We arrived to the port city of Paranaguá before sunrise today. After an early breakfast, we boarded coaches to drive up into the mountains to the city of Curitiba. The drive took us up through beautiful, coastal rain forest and low cloud cover that burned away as the morning warmed.
We arrived to Curitiba’s train station and boarded the cars for the 3 ½ hour ride to the small town of Morrètes. The train, called the Serra Verde Express, runs daily through the incredible mountains between Curitiba and Paranaguá, offering visitors the chance to explore regions inaccessible by road. The railroad was originally constructed in 1885 and is still also used by freight trains making the passage through the mountains. The heyday of the area is long past however, and there are remnants of old train stations, homes, stores, and facilities for travelers, which have been overtaken by the jungle in the years of disuse. These once-beautiful buildings became perfect subjects for photography as we wound through the forest and down the hills. We were also treated to some spectacular views of waterfalls, gorges, and the expanse of the Atlantic Rainforest from our high vantage point above Morrètes.
We arrived to Morrètes and were taken to lunch at a beautiful restaurant situated alongside the small river in the town. Morrètes (almost impossible to find on any map) is a town of 15,000 people which has developed into quite a lovely, charming spot to spend a few hours. We enjoyed a huge, beautiful lunch served family-style at our tables, and then walked into the older part of town for a “fandango” performance of dance and music. After another hour to explore the town and to enjoy the breeze by the river, we returned to the buses and drove back to Paranaguá and our ship.
As we departed the port, the sunset brought beautiful colors over the mountains in the distance and the rise of the full moon was a spectacular, orange sight over the Atlantic. Our day concluded with these stunning views and we retired early after an incredible day of exploring southern Brazil.
