Pousada Mangabal to Campo Grande to Belo Horizonte, Brazil

26 - 29 March 2006

Colonial towns of Tiradentes and Ouro Preto

27 March 2006. We rented a car and drove to the charming little colonial town of Tiradentes near São João del Rey where we checked into the equally charming Pousada Solar da Ponte. The owner of the pousada is an Englishman called John Parsons. We met him over afternoon tea served in the beautiful dining room. Wandering around Tiradentes, Angela had seen a shop sign for John Somers and another for Gregory Somers in the same street. She recognized the name as she had worked with Greg Somers on Jaguanum Island (near Rio de Janeiro) in 1980 and remembered that the family worked with pewter. She asked John Parsons if he knew the Somers and, as one of the few English immigrants in the area, of course he did. Apparently the shops had sadly passed out of the Somers’ hands but, thanks to John, Angela got Greg’s phone number and was able to contact him. We met him in São João del Rey and he showed us round the pewter museum that his father had founded. We then drove to his workshop where he designs objects made of pewter for export as well as the local market.
Tiradentes was named after the martyred hero of the Inconfidência. Tiradentes (Tooth Puller) was a dentist living in Ouro Preto who, with 11 other conspirators, tried to overthrow the Portuguese rulers in the late 18th century. They were unsuccessful and Tiradentes was publicly hanged in Rio de Janeiro.
Tiradentes town boasts several good eateries, and it was in one of them that we met a charming Italian couple, Gino and Mavi. Gino lived for many years in Brazil and has a fazenda in the state of São Paulo. Gino is a pilot and has flown a lot in Brazil so he and Flemming had plenty to talk about. We dined with them again the following evening.