two hours on a train
winding through the mountains and valleys of minas gerais leads from ouro preto to another mining town named mariana. along the way to mariana we passed through tunnels, around mountains, passed water falls, and forests. the steamy rain storm made the whole train ride seem borderline mystical.
we arrived in mariana at the train station about 1000 yards away from the old town. it was raining so we went to a store close
to the quaint
pink victorian style train station to get an umbrella... leopard print actually. and then, we began to walk toward old town. the first part of old town we saw was this square with two large churches and government house. the town was significantly quieter than ouro preto. when we arrived, it seemed a sleepy old town, and nathalie loved it. there were fewer tourists, cheaper prices, and fewer steep hills. in ouro preto the average
admission fee to a church was 7 reais, in mariana it was 3. and this was the interior of one of these two churches. the churches were all similar styles as the ones in ouro preto. these were slightly less ornate, and photos were allowed in contrast to ouro preto. this church even had the tomb of the famous local painter aythade, who painted the ceilings of most of the baroque/rococo style churches in minas gerais. as we wandered around the streets of old town
mariana... we even saw a bar dedicated to the bull dogs of the university of georgia. and a gallery selling local modern art. including torsos with maps and art painted on them, and pseudo religious iconography and modern remakes of rococo paintings of minas gerais.
the last church we visited was high on a hill overlooking the city. this church wasnt completed until the 1950s. this church was very very plain
on
the inside, but had a very elaborate wooden carved altar. after we climbed up the hill to see this church overlooking the city. we walked back down the hill and had some ice cream, and then walked to the bus station to take the bus back to the hustle and bustle of ouro preto.
winding through the mountains and valleys of minas gerais leads from ouro preto to another mining town named mariana. along the way to mariana we passed through tunnels, around mountains, passed water falls, and forests. the steamy rain storm made the whole train ride seem borderline mystical.
we arrived in mariana at the train station about 1000 yards away from the old town. it was raining so we went to a store close 
to the quaint 
pink victorian style train station to get an umbrella... leopard print actually. and then, we began to walk toward old town. the first part of old town we saw was this square with two large churches and government house. the town was significantly quieter than ouro preto. when we arrived, it seemed a sleepy old town, and nathalie loved it. there were fewer tourists, cheaper prices, and fewer steep hills. in ouro preto the average 
admission fee to a church was 7 reais, in mariana it was 3. and this was the interior of one of these two churches. the churches were all similar styles as the ones in ouro preto. these were slightly less ornate, and photos were allowed in contrast to ouro preto. this church even had the tomb of the famous local painter aythade, who painted the ceilings of most of the baroque/rococo style churches in minas gerais. as we wandered around the streets of old town
mariana... we even saw a bar dedicated to the bull dogs of the university of georgia. and a gallery selling local modern art. including torsos with maps and art painted on them, and pseudo religious iconography and modern remakes of rococo paintings of minas gerais.
the last church we visited was high on a hill overlooking the city. this church wasnt completed until the 1950s. this church was very very plain 
on
the inside, but had a very elaborate wooden carved altar. after we climbed up the hill to see this church overlooking the city. we walked back down the hill and had some ice cream, and then walked to the bus station to take the bus back to the hustle and bustle of ouro preto.
