Maceió, November 2023: Francês, Gunga & Pajuçara

I visited Maceió the last time in 1994. I was curious to see how it changed since then. The flight, operated by the A321LR, has one stop in Natal both ways.

The night we arrived we went to a bar in Pajuçara called "Coconut" for some food and beer.

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Praia do Francês

The following day we would be doing a tour to explore Praia do Francês and Praia do Gunga, none of which was a new place for me. I remember visiting them in the early 90s.

Because it was a holiday in the state of Alagoas, the beach was somehow overcrowded... we didn't spend much time in Praia do Francês.

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Praia do Gunga

To have access to Praia do Gunga everyone must pay a fee. And I believe because of that, the scenario was totally the opposite to that one we found in Francês. We chose to stay here to sunbathe a little. Praia do Gunga has a much more isolated and wild vibe.

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Budega do Zito

The venue for our dinner was "Budega do Zito", close to the Maceió city center. The place has a cool vibe but the food and service was nothing special and it was somewhat overpriced.

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Pajuçara

In the last day of my layover I decided to stay at Praia de Pajuçara where our hotel is located and from where I have my most vivid memories from my childhood days.

The iconic Enseada Hotel

I was shocked to learn that the hotel (Verde Mar) where I stayed so many times with my parents was demolished and a whole new massive project was being built in its place.

Jangadas (rafts) are still a strong business here. They take tourists to the "Piscinas Naturais": natural pools of coral reefs, very close to the beach. You can even have lunch in them and enjoy wonderful seafood.

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Ponta Verde

Ponta Verde is another beach contiguous with Pajuçara. Christmas decorations were already in place as this was the month of November. I find it so strange to see Christmas trees in regions where temperatures are always hot or where it is summer season.

And one final view over Pajuçara...

It was nice to visit Funchal again

This month I was lucky to get a layover in Funchal! It's been so long since I was here for the last time.

Parque de Santa Catarina

Costa Pacifica

I'm still really enjoying my return to the A320 family fleet.

New York, Saint Patrick's Day, 2022

Yet another layover in Newark but always going to Manhattan, where everything happens!

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Meatpacking District

I usually keep an eye on Time Out New York to see if there's something new to visit. A Botero's Sculpture on public display at the Meatpacking District caught my attention.

My first encounter with Botero's work was when we used to fly to Bogotá, Colômbia where I visited the Museo Botero. Fernando Botero was a famous colombian artist and sculptor, recently deceased in 2023.

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The High Line

 The High Line is always a favorite of mine... even if it was a cold and foggy day in New York.

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Little Island

I decided to re-visit Little Island which is an artificial island park inaugurated the previous year. I already had been there a few days after it was opened and despite the United States were still closed for tourism (due to the pandemic), I remember lots of people visiting the new attraction that first time I visited it.

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Hudson River

Now, let's really understand how foggy it was this day!

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World Trade Center
Transportation Hub

And yes!... it was Saint Patrick's Day and I didn't know that this day is massively celebrated in New York. All pubs inviting to have a beer and green color everywhere. I learned that I missed an Aer Lingus parade down the streets with Flight Attendants in their uniforms.

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Lower Mahattan

This was the first time I got notice of the strangest skyscraper in New York, that I already talked about recently in this blog. And also a photo of the Washington Square Park and its marble arch.

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Newark

Next day the weather was much nicer but since I would return back to Lisbon, I decided to stay nearby my hotel.