seekingmygreaterperhaps

Oi gente!

My first trip to Rio was with Dad and Janet, and we had a lot of fun! We ate well, saw the major tourist sites, and enjoyed time together. End of blog post.

Just kidding, ha! Since this post is coming quite a bit after we actually traveled, I’m going to give you the highlights rather than the play by play. We visited Rio the week before the new year, and after my parental unit flew home, I stayed a few days extra to enjoy the New Year in Copacabana.

Janet found an amazing apartment only a few blocks away from Copacabana beach. It was spacious and had a kitchen for us to make breakfast in. When asking my dad what his favorite part of the trip was, one of the things he mentioned was the location and how it felt like he was a part of the neighborhood. I liked being able to play cards and just chill as well. There was an excellent bakery on the corner too!

The first big activity in Rio was of course visiting one of the 7 Wonder’s of the World- Christ the Redeemer! We rode the “Tren do Corcovado” to get there, and my ears were popping on the way up- it’s quite high up there. Look at those blue skies! We got really lucky with our weather, and had a clear view to be able to see much of Rio de Janeiro.

It was really crowded up there. It’s only the #1 tourist destination in Rio, so I guess that makes sense. We walked around and stayed at the vistas, but didn’t stay too long. We waited in a long line for some picole, because it was so hot, and the picole was nice and refreshing. (This is essentially a popsicle made of fancy fruit juices.)

The next tourist destination was the cable car up the Pão de Acucar- aka Sugarloaf Mountain. There is a system of 2 cable cars, and they really pack the cable cars full. We used our tall gringo skills to get great views on all of our rides. It also helps that we were usually cut off and the next people in line. The panoramic views from all the different spots along the mountain were really beautiful. Rio is a sprawling city, and you can really get the feel for how large it is when you are up so high.

As a Beatty family, we also enjoyed spending time on the beach. I was able to show off my Portuguese learning and buy things for us as well. In the picture on the left, you will see my fancy new “kanga” which Brazilians use at the beach. No one here really uses beach towels, and part of me thinks it’s because these dry much faster. On the left, you will see us getting beach cheese! For the equivalent of $2 USD a piece, you can get grilled cheese sprinkled with oregano to your delight. This is something my friends excitedly told me about before I went, and now I am not sure how I can go to a beach without eating beach cheese.

Dad and Janet are foodies. They have exquisite taste. We dined at the Churrascaria Palace one night (which is a meat circus for the ages), and on our final night, we dined here at the Giuseppe Grill. The food was mouth watering and delightful. I got the tuna steak, and I might have ordered the best meal- not to brag, but I do have the midas touch with ordering food.

On our last day, it rained the entire day… It was meant to be a beach vacation, but we learned what the rainy season meant. Guess that just means they will have to come back. Ha! We saw a couple more famous sights- like the Escalaria Selaron, which is a large staricase covered in mosaics. The artist gathered tiles from many places around the world to decorate this beautiful and iconic staircase.

We tried to go to a museum and an aquarium, but we couldn’t get timed tickets for a time that would work out, so we ended up walking a lot in the rain. Oops… but the benefit of this is that we saw some amazing street art, and even a cool street mosaic. That funky building above is the Museum of Tomorrow- but also take a look at the line of people that was never ending!

With that, I said Tchau to my dad and Janet, and wished them an easy journey back to the USA! Brazil is far to get to, but once you’re here, it sure it beautiful!