02. The Russel street market

On Sunday morning, it’s the Russel street market. The lingerie stalls, cheap confections lean against the walls of the old casarão¹, and work garments, shirts, pink and blue outfits swing gently to the still fresh breeze at this hour. Big fig trees with glistening foliage cover the massive rock behind the house, elevating their branches until the Gloria church with its steeple dominating the scene.

On the other side of the street, the fishmongers shelter their stalls under the shade of the square’s big trees, then comes the displays of vegetables, flowers, fruits, spices, hardware tools, an immense multicolored and noisy street market where housewives of all nationalities and of all colors stand side by side.
1. Literally, a “big house”. Generally, a two-story house.