Lens-Artists Challenge #320 – Looking Back
When Sofia invited us to “look back at things you love(d) in your life, things that have happened, places you visited that you’d like to experience again,” I struggled with what I would share. It is in my genes to be nostalgic about places I visit. That is one reason I like returning to places I’ve been to before because I can relive the beautiful times I shared with loved ones. Nostalgia, or the more profound Portuguese word saudade, is what I read in Sofia’s excellent post. You can experience that yourself by going here.
When I think of home, I think of a place
Wheres there’s love overflowing.
(“Home,” from The Wiz, by Charlie Smalls)
I began looking back at places I’ve been and finally settled in Brazil, where I was born and raised. More specifically, I looked back at our 2023 trip. We visited three cities that year: Santos, São Paulo, and Fortaleza. I will share just a few memories as I reflect on that trip.
Traveling from the São Paulo airport to Santos was like reliving a fantasy from years past. No matter how often I travel the Serra do Mar mountains down to the Atlantic coast, the scenery always surprises me. This time, the fog was mysterious and entrancing.
The Anchieta Highway began its construction in the 1920s. It is a feat of Brazilian engineering because you have miles and miles of elevated bridges and tunnels going along the cliffs of the Serra do Mar mountains. One can occasionally see portions of the highway as if they were coming out of nowhere.
Suddenly the raindrops that fall, they have a meaning
Sprinklin the scene
Makes it all clean
(“Home,” from The Wiz, by Charlie Smalls)
Once we get to Santos, we can enjoy much Brazilian history and a vibrant and safe city. The port of Santos is the largest in Latin America. According to the Santos Port Authority, the port connects over 600 ports in 125 countries. I like Santos because I have family there and also because of its landscape. You have the best of nature with both mountains and beaches.
Whenever we want to return to São Paulo, we travel that excellent highway I featured above. The trip is short and lasts, on average, about 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on traffic and weather. São Paulo is a world metropolis. It’s Brazil‘s most populated city and the third-largest city in the world. Traffic is a nightmare most of the time — unless you travel after 11 PM. There are, however, many things to enjoy in the city. I have featured both Santos and São Paulo in other posts. The Avenida Paulista is a significant avenue that connects the old and modern São Paulo. It is also the financial and business heart of the city. In the photo below, you can see traffic at rush hour.
This next image is near the Ibirapuera city park. This metropolitan urban park covers approximately 390 acres. “Ibirapuera is one of Latin America’s largest urban parks, together with Chapultepec Park in Mexico City and Simón Bolívar Park in Bogota, and its iconic importance to São Paulo is often internationally comparable to that of Central Park in New York City” (Wikipedia).
Historically, one of the major attractions in the city is the Ipiranga Museum. The museum is near where Emperor Pedro I declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal in 1822 on the banks of the Ipiranga brook. The museum houses documents and artwork from the Portuguese imperial era in Brazil.
Our last stop in the 2023 trip was a four-day weekend with more family members in my hometown of Fortaleza. Although I have shared countless other photos here, I will feature three images I had not posted before. Fortaleza is known for its coastline and white sandy beaches.
And I’ve learned that we must look
Inside our hearts to find
A world full of love
(“Home,” from The Wiz, by Charlie Smalls)
One of the locals’ pastimes is worshipping sunsets. The view below is one I captured from my oldest niece’s condo balcony one evening. I have other Fortaleza sunsets in several different posts.
I cannot thank Sofia enough for challenging us to look back. Her post is lovely, you’ll agree. Now, I am looking forward to your looking-back experiences. I’m sure there’ll be great photos. Don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when responding to Sofia’s challenge so we can easily find it in the Reader.
Ann-Christine’s Setting a Mood challenge was awesome. Your responses raised the bar with so many beautiful photos. What will we see this week? I’ll be following the reactions here.
Next week, Anne (of Slow Shutter Speed) will lead us with Intentional Camera Movement (ICM). I have many examples here. Anne’s post will give us more directions. As she said, it’s all about having fun, and there’s no wrong way! So, start moving those cameras and making beautiful ICM photos. Tune in next Saturday at noon EDT in the USA. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.
About the music
With a cast that included Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor, the movie The Wiz was both a critical and commercial failure. It has become a cult classic in part because of its soundtrack. Based on the classic L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the movie has an African-American cast. At the movie’s end, Diana Ross sings “Home,” which I quoted in this post. Here’s Diana Ross’s performance in the movie.
On Broadway, the original performance was by Stephanie Mills. Other performers of this song include Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, and, more recently, Brandi Carlisle.
Discover more from Through Brazilian Eyes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Nicole Sara
Splendid photos, and interesting details. And the sunsets are amazing… I love the last one so much, with the foamy blue, yellow and orange! And the city photos… they reminded me of a series I used to watch when I was a kid, called Avenida Paulista, which was on our national television post back then 🙂 So nice!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Nicole, for your kindness. I appreciate this comment.
Nicole Sara
You are welcome! 🙂
Also, I was thinking of asking, and I hope you don’t mind, about what camera and lens you are using, or lenses, if you could tell me. I am really curious. You may have mentioned that in a post, but I dont’ think I remember, and I would like to maybe find inspiration, about what kind of photo equipment can render such beautiful photos, beyond the photographer’s skill, that is. 🙂 Thank you!
Egidio Leitao
Nicole, I don’t mind you asking at all. I have used a number of cameras during past years. In the “About” section of my site, I list them all. The photos I post come from those cameras. In this particular post, they are all from my Sony a7IV, my most recent camera. Thanks for the feedback.
Travtrails
Beautiful snapshots
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Indra. I appreciate the compliment.
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Che meraviglia! 😃
Egidio Leitao
Grazie mille.
Alison
What a wonderful post Egidio. Santos Beach looks beautiful. The Avenue looks a bit like New York. Maybe I will visit Brazil one day. In the meantime I will enjoy your photos
Egidio Leitao
Ali, thank you so much. One interesting aspect about the Paulista Avenue is that it is closed to vehicles on Sundays. Only pedestrians walk the entire stretch. I covered that in another post in my blog.
pattimoed
So beautiful, Egidio….the sunset, the fog, the mountains, the beach…even the traffic at rush hour! Your photos of Brazil have nudged it higher on my “to visit” list.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks a million, Patti. I am happy you enjoyed the short photo trip.
Sofia Alves
Saudade, Egídio. I always love your landscape photos and your cityscapes are equally impressive. These are too with added emotion. My mum would use the expression Ipiranga Shout a lot when I was growing up 😀
Egidio Leitao
Oh yes, the Grito do Ipiranga is how we refer to the event, too. Thanks for your kind remarks. I’m not crazy about cityscapes but try my best. I appreciate your response.
Brad
Your photos are gorgeous and almost make me want to visit the cities, even though I’ve grown to hate large cities. I’m sure I would enjoy the beaches and mountains. I’m glad you were able to visit your family and homeland Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Brad, like you, I’m not crazy about visiting cities. They all tend to look alike for me. Thanks for the response.
Writing to Freedom
I think my comment got lost Egidio. Thank you for a heartfelt and educational tour of your homeland. The mountains and beaches look very inviting and you almost make me want to visit the cities even though I’ve grown to hate big cities! Wonderful photos!
Egidio Leitao
WP might have delayed your first response. It’s there. I was glad to see family in that visit. Thanks for the compliment.
Writing to Freedom
My pleasure.
Anne Sandler
What a beautiful journey to your home town. It was made more enchanting by your wonderful photographs Egidio. This was a great post!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Anne.
Rupali
Such amazing images, Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Rupali.
Wind Kisses
A deep breath from me. I know you enjoyed heading home for this challenge. The Anchieta Highway is impressive and I would agree, sometimes the fog brings out mystery in our photos. Great call to stop for photos. They are fantastic. And the beach? There is nothing like the beach. Ok..maybe a beach with a sunset. I noticed a bike walk trail along Avenida Beira-Mar. I’ll bet that goes for miles and is where you first found your love of biking.
Egidio Leitao
First off, thanks for dropping by and send me these very comforting words. I appreciated them. That bike/walk trail is fairly new. That whole area was redesigned to separate cars from pedestrians and bikers. It’s much safer now. Yes, my biking days began at home. I hope you are doing well and staying positive. We miss you.
restlessjo
Wonderful images again, Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much for these positive words, Jo. Muito obrigado!
Alison
That would be a wonderful day out then
philosophy through photography
Fab captures for this theme!
So lovely!
Serra do Mar click amazing.
Diana Ross , my fav. Singer.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you. I also love Ms. Ross. She’s wonderful.
philosophy through photography
You are welcome, Egidio.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Your memories are showcased in such great photos, the mountains we gorgeous and Brazil is known for the beaches, not often do we in our thoughts think of the cities – or at least I don’t. Great tour in memories
Egidio Leitao
I’m glad you enjoyed the short trip, Ritva. Thanks.
📸Lense-Artists Challenge #320: Treasured Memories – BEING AMAZED: Observations of a Female World Traveler
Pingback: […] back then. Just like Egidio described it so beautifully in his excellent post (you can read it here), I also aimed for “reliving” special moments. And in order to do so, I kept revisiting […]
Amy
Thank you for this fabulous glance of your home town. Wonderful photos!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for the feedback.
Tina Schell
Such a fun post Egidio – like visiting a different world! Your images, and your home “town” are both amazing. I think your actual home town is my favorite of all. But your photography is amazing with its twinkling lights, broad beautiful vistas and a real sense of place. Kudos -a great interpretation of the challenge!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you very much, Tina. I’m glad you enjoyed the trip.
Leya
A lot of beauty there in your “looking back”, Egidio. I always love your landscapes, but your cityscapes are impressive too. Colourful and happy everything looks to me. A lovely hometown.
Egidio Leitao
Your feedback means a lot to me. Thanks for the reassurance.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
Thank you for letting us join you on this magical journey Egidio, your cityscapes are especially beautiful 😊
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for the feedback and for coming along.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Wow, Sao Paulo is the third largest city in the world? Amazing! Either it’s really beautiful or your photos made it look so. Wonderful trip on which to look back!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Terri. São Paulo is a huge metropolis. In that sense, it’s pretty much like any other large metropolis. I guess I like it because I have family there. I’m not that crazy about large cities.
Perpetua
Brazil. Now, I want to visit your country.
Egidio Leitao
I think you’d like it very much, Perpetua. It has something for every taste: city, nature, mountain, beach, etc.
JohnRH
I love that highway through the jungle. Must be something to drive.
Egidio Leitao
It’s better to be a passenger and just click all along.