Barbara was still ill, so unfortunately she wasn’t able to come on the trip. Norman, Lynda and I went on a private trip to Petropolis, the old imperial capital of Brazil.

After meeting our guide Daniel, we got in his car and drove to Petropolis. After driving through Rio, past some favelas, we entered the foothills and drove up through spectacular scenery to Petropolis.

Our first stop was Quintandinha Palace. An old hotel and casino that was built two years before gambling was made illegal in Brazil! It was the largest casino in South America! The old hotel rooms have been converted to apartments, but the public spaces are still open to the public but are otherwise unused. A criminal waste in my opinion.

Then, after lunch, we went to the Imperial Museum, which is housed in the old Imperial Palace. Brazil only had two emperors, both called Pedro, before declaring itself a republic. It was an interesting place and had the crown jewel(!) in it. This was a crown worn by Pedro II using gems recycled from his dad’s crown.

Then a quick visit to Sao Pedro de Alcantara Cathedral before a visit to the house of Santos Dumont, who was one of the world’s pioneer aviators. He was very short and everything was built for him. An excellent day out and well worth doing.

There was no Syndicate Quiz tonight.