I finally went downtown on Friday. The photo here is of the Metropolitan Cathedral, part of a small neighborhood of historic buildings. There is the old mercado, the old customs house, the pedestrian shopping mall, the museum, and the November 16th Square. The square is notable for the figueira tree in the center; it's over 100 years old and supported by poles.
Outside of this small historic area, the downtown is full of unexceptional high-rises. The other tourist point in the area is the Hercilio Luz Bridge. Now closed and finally being restored, it was the first bridge that connected the island to the mainland.
Speaking of bridges, yesterday the other two bridges were shut due to protests. Folks have asked if I'm affected by the protests that are sweeping Brazil, and the answer is, not really. You can compare it to Occupy Wall Street - it was easy to avoid if you weren't in a major city such as New York, and Floripa is the country's 51st largest city. The protests that are happening here are downtown, not near where I am staying.
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