Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Curitiba, Brazil. Photo by Ben Tavener.

Brazil and bureaucracy are pretty much synonymous. You can’t escape it: you just have to play the game, which is a waiting one, and keep calm.

For most visitors, particularly those from the UK and Europe, visiting Brazil is a doddle. Just turn up, and you’re allowed 90 days, which can be extended by another 90 days to a maximum of 180 days.

But for those who want to remain longer than that – the options are limited.

I’m now back in the UK, waiting for my new temporary-permanent visa – a trip which also cunningly doubles up just in time to spend Christmas and the new year (and probably the first couple of months of 2013) with my family.

However, when I do get back to Brazil, I will be in São Paulo.

For this reason I spent my last few days, for now, revisiting sights around Curitiba, which had been my home in Brazil for the past 18 months.

I particularly wanted to see the Oscar Niemeyer Museum again, after the architect’s recent death.

See my goodbye photos HERE.

Curitiba’s Metropolitan Cathedral, Brazil. Photo by Ben Tavener.

Largo da Ordem – Curitiba, Brazil. Photo by Ben Tavener.

Centro Cívico – Curitiba, Brazil. Photo by Ben Tavener.