Curitiba is perhaps off the beaten path in Brazil as far as tourists go. There are no beaches here, no snow-capped mountains, few sites of historical interest, and hardly any tourist attractions here at all. What Curitiba does have is an idea; and that idea is that cities can meet all the needs of a modern society and still remain friendly to both people and the environment. This was largely the vision of Curitiba’s former mayor, Jaime Lerner, who left a legacy of urban sustainability by converting the city’s main downtown street into a pedestrian corridor, allowing only non-polluting industries into the urban area, ringing the cities with a network of lovely parks, and creating one of the world’s first bus-rapid transit systems. As a result of his efforts and those who followed, Curitiba is consistently regarded as one of the world’s most livable cities.
My guide to Curitiba was the wonderful and versatile Beatrix Boscardin. Beatrix is not just a mere guide: she’s also a driver, a translator, a writer, and a photographer. I believe she could do anything! The first place we set out to were the parks. Most of these are no more than 15 minutes from the city center by either car or bus.
The Jardim Botanico is a vast, grassy park lined with triangular French hedges and bisected by a walkway bordered by beautiful red and yellow flowers. At the end of the walkway is a glass and metallic greenhouse modeled after London’s old Crystal Palace. The stroll up to the greenhouse is a little like walking up the yellow-brick road towards Oz. The two-level greenhouse holds a variety of tropical plants native to Brazil, such as palmettos and banana trees, and houses a delightful little waterfall. It is a lovely place to amble around.
After a brief photo stop at the Museu Oscar Niemeyer (the exterior looks like a big eye ball), we drove to the Opera de Arame, or “Wire Opera House”. This is a truly unique structure built upon the site of an old quarry. An ornate iron bridge leads you over the water of the quarry (now like an artificial lake stocked with huge carp) to the opera house. The Opera house is constructed completely of glass on an iron framework; so you can literally see right through it to the trees in the background. I cannot judge how favorable the acoustics are for opera, but this is a conceptionally cool place.
At the Jardim Poty Lazzarotto, we spotted some of the trees that I had seen during my bus voyage to Curitiba. I had given them the name “candelabra trees” because of their shape with the branches turning skywards at the top. They are actually known as “Parana” or Brazilian pine trees, and are relatively rare now because so many had been cut down for their wood.
Curitiba does not have a subway, but it does have an extensive bus system; and here, the buses are not stacked vertically (like double-decker buses) but horizontally. You will often see two long buses attached in the middle by what appears to be a swatch of gray duct tape. No doubt, there’s something more permanent holding them together. I wonder how they negotiate tight city corners?
Beatrix and I passed by or stopped in several of the other parks, including those in Santa Felicidade and the park Tingui, where the Ukrainian memorial is located, as well as Beatrix’ “home” park which she frequents regularly. Our last stop of the morning was the “Largo da Ordem”, or the old colonial center of the city. The cobblestone streets are (mostly) pedestrian only and host a number of colorful restored buildings plus a few old churches. Most of these restored buildings were shops or galleries; and as I was not into shopping this day, we did not linger long. Besides, we had a long and beautiful drive ahead of us to the town of Morretes. I was starting to worry about my mouth, however. It had been aching and swelling since Buenos Aires, and it was getting worse. It looked like my travel plans were in jeopardy and that seeing a dentist, if not a doctor were in my near future.
