Old town Belem
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The next morning, I believe it was a Sunday, had me charge out of the hotel in a flash. I had a map and an idea of where I wanted to go. It was very hot and humid and I finally had to stop and buy a bottle of water. I did find my way to the river and headed left (up-river) toward the Gateway to the Amazon. Anyway, there was a sign that pointed me in that direction. |
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And there it was. The Gateway to the Amazon. Ok, seen it and time to push on. There was a fort somewhere that I wanted to see. Just before I turned to go, the local ferry boat came by. |
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A longish and definitely hot walk later, I approached the area where I wanted to be. A bicycle sure would have been nice, but then I don't really get the feel of an area. |
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This is the heart of the old district. Again, eye on the clock, I did not go into the cathedral. |
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And there, past the administration building, and past the open air art, was the small fortress. |
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These two tourist cops told me (no idea why I was selected for the honor) that they were there to protect tourists. Much appreciated, to be sure. |
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Before entering, I went to the outer wall that was from an earlier time, equipped with some excellently maintained cannons. There used to be a large number of them. The river navy had a patrol cruiser moored nearby that people could get on. I did not. I had about two hours before I needed to be back at the hotel.. |
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TOnce inside, you will recognize this layout. The top schematic shows the four large guns. |
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Here we are. I just came through the front entrance and am now in the courtyard. I imagine those ramps were there to get ammunition to the guns. |
3D