The Opera House in Belém

I took a tour of the opera house in Belém with one of my colleagues. It was built in 1878, during the rubber boom, when Belém was one of the capitals of Latin America. I imagine this is what Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" had in mind when he dreamed of bringing opera to the remote regions of the Amazon. Lots of interesting detail.

Magnificent ruin in Belém, Brazil

Here's a ruin I walk past every day on my way The Nature Conservancy's office in old Belém: