Mozambique
MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
MARCH 28,
2025
Maputo,
capital of Mozambique, features colonial Portuguese architecture and wide
avenues lined with jacaranda and acacia trees.
Very colorful street art is featured throughout this city.
Our first
stop on today’s tour was the domed bronze CFM train station cited as the 3rd
most beautiful train station in the world.
This station dates back to 1910. Its
other claim to fame is having been featured in Leonardo Dicaprio’s “Blood
Diamond.”
The Bank of
Mozambique is the tallest building in the city. The headquarters of TAP
(Portugal) Airlines is one of the most colorful. Of course, no capital is
complete without the embassy of the United States.
Samora
Machel, Mozambique’s beloved freedom fighter and first President, stands in the
center of Maputo’s Independence Square.
The square also contains a house made of iron.
This square
is the site of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
We then
walked through the colorful Mercado Central artisan market where locals barter
for a wide range of fruits and vegetables and classic Mozambique
souvenirs.
A stop at
the Botanical Gardens showcased fruit bats covering several branches of the trees
lining the walkways including a Cinnamon Tree that when the trunk is scraped,
it does smell like Cinnamon!!!
The park is
a popular spot for weddings.
We then walked on to the Maputo Fort which houses a mini museum with many historical gems.
Our last stop
was to the unique Saint Anthony Catholic Church where its facade is fascinating
inside and outside. This Church is often
referred to as the “Lemon Squeezer” or an inverted flower.
We finished
the day by crossing the bridge to Kadema and enjoying a delicious lunch on the
beach overlooking the city. We even got to watch some of the locals do some
fishing.
Then, it was
time to bid farewell to Maputo and on to South Africa.
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