General Archives ⋆ Page 31 of 41 ⋆ The Passenger

May 1, 2015July 2, 2023

Labour Day in Hann. Münden

One of my annual traditions is to participate in the Labour Day march and gatherings on May 1st. As a child my father, who was work council member of Deutsche Bahn, took me there and I never missed this festivity since then. Normally I would attend in my home town, Göttingen, but as I disagreed with some decisions of the local DGB regional organisation (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, German federation of unions) lately, I chose to relocate for this day.

April 14, 2015July 2, 2023

Swabian metropolis

This time I came to Stuttgart to introduce a friend to the city – and to see my team loose against the Verein für Bewegungsspiele (VfB), a designated candidate for the descent to the second league, in the Mercedes-Benz-Arena. But as we were meeting some friends that moved to Stuttgart, my mood was unbreakable.

March 1, 2015July 2, 2023

Botafogo x Flamengo

On my last day in Rio de Janeiro, the two most favorite teams in Rio – Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (Botafogo FR) and the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (CR Flamengo) matched at Estádio do Maracanã. Of course I had to be there. So I chose the colours red and black (kind of strange for me) and went to support Flamengo (“mengo – mengo – mengo!“).

March 1, 2015July 2, 2023

Cidade maravilhosa

When arriving in Rio de Janeiro, I had mostly seen rural life in Brazil (exempt São Paulo). I had the image of the big bad city in mind, having read too many security advices from guidebooks and state authorities. And I had to get rid of this and to find out, that Rio de Janeiro is in fact the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city).

February 23, 2015July 2, 2023

Life in Vila do Abraão

Going to Vila do Abraão means a slow boat trip to Ilha Grande, enjoying nice views on the green island. As I arrived in the village I was expected by a luggage porter who carried my trunk with a pull-cart to my hotel, the Pousada Naturalia. I was really happy about this, because on the island there is nearly no pavement: Even the streets in the village were simply sand.

February 23, 2015November 4, 2018

There is nothing like coco verde

Coconuts can be dangerous, especially when falling from a palm and striking you on the head. But it has to be considered an urban legend, that a considerable number of people per year die because of this fruit. In Vila do Abraão on Ilha Grande they can say: You have been warned.

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February 22, 2015November 4, 2018

Catholic state

I’ve been to many places where religion plays an important role, but Brazil seems to rule them all out. Christianity is of massive importance here and even the housenumber signs remind you to smile – because “Jesus loves you”. You can’t omit seeing catholic statements nearly everywhere.

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February 18, 2015July 2, 2023

Road trip from Santos to Rio

Brazil is a country with a lot of tropical rainforest. Many areas are quite unreachable and in earlier days some places could only be reached by boat. That is why some cities exist: Especially the Portuguese colonial masters arrived with their ships at the coast and had to walk into the mainland to find gold (for example in Minais Gerais).

February 18, 2015July 2, 2023

Entering São Paulo

São Paulo is one of the biggest cities in Brazil und going by car into the town is quite an adventure. I wouldn’t say that traffic is as mad as in Marseille, but it is definitivly close to it. Especially the motorways around the city are special: Most times four lanes going parallel, then two surprisingly change their direction or cross the other two via a bridge. A miracle, if you arrive without getting lost at least once.

February 18, 2015November 4, 2018

Driving through São Paulo

“Although São Paulo is definitely a city in which cars rule,
you’ll have to possess vast amounts of patience
(and a certain degree of insanity)
to consider renting a car here.”

– Michael Sommers