Brasilia, Distrito Federal

Brasilia is more than anything a strange strange place. There will be pictures now because I'm changing to a different site that works and you'll see what I mean. Despite the fact that an address can be SHS 401 Bl.A Casa 201 it can be very difficult to navigate. Actually now that I've written it down it sounds really difficult - it's logical but involves north south coordinates as well as west and east and the street numbers refer to what's between the streets rather than the streets themselves - prob a good idea but difficult for someone from the land of streets that were made like that because they used to be the thoroughfare for cows. I love Brasilia, it's like constantly being in a 70s scifi movie. Buildings like giant white igloos or bowls, huge open spaces and streets only identifiable by number. It has its beauteous bits though - the sactuario Dom Bosco, I think is incredibly beautiful, a cube completely covered in blue and clear stained glass to look like the night sky! Being a pedestrian is not easy however as I think the crossings number single digits on miles of roadway and the smaller roads are 4 lanes across. We crossed something akin to a super motorway Irish standards - 2x6 lanes of traffic and managed to survive somehow. I must say there's something to be said for having a hotel district, shop district (they even have a sports club district and the districts aint small) etc.m it made finding a place to say very easy and somewhere to eat equally so. I like it but I don't think I could live here - the sheen would diminish. That and even though it is new (opened as the capital in 1960, freshly built after only 3 years of construction) it's rather run down in a lot of places which really takes away from the clean design (also very ugly in places, ah the 60s, Irish university buildings a go go). So have very much enjoyed this place - next stop Rio, or He-oh as they pronounce it here. I think it'll be very different. A bientot mes chéries!