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LucyHB
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Mulled wine and German markets - in Rio state!
Picture the scene - shoppers wrapped up warm against the cold evening wind browse market stalls while clutching mugs of mulled wine and hot chocolate. Now imagine that this scene is happening just an hour's drive away from Rio de Janeiro city. It might sound unlikely, but this is the scene that greets visitors to the winter festival in Petropolis. This mountainside city was built as a summer retreat for the imperial family during colonial times, as the lofty location meant lower temperatures. In winter, although hardly freezing, it does get genuinely chilly once the sun goes down. Many of the townspeople are of German descent, and it is a little surreal to wander around this Bavarian-style scene in the knowledge that just a few hours ago you were sunning yourself on a beach.
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LucyHB
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Keeping cool in the mountains
Petropolis, less than two hours´ drive from Rio itself, made its name as a destination for the wealthy to come in and escape the summer heat. And with the Rio sun blazing when I visited, the cooler mountain air certainly came as a blessed relief.
The bus ride up is a trip in itself - speeding up mountain roads that take in some fantastic views. Once we arrived in the city we were a little disorientated - expecting a small town around the size of Parati, we set off to walk into the centre from the bus station, and found it took rather a long time! (Better to catch a bus if you don´t have all day). In the centre there are some attractive old buildings - the summer palace is the big draw, and amusingly they give you furry slippers to put over your shows in order to avoid damaging the floor, this makes it fun to childishly slide around the place! The place was very obviously settled by Germans - it was odd not to look obviously like a foreigner with my blonde hair and pale skin, and in the winter apparently there is a German-style winter market here. There are some pleasant squares and tree-lined streets, but otherwise, away from teh main attractions, Petropolis is something of a bland town with very crowded pavements - it´s unlikely you´d need or want to spend more than a day here.
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