is to really bid farewell to your homeplace.

That's why, before I part to a week of intense study, I'll blog about one of the most pitoresques places, we have here: the Liberty's Square. It is a meeting place in Belo Horizonte with no equal - not because it is the most beautiful place or because it's big or has any Faustian characteristic. Unlike many places marked by social distinction, genre or whatever, it is a meeting place for all inhabitants: teenagers who love heavy metal, runners, kids riding bicycles (it's more and more difficult to have an open safe place for them to play), elderly people reading their newspapers. Besides, Belo Horizonte is a city with too few squares and to have one which is quite democratic, at a certain extent, with nice museums around it, the State Library, a nice Cinema nearby, modern and old architecture in its surrounds...

The Square/ Der Platz: 

View of the bandstand with the 2014 World Cup Countdown

View of a building by Oscar Niemeyer. Loved the Spring, the bees buzzing around 

and smell of the flowers...

A path with old Christmas' decoration hanging on trees.

The Surroundings/ Die Umgebungen

The State Library

Detail of a building called "Junkie Mary", prior the Museum of Mineralogy 

Left: Museum of Mines and Metals / Right: Planetarium 

And to think that I lived nearby for more than a year!!! [sighs] 

You can check more photos of the Liberty's Square HERE.