JK MEMORIAL
JK BRIDGE
SOUTHERN LAKE PONTOON
DAWN PALACE
CATETINHO
TELEVISION TOWER
LBV
BOTANIC GARDEN
SENATE
CATHEDRAL OF BRASILIA
MUSEUM OF INDIGENOUS NATIONS
Those who want to stay up to the 18th have the possibility of a trip to Formosa and the Itiquira waterfalls.
Arraial de Couros was the first name of Formosa ("Beautiful"), created in the second half of the seventeenth century after the division of the municipal district of Arraial. The first houses were built by African slaves on the banks of the rivers Itiquira and Paranã, and had to be transfered to their current place because of a deadly fever which ravaged the ancient town. On October 4th, 1767, father Antonio Francisco de Melo celebrated the first mass in the Prayer House of Couros. An important event was the installation of the Fiscal Station of Lagoa Feia, in February 1736 by order of the King of Portugal, fearing the evasion of gold and the non-payment of taxes. Only on 1st August 1843, the village was elevated to the status of Town, and called Vila Formosa da Emperatriz ("Beautuful Residence of the of the Empress"). The municipality of Formosa was not installed until February 22, 1844. "Salto do Itiquira" ("Itiquira's Jump") is one of the names of the waterfall, 168 meters high, located in the city of Formosa in the state of Goias. Fall are formed by the Itiquira River, in the Serra Geral mountain chain, one of largest in the Midwest. At the foot of the waterfall, the sight of water, which barely hits the ground, due to height, is one of the most beautiful - especially when there is plenty of sunlight to form a rainbow around. There is an easy trail up to the diving well (about ten minutes walking) and another steep until the panoramic viewpoint (approximately two hours walking). Just after the big waterfall, the river forms a series of smaller waterfalls, rapids and natural pools. The fall is within a protected area: the City Park of Itiquira. It is impossible to swim in the pool formed just below the waterfall: the force of water falls is enormous because of the heigth. This offers a unique spectacle which is really worth being seen. Just below, the river forms other wells with small waterfalls which are good for swimming, and a series of rapids and pools, covered by a dense forest. The park offers an excellent infrastructure with restaurants, bars, cofee houses, camping, swimming pools, the Chalets Hotel with 26 units with air conditioning, fridge and tv. There has several mineral springs, just 115 km from Brasilia.
The city of Formosa, in the Hinterland of Goias, is an important natural asset for ecotourism. Besides the great number of waterfalls, among which stands out the Itiquira Waterfall, another well-known place is the Lagoa Feia ("ugly lagoon"), six miles length and a half in width, and depth between 4 and 10 meters). There is also the Lajedo large pools, the Cova das Andorinhas ("Cave of the Swallows"), about 250 meters deep, the Buraco das Araras ("Hole of the parrots), about 100 meters deep and Bandeirinha River ("Small Flag river") which forms several waterfalls.
Considered as one of the most significant horse parades of Brazil, this festival became a symbol and a model for other cities. During the Carolingian dynasty, in the late eighth century AD, there is almost 1300 years, the Christian Emperor Charlemagne fought against the Saracens in the Hispanic Peninsula, to prevent the Muslims from invading France and the heart of Europe. The fact that, when Charlemagne left France, the country was exposed to invasions by the Saxons, forced him to return, but he left there the brave Earl Roland with his bodyguard, the Twelve Peers of France.
During the famous battle of Roncevaux, in 778, Roland was massacred. Despite the defeat, the hroic deed was widely reported as a sign of bravery and Christian loyalty by troubadours traveling throughout Europe, becoming La Chanson de Roland ("The Song of Roland") a long epic poem encouraging the Christian population to fight against the Islamic armies. Incorporated into European folklore for centuries, the history of Charlemagne attracted the voices of the troubadours, in the thirteenth century, in Portugal, it was decided to dedicate a holiday to this event, with the modes of a drama, almost as a chess game, in order to encourage the Christian institution and the repudiation of the Moors, in a large battlefield, where on the West side, twelve Christian knights dressed in blue, the color of Christianity, are fighting against twelve Moorish knights dressed in red, entrenched in the East side.
