Pampulha

Pampulha is a ritzy suburb of Belo Horizonte about 20 minutes outside the city center. Normally planned developments aren't really our thing, but this particular one was built by one of Brazil's foremost architects, Oscar Niemayer, in collaboration with one of Brazil's most well-known visionaries, Juscelino Kubitschek (yes, that's a Brazilian name). The result was a man-made lake with a 12 mile circumference dotted by little gems of modernist architecture. The building to the left is actually a church, believe it or not, and one of the most distinctive buildings in Brazil. Visiting it was actually a little shocking, even for the non-religious. Realizing that it was built almost 60 years ago makes it impressive. All in all, it was a nice break from the overly ornate churches of baroque Portugal and colonial Brazil.

Another Niemeyer building on the lake was the Casa do Baile. Now used as an architectual museum of Belo Horizonte, it was originally created to host dances and parties. Overall, Pampulha provided a refreshing, if strange, contrast to the omnipresent skyscrapers of Brazil and serves to remind you that this country can be about so much more then beaches and soccer.