THE NOTEBOOK

During his stay in Rio de Janeiro, Aimé-Adrien Taunay was in constant movement. In his notebook, there is a sort of diary about one of those trips: a journey to the Swiss colony of Nova Friburgo and the region of Cantagalo. He and the other travelers of that period moved along roads already established in the province that linked inland towns among each other and with the capital. Taunay and his companions on the trip made use of mules for the large land trips, since the small distances around the stopping places were explored on foot.

With regard to aquatic transportation, mention to the boats only occurs when referring to the crossing of the Guanabara Bay from downtown Rio de Janeiro to Praia Grande, today’s Niterói. Along the way, Taunay landed in taverns, inns, farms, mills and houses, sometimes enjoying good facilities, others having to sleep on the floor or on tables, enduring the cold. By his own account, he dressed badly, “a bad coat with worn-out ornaments” and took with him a notebook, a pencil, a blanket, and the clothes he was wearing.