Day 6 - Bavaria in Brazil

As we packed up in Paraty, the boys looked forward to their next adventure. Mr. Ross held an impromptu rehearsal just after breakfast and we then boarded the busses to Petropolis. As we wound our way back toward Rio, I wondered how the gold and diamonds were transported by horse and cart up and down these mountains. We stopped again at the scenic overlook for lunch and had a nice buffet while watching the World Cup on a big screen TV.

In the early 1800’s, under the threat of Napoleon, the royal court of Portugal relocated to Brazil under Dom Joao VI. When he was recalled to Portugal, the Prince Regent Dom Pedro was left here in Brazil. He then went against his father and declared Brazilian independence in 1821. He became emperor of Brazil and established Rio as the capital. Seeking refuge from the heat, they traveled to the Serra dos Argaos (a mountain range lying north of Guanabara Bay) and used this area as a summer residence. The city was named Petropolis after Dom Pedro II who ruled from 1831-1899 and became emperor of Brazil at age 14. There were no artisans or architects of note in Brazil at that time, so the emperor brought friends from Germany who then designed and built the palace and many fabulous homes around the palace. It is as if a small alpine Bavarian village was dropped down into the Brazilian mountainside except with tropical flora. The town was built along three principles, the course of the rivers were not diverted, the mountainsides were kept free of development and plots of land were laid out along the courses of the rivers and at the foot of the mountains.

The Museu Imperial was the Summer Palace of the emperor. It was converted to a school after the dissolution of the monarchy until President Vargas established a museum there and brought back the crown jewels and clothes restored the interior to the original glory of the empire. As we entered the Palace we were given soft cloth slippers to place over our shoes. The boys enjoyed sliding around the wood floors as we saw the priceless crown jewels and robes of Pedro II. They were all behind glass with pretty impressive security systems. If someone leans too hard on the glass, the crown drops down through a trap door into a safe and police would flood the palace. The boys actually seemed to be interested in all the grandiose clothes, household items, paintings and a grand gold inlaid and sculptured trunk with pictures of Napoleon’s ships on the side, which was a gift from King Luis Philippe of France.

We then went to the school to meet the families for the home stays. As we got off the bus, a large throng of girls surrounded one of the boys and talked and laughed with him. A festival was going on and there were many small girls in costumes and ribbons in their hair. The families were very gracious and embraced the boys warmly. We sent them on their way chatting happily with their new friends.