23.06.2015.
Last day in Rio
In the morning I started the day with organising some logistical questions regarding my coming days. After I visited the Brazilian-Hungarian Trade House in a quite posh district, Leblon, near Ipanema in a local business centre. The colleagues are very sympathetic and I hope they will have a lot of success in spite that Brazil now lives an economic recession and a deep political crisis.
After the meeting I went to the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, where I found some very interesting pictures and sculptures. For example Victor Meireles impressive painting "The first mess in Brazil" (Primeira missa no Brazil) or its "modern version" painted by Cándido Portinari. Furthermore it was astonishing to me to find the huge battle-pairing from the the time of the Triple Alliance. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay had a long lasting war against Paraguay (1864-70). During this seven year period 90% of adult males and around 50-85% of the total population of Paraguay died and the country lost the half of its territory to Argentina and Brazil. This was the bloodiest war of the whole continent in the written history. The highlight of the two monumental painting is furthermore interesting that the modern Brazil tries to "forget" the bloody part of its past.
In my last day in the city I had painful goodbye from Rio, which I fall truly in love with. I am sure that I will return!