World Cruise 2013: Day 106 - Fortaleza, Brazil

World Cruise 2013

April 21, 2013

Today the ship arrived in Fortaleza, Brazil. I took a tour with Cruise Specialists called “Fortaleza Highlights with Refreshments”. Fortaleza is located on the northeastern coastline of Brazil, and is the capital of the State of Ceara.

The port where the ship docked was a commercial port. Behind the port area was a group of rundown houses. To the right of the port are some tall modern buildings behind beaches.

The tour left the ship at 8:30 AM and we had to walk along way down the dock area to the bus. We got on the bus and the bus took us to view an old lighthouse. At this time we were in the area of the rundown houses and the tour guide told us this was not an area to walk thru from the ship. We drove along some beaches where they were cleaning up and make it a place to eat, drink and enjoy the beach. The reason for this improvement is that Fortaleza is the home to one of the stadiums for next years World Cup. We drove around the town and arrived at Mercado central (Central Market) to browse among the delicate, handmade lace and embroidery for which the region is note. This market is located on several levels. I walked around the market and bought some nuts. We got on the bus for a short drive to the Greco-Roman Metropolitan Cathedral of Fortaleza. It is Brazil’s third largest and is a neo-Classical cathedral with beautiful stained-glass windows. I took some pictures and returned to the bus. Our next stop was at the Jose de Alencar Theater, a memorial to the famous poet from Ceara. We drove along the beach and stopped at a place on the beach to take pictures. Our last stop was at a local restaurant located along the beach where we enjoyed a beverage and a shack. We returned to the ship and the ship left at 3 PM.

Below are some pictures taken from the ship and from my tour.