German language institute located in treelined neighborhood of Victoria Check for art exhibits it has a restarant/cafe

Let's start first with the building. A lovely ocher villa along one of the few streets and avenues in Salvador where old trees provide a lot of shadow and protect you from the cruel sun. Inside a touch of art deco appears in the use and placement of different marbles with contrasting colours. Get very close to the reception area, so you can pick up a wonderful but very traditional polychrome tableau made from azulejos, representing a farming couple on the field, preparing the land for the next season by using an ox pulling a harrow, on which the woman stands. It dates from 1933 and was made by the famous Fábrica Aleluia in Aveiro (Portugal). It's signed G.A. The forefront displays also a few azulejos, but these are only in blue and represent more classic themes like popular saints and the 'Torre de Belem'. Most of the time, there's an exhibition going on. In the evening, you can join lectures or see a movie. In the library, you can find German and Brazilian newspapers. The Berlim Bar does an excellent job, surrounded by a lot of greenery. Unfortunately, the nearby highway produces a constant noise. And now about the language school. I wanted to join an advanced language class with 6 hours of lessons a day, 2 weeks long and a maximum of 6 pupils. But when there, the first lesson got canceled and the promise of organizing it on a later moment was not kept. I was the only pupil, and according to the contract, that meant a reduction of 50% of the lesson hours. Apart from that, an hour in Brazil lasts 45 minutes. So I ended up with 9 lessons from 9 am to 11.15 am and some daily homework. Initially I was quite upset with this arrangements, but at the same time I was glad that I didn't have to listen to potentially terrible Portuguese of other students. So, I got individual classes. Price = 640 euro, that's over 30 euro for a full hour. Far from cheap. Quality: Good, maybe a bit slow to European standards. Focussing on the weaker elements of the pupil. I loved the teacher, as she told a lot of stories (happy, as well as sad) about Brazil, its habitants, its past and its future. Practice: I had to take care of that myself of course. I was lucky not to stay in a hotel or a hostel with international guests (speaking English). I found a homestay with a local family with a limited knowledge of English. Our relationship was perfect and we spent a lot of time together, always conversating in Portuguese. Without that, my Salvador adventure would have been far less great. On the other hand I socialized with locals. Something about email: Brazilians hate to reply. It doesn't matter if you try to contact a hotel, a pousada, a travel agency or an institute. You will nearly always have to try a second time to get a response. Even if you weote them in Portuguese. I had to beg for an answer to my first mail. A friend of mine didn't get a reply, and decided not to try anymore to get in touch with the Goethe Institute.q