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church in florianopolis
Quentao de Vinho
some passengers leaving the train
people on a shopping mall of CuritibaParana Pine Tree - The Symbol of Parana
One of the first things that I noticed on my visit of Curitiba, was a large number of interesting flat-topped trees, with tall straight trunk and horizontal branches, that resemble pine tree. These are Araucaria angustifolia, also known as Parana pine tree is the symbol of Parana. You see them everywhere - not only in the numerous city's parks but also on the squares and along the streets.
The name Curitiba comes from the Tupi (one of the main ethnic groups of Brazilian indigenous people) words core (pine tree) etuba (many), or kurit (pine tree) yba (great quantity), due to the high concentration of of pine trees previously found in the region. Native people used to gather the cones and harvest the seeds for food. They baked the seeds before eating.
In Curitiba the characteristic silhouette of Araucaria angustifolia appears in patterned sidewalks made of tiny black and white stones and also in many art and craft forms including photographs and paintings. I've got a lovely pine tree fridge magnet from Luiz and each time I open the fridge (and it happens very frequently, hehe) it reminds me of Curitiba and of my very dear friend :)
