As it was a very pleasant day, I was taking a small bike tour with my camera and I discovered a spot that was a very nice place from which to enjoy the sunset as the sun dips just behind the statue of Iemanjá. Iemanjá is a kind of god in Afro-Brazlian culture. She is known as the ‘Queen of the Sea’ and is popular in many religions. Many people make offerings to her, such as food, as she is the protector of those travelling on water.

I was really lucky that a bunch of capybaras – quite common in the lagoon area – were passing at just the right time. I thought I could get a nice shot! My camera is nothing special, but I love taking pictures and have been training my ‘photographer’s eye’ for the last couple of years. I hope to get a nice camera soon though.

The Pampulha is one of the major postcard views of Belo Horizonte. It is manmade and famous as an architectural complex. It counts as an important project designed by the most famous architect in Brazil, Oscar Niemeyer, and he considers the architectural complex of Pampulha as his lifetime masterpiece. (You can also admire his work on the Ball House [Casa do Baile] and São Francisco de Assis Church [Igrejinha da Pampulha], both pictured in our photo album.) Other famous artists also participated in the project, including the painter Portinari and the landscaper Burle Marx. They were asked to take part by Juscelino Kubitschek, one the most important Brazilian presidents of all time – the same one that ordered the construction of the capital city of Brasilia. In the area around the lagoon you will also find the city zoo, the Modern Arts Museum of Pampulha, the Ecological Park of Pampulha and, of course, the Mineirão Soccer Stadium, which will be one of stadiums of the World Cup in 2014!

I had a very pleasant day after the bike ride and I was just lucky to get the sunset in this spot. I consider it one of the most beautiful ones that I have had the pleasure to enjoy. It was nice because I didn’t calculate anything, I was expecting to see anything and it was just at the end of the bike ride. So just a lucky day!