São Paulo... Big Bold City

Okay, I'm going to try to finish up this tale of adventure within the next few days. Here it goes...

From Florianopolis I headed north to Sao Paulo. Not much scenery along the way. It was a two lane highway with lots of cars and big trucks. It was a long day of riding... I think maybe 9 or 10 hours. I arrived into the city just as it was turning dark. Luckily the hostel allowed me to pull my motorcycle into the lobby to park it. I checked into the hostel, ate some street food and went to sleep.

The next day, I left my moto at the hostel and set off on foot... and subway.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere, and the world's eighth largest city by population.

The first place I visited was the Edificio Italia (Italian Building). It is a tall skyscraper that allows visitors to ascend in an elevator and look out the windows for a pretty magnificent panoramic view of the city.

As I arrived into the city, I could sense that the air quality was not the best. When I looked out over the city and saw all the smog I could understand why. But there was some interesting architecture.

I walked around a bit and passed through this railway station. The design of the station was classic. There were huge arcs spanning the interior forming the ceiling, elegant brick masonry, light posts and an abundance of iron craft around the balconies and walkways.

I decided to check out one of the museums... the Pinaocteca do Estado.

The museum's collection consisted mostly of contemporary art.

This giant plate of people made me happy for some reason. The plate was probably about 8 feet in diameter.

I was a bit entranced by this collection of chromatic art.

Of course, the photos do not represent the real visual experience of seeing the art in person.

Trust me, it was very alive.

Also, I did find a few oil paintings that I really enjoyed. 

This collection of oil paintings really seemed to capture rural life in Brazil's past.

I made another stop at the Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market).

It was a bustling market with everything a foodie could possibly want.

Wine

Olive oil

Seafood

Spices

Fruits

Cheese

Cured items

Preserves

Fresh meats

And a nice dining area to enjoy all the delicacies.

I continued walking around the city admiring some of the buildings.

There seemed to be an abundance of sculptures

I only spent two days in Sao Paulo. After spending so much time on secluded beaches, I was not really feeling the vibe of the city. Plus, there was somewhere else that I really wanted to visit... Rio!