Where the sun first arrives

Mission Brazil - which is the Embassy and all the Consulates - has a program called Route 66 - or Rota 66.  It's a special program that assigns each officer stationed in Brazil a city to get to know.  That way, many Americans get to know many more Brazilian cities.  And many Brazilian cities get lots of first-hand interactions with Foreign Service Officers.

I recently made my first trip to my Route 66 city - Joao Pessoa.  I wrote it for the Route 66 blog and you can read it in Portuguese here.

Here it is in English:

 I had the lucky opportunity to visit the point at which the sun first touches the American continents –Pontas do Seixas in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba. This easternmost point of the Americas has a longitude of W 34° 46' 59.9999" and is only 3705 miles or 5962 kilometers from the African coast. Pontas do Seixas is located next to the Estacao Cabo Branco – an exhibition and cultural space designed by Brasil’s own Niemeyer. This space is where the opening ceremonies for Joao Pessoa’s 2nd Annual Travel and Tourism Fair were held. The team from the American Consulate in Recife participated by giving talks on visas and tourism in the United States.

Joao Pessoa has other claims to fame - as the capital of the state of Paraiba and also as the third oldest
settlement in Brazil. It was founded in 1585 and originally known as Vila de Felipéia de NS das Neves. It later changed its name to honor governor Joao Pessoa for refusing to switch political parties. His statue stands in one of the main squares.










Igreja Sao Francisco is a new cultural center that stands on the site of a beautiful former convent and church. The architecture and courtyards are very peaceful. There is gorgeous tile-work and a beautiful gilded altar and frescoed ceiling. It is a great example of helping historic buildings to achieve new purpose while maintaining their historic qualities.

While visiting Joao Pessoa, our team had lunch with the mayor at a delicious Portuguese restaurant – Restaurante Adega do Alfredo. We learned that in an effort to preserve the ambience of their town, the city government enacted an ordinance which limits the height of buildings near the coastline. The result is that the neighborhoods along the beach are wonderful to stroll through with many interesting restaurants and shops.







We visited an artisan center as well as trying exotic ice creams made from fruits of the cerrado at
Delicias do Cerrado. We also enjoyed some regional cuisine of the Northeast at local favorite – Mangai. There were many regional specialties including queixo coalho, cartola and 6 different types of rice.

Joao Pessoa is a beautiful city that exemplifies many of the wonderful qualities of the Northeast of
Brazil. I look forward to visiting this lovely city again.