- Bus ride from Paraty to Praia Grande
- On foot to the pretty bathing bay Prainha
- Reading and sunbathing
Asked about our plans today at breakfast, Sabrina gives us a tip for one local beach. So we take the bus for almost half an hour to the small town of Praia Grande. It's lunchtime and the bus is bursting at the seams, especially because of the many school children.
A short walk awaits us there, which leads us through a nice fishing village. In a small supermarket we buy a packed lunch before we continue on a small path to the Prainha march. Surrounded by dense vegetation, a short path leads down to the wonderful bathing bay. We spend a leisurely afternoon swimming, sunbathing and reading a lot. At about half past four we make our way back.
After a shower, we head to the historic core of Paratys. The city was built by the Portuguese as early as the 17th century as an important trading point as the end point of the Caminho do Ouro. In this way, the gold found in the hinterland of Minas Gerais was transported to the coast and shipped to Portugal.
The houses are all painted white colorful window and door frames. They were mainly built by slaves who had to do hard work in the gold mines and plantations. The car-free streets are covered by extremely coarse cobblestones. Later the Coffee growing and the Brazilian sugar cane liquor Cachaça to important pillars of the local economy. For some years now, the city has even been under the protection of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
After a delicious dinner with a caipirinha, we make our way back.
