The semester at uni is over! Now the big travelling can start :-).
First stop was in Curitiba further in the south of Brazil. Curitiba is known to be a very ecological city with a often copied very modern public transport system. The bus stops are tubes where you pay before you enter.
Like the whole south of Brazil, there was also a strong German immigration wave in Curitiba.
This is the cathedral of Curitiba.
In the botanical gardens is a huge crystal palace.
Curitiba is the capital of the state Paraná and therefore home of the Universidade Estatal de Paraná.
The Passeio Publico is one of the many parks and green areas in Curitiba. It used to be a zoo, but today there are only some birds cages left and it is open for everyone without entrance fee.
In Curitiba I visited the Museum Oscar Niemeyer. He is a famous architect who planned this museum for different Brazilian Artists and many other stylistic buildings all around Brazil.
About 90 km from Curitiba is the Vila Velha National Park. Vila Velha means old village. The Park is called so because here you can see sand stone formations that appear to form a medieval castle.
Another point of interest is the Vila Velha National Park are the Furnas. They are basically big natural holes. During the 90s tourists could use an elevator to get to the water level in one of the holes (50m deep). After the oil of the elevator motor led to the pollution of the water and the extinction of a special fish specie that only existed here, the shut down the elevator.
The third highlight in the national park is the Lagoa Dourada - the golden lake.
One of the tourist highlights in Curitiba is the train ride to the small town Corretes through the mountains.
