Petrópolis, The Brazilian Imperial City.

This past Saturday, our group made a voyage to the Brazilian “Imperial City” of Petrópolis. Located roughly 40 miles outside of Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis is a former capital city of Brazil, and gained notoriety for being the summer get-away of Dom Pedro II.

Stanford/Nebraska bus ride!

Our day began with a few quick stops at the local German village and the chocolate factory. After stuffing our pockets with as much chocolate as we could carry, our guide asked if we could make room for another tour to join us, as their tour bus had broken down. The broken-bus group was from Stanford University, and after making their acquaintances, we managed to find common ground of studying at PUC-Rio. Listening to the Stanford group tell tales of their own Portuguese language learning experiences made myself and a few other classmates very grateful for the wonderful experiences we have had on behalf of PUC-Rio.

Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara, Petrópolis

Once we parted ways with Stanford, our first official visit was to the Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara. This cathedral can solely be defined as “breath taking”.  Built in 1884, but opening for worship in 1925, the large cathedral holds the remains of Dom Pedro II and his wife Teresa Cristina, as well as their daughter Princess Isabel and her husband, the Count D'Eu. When words failed, some of the students took to their knees and said a silent prayer. If any readers ever get a chance, the Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara definitely needs to make their bucket list!

After a quick buffet lunch, we walked through town towards the Museu Imperial de Petrópolis, the former summer palace of Dom Pedro II. The palace featured “Brazil wood” floors, two large wings, and two stories of exhibits. To preserve the palace, visitors were required to wear over-the-shoe step-in slippers; Nebraskans were sliding all over the place!

http://bit.ly/LDw7BQ

The highlight of the entire palace was a dark room with the sole focus on the Brazilian Imperial Crown worn by Dom Pedro II. The Crown contains 596 precious stones, of which most are diamonds and pearls. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed on the tour, but to describe the Crown as “stunning” would be an understatement. The photo to the left does not do it justice.

After a long day of sightseeing, we piled back onto the bus and headed towards Rio. The day trip was amazing, and the city of Petrópolis is a must-see for future visitors!