Salavador de Bahia seen by Jean-Paul Delfino
There are magical words and names that, suddenly, take hold of you like invitations to a journey abroad to which you cannot possibly or reasonably resist. Salvador is one of them. Its real name is Sao Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos -Sao Salvador of all Saints Bay-. Ever since its foundation, the city has been sung, written about and glorified by world known artists: the writer Ruy Barbosa, the musicians Dorival Caymmi or Gilberto Gil, the capoeirista Mestre Bimba, founder of the modern capoeira… Not forgetting Jorge Amado, the tropical Dickens, the father of Gabriela, of Captain of the Sands, of Cacao or of Bahia of all Saints.
Apart from its world-famous carnival, Salvador is before anything a huge extract from the history of Brazil where, one after the other, the three roots of the country intermingle: the Indian, the European and the African. Between Pelourinho (higher district) and the Cidade Baixa (lower side) the historical city center comprises baroque churches, remarkably well-preserved colonial mansions with vivid colours adorned with a blend of wood and stucco that cannot be seen anywhere else. That “Black Rome”(for Salvador is one of the Brazilian towns most deeply marked by slavery) offers unique goals for walking.
The church Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, of course, but also the Barra lighthouse, Pituaçu and da Cidade parks, the great markets, without forgetting Coconut road that leads to the beaches.
You cannot summarize Salvador. It must be discovered. It must be tasted too. Coconut batidas and caipirinhas of course. But also, and maybe preferably, its unique spicy dishes of African origin where different spices are added to prawns, to fritters, to crab preparations, to stewed saffron fish, to cassava flour and to white rice, without forgetting a choice of desserts unknown anywhere else.
Salvador, a town to be discovered with your five senses…
Written by : © Jean-Paul Delfino (This text is subject to copyrights protection in accordance with existing laws)
Our description of Salvador de Bahia is on this web page: https://terra-nordeste.com/en/destination/salvador-de-bahia-en/
Other texts by Jean-Paul Delfino are available here: Travel Diaries - Jean-Paul Delfino
Jean-Paul Delfino is a French writer and screenwriter so passionate about Brazil that he has taken on the writing of a major novel fresco entitled "Suite brésilienne" which covers three centuries of great Brazilian history.
Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Delfino