Gloomy Sunday -- drizzling rain -- cold and damp. My first impressions are that Sao Paulo has a European feel to it -- a bit like the seedier parts of Paris, but with lots of high-rise buildings. After a well-deserved nap, I ventured out to a nearby monastery, which boasts the largest pipe organ outside Europe, and where they perform Mass with Gregorian chants several times a week.
The original monastery was built in the 16th century, and has been renovated and/or rebuilt several times since then. The current building was constructed in the 1920s and is supposed to be somewhat faithful to the original.
So I attended the Mass and it was a wonderful experience! The combination of the organ and the combined voices chanting Gregorian-style was very moving. I came away feeling spiritually refreshed.
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