Day 16 - 21 Dec.2011 - Brasília / Uberlândia

This morning before setting off further south, and especially that it was sunny again, we went to do some city sightseeing. It is a really big shame that it was not possible to do so yesterday evening as the centre of Brasilia is fantastically illuminated with colourful lights during Christmas time. Quite spectacular and we wish we could show you some photos here.
We must say it was really something to see this famous city masterplan live. When looking at it in architectural books some see the city being built in a shape of a plane, some of an eagle. Both comparisons relate to air and so did Brasilia appeared to us - very airy city with vast open spaces and ample roads. It is like a vast island inhabited by civil servants of all kinds. The ministries of agriculture, education, health defence, culture etc….all neatly aligned next to each other along the central axis of Brasilia leading to the The Square of Three Powers (Praça dos Tres Poderes).
This capital is the offspring of four great visioners: President Juscelino Kubitschek who ordered the construction of Brasília, Lúcio Costa who was the main urban planner, Oscar Niemeyer who was the chief architect of most non public buildings and Roberto Burle Marx the landscape designer. If I was a film director and wanted to film George Orwell’s 1984, I have no doubt I would choose this city. This Brazilian utopia represents a futuristic vision of a city. And indeed even with today’s population of over 2,5 mln citizens the city designed over 50 years ago shows no signs of congestion and the ever increasing traffic flows undisturbed.
Brasilia is a bit like a country within a country, nicknamed by some as "ilha da fantasia" ("fantasy island"), indicating the sharp contrast between the city and surrounding regions, marked by poverty and disorganization in the cities of the state of Goiás, around Brasília.
At the end we would like to share with you a little curiosity. The Brazilian national flag in Praça dos Três Poderes, in Brasília, is the largest flag regularly lifted in the world. It weighs 600 kg and measures 7,000 m². It has to be changed every month due to the wear and tear of the flag.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful and after nearly 500km click on our clock we reached Uberlândia where we stayed overnight.