Recife is the capital of the Federal State Pernambuco of the country Brazil and the biggest city in the northeast of Brazil. Recife is the biggest cultural center of the northeast with services of all kinds, like the health service and the tourism with numerous first-class restaurants. Beside of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is Recife the thirdbiggest city of Brazil and one of the trade centers of the country Brazil. Due to its geographical location to Africa and Europe Recife was always one of the entrance portals of South America and Brazil . In former times there was a fleet of commercialships of the colonial power Portugal. Still today there are enormous harbor facilities which shows the importance of Recife as place of transshipment and commercial town.

Nowadays for the airlines is Recife the first station from Europe to South America. Recifes International Airport (Aeroporto dos Guararapes), nonstop approached by many capitals of Europe, is one of the most important starting points for the flight over the Atlantic.

Recife has become their name from shell reefs, which are pre-aged to the coast. Recife extends over 3 islands away. Before occupation by the dutchmen in the year 1627 there was a labyrinth of sumps and lay islands. Everyone of this islands has its special function. Thus the port and the large commercial centres lie on Santo Antônio, while the public administration takes your seat on the island Recife.

In the quarter Bairro São José is the restored building of the station Estação do Metrô (Terminalstation of the Subway) with the Museu do Trem (Museum of the Train). The Metrô drives from there to the Estação Rodoviaria, to the central bus station of the city Recife, where are arriving and leaving all of the buses to other Cities and States of Brazil. Oppositely is the restored building Casa de Cultura (House of Culture), a former prison built from 1855 to 1857. In the prison cells are numerous shops with beautiful art handicraft of Pernambuco. Recommendable also is a visit of the Mercado de São José (Market of Saint Joseph), a building worth seeing of an old iron construction with a very popular market. In the Fort Cinco Pontes (Fort of Five Points) there is the museum Museu do Estado de Pernambuco.

At the rectangular place Pátio de São Pedro are the Cathedral São Pedro (Cathedral Saint Peter) from the year 1782 and restored colonial houses with numerous Restaurants, Bistros and Bars. Each Tuesday takes place for free at 20 hours p. m. the Terça Negra (The Black Tuesday), meetings of African culture with lifemusik and dances of Pernambuco. It is very popular and worth to participate this events, because it is a pure culture of Pernambuco mixed with African Culture. And nothing is commercialized. Nowadays, the place Pátio de São Pedro is probably the most beautiful, the oldest and the best antic restaured place in Recife. It is also value visiting the church Nossa Senhora do Carmo nearby at the Place "Praça do Carmo", too.

In the quarter Bairro Santo Antônio, at the meeting of the rivers of Capibaribe and Beberibe, is the Praça da República (Place of the Republic) with the Teatro Santa Isabel (Theatre of Saint Isabel) with its neoclassic front worth seeing and the Law Courts Palacio da Justiça (Palace of the Justice). Right of it it goes to the Capela Dourada. "The Golden Chapel" - it carries its names rightfully - originated in 17. Century as part of a monastery convent. Their carved altars are completely gilded. Admits less, but not less worth seeing the neighbouring cloister with a multiplicity of tile pictures partly is, part from portuguese and dutch manufactures of ceramicpictures of the 17th century. In one part of the convention there is the Museu Franciscano de Arte Sacra (Museum of Holy Art).

In the quarter Boa Vista in the road Rua Aurora located on the river Rio Capibaribe there is an ensemble of restored houses, which show, how it probably looked once here before one hundred years ago.

Between Recife and Olinda, exactly on the city boundary of Recife and Olinda, there is located the Centro de Convenções de Pernambuco (Convention Center of Pernambuco), one of the biggest and most modern of Brazil.

In the quarter Boa Viagem in the south from Recife is the beach Praia de Boa Viagem (Beach of the good Journey), which is protected by pre-aged reefs (in portuguese reefs: recifes) against the Atlantic Ocean. Adjacent on Boa Viagem is located the international airport Recife's Aeroporto dos Guararapes.

The celebrations, holidays and other events are numerous during the whole year. Thus the New Year begins at the beach "Praia de Boa Viagem" and in "Recife Antigo". The "Carnival of Recife and Olinda" begins already many weeks before in December with innumerable balls and removals, very recommandable. In Recife, the Carnival festivities begin in December, as locals begin preparing for the official Carnival, which starts the week before Ash Wednesday. The pre-Carnival parties usually consist of percussion groups practicing in local clubs, city streets and squares, and even Carnival balls. There are a variety of rhythms from native Indian and African Maracatu beats to Frevo and samba. Carnival officially starts with the Galo da Madrugada, a party in downtown Recife attracting as many as 20,000 costumed partiers!

High point is however the Carnival in Recife center and particularily the famous Carnival of Olinda. Even for the Brazilians is the Carnival of Olinda the best Carnival of Brazil, becaus it is the most authentic, most popular and less commercialized Carnival of Brazil, because it is a pure Streetcarnival. Therefore the overnight accomodation prices for carnival are in the historical center of Olinda, the "Cidade Alta", highly like that as in Rio de Janeiro and São Salvador de Bahia.

In the week before Eastern there are then the passion plays "Paixão de Cristo", (Passion of Jesus Christ) in Nova Jerusalem (New Jerusalem), 200 kilometers. In May and June there are then the June celebrations with the dance Forró, which takes place at many places of Recife and the interior of the country Pernambuco, particularely the Festival of Saint John, in the City of Caruaru, "São João de Caruaru" (170 kilometers). At the end of October there happens then an other Carnival named "Recifolia". It is more another Carnival out of the regular, original Carnival. There are independently numerous celebrations of each kind during the whole year.

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