Toca do Vinicius

The best place for purchasing Brazilian music is Toca do Vinicius on the street of the same name, rua Vinicius de Moraes. The street runs from Ipanema Beach to the lagoon in the middle of the southern part of town (zona sul).
Vinicius de Moraes was a composer and is best known for "Garota de Ipanema" (the Girl from Ipanema). In addition to being composer, he was also singer, diplomat, poet and playwright. You can find a lot more about him elsewhere.
But visit the Toca do Vinicius. The owner is very helpful. He also often produces mini-concerts in front of the store, people bring chairs and sit or stand on the sidewalk. As you can see in the picture, in 2009 we all celebrated the 100 years of Carmen Miranda.

Teatro João Caetano

The oldest theatre of Rio was inaugurated on the 12th of October, 1813, by D. João VI, prince-regent, son of the queen of Portugal, D. Maria I.
The front is covered in beautiful white marble.

Some very well known actors and actresses have played on the stage, including Eleonora Duse e Sarah Bernhard.
Even today, the productions are of the highest quality. Well worth a visit.

Praça Tiradentes ,s/nº
Centro
2332-9257

Mosteiro de São Bento

The monastery is a beautiful place of peace and quiet. Building of the church started in 1633 on land given in 1590 to Benedictine monks at the request of local inhabitants. In the historic part of town, it is one of the main monuments of the colonial period.
Its main attraction for us regular people is the Sunday mass with Gregorian Chants. The mass is very well attended by locals and tourists, so it is well worth getting there at least half an hour early.


The image (taken from Wikipedia) is part of a painting by Jules de Sinety.

Igreja da Candelária

An example of baroque colonial architecture the church was built from 1775 to about 1877. As all important structures of the time it faces the bay of Guanabara, as that was the main entry into the city. Being in one of the busiest areas of the city these days it faces constantly a lot of traffic flowing from all parts of the city into the center.
It is still popular however for high society and celebrity weddings

Open 8a-4p M-F, 8a-noon Sa-Su

Praça Pio X
Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20040 Brazil

21 2233 2324

Caldinho de feijão

Isn't he the cutest???

This nice gentleman works in a kiosk on Ipanema Beach, almost at the corner of ...... During the winter months, July thru September, he will serve you a cup of caldinho de feijão, a delicious black bean soup, to warm you up as you stroll along the wide sidewalk watching the people still enjoying the beach in the evenings.

Try it, you'll like it

Coconut water

A very popular and very refreshing drink is the water from a fresh coconut. You will find they are sold all over town, the picture shows a kiosk along the beach. As you can see you could also have a glass of rum or whisky but the coconut water is very nice.

Brazilians also believe that it is a cure for all things, from a cold to a toothache.

Try it, you'll like it.

Bijou

When in Rio you will find a lot of vendors wanting to sell you all kinds of stuff, each time the car stops at a red light someone will offer you something.
My favorite is a sort of very light cookie, called bijou.
Try it you'll like it, and it only costs R$2 for one package, or R$5 for three packages.

Try it, you'll like it.

Cachaça

When in Rio, of course you have to try the national fire water - cachaça. For a bottle you can spend anywhere from R$5 to R$500. I would not want to mix the R$500 bottle in a caipirinha. Ypioca or 51 serve the purpose just fine.
Cachaça—the national spirit of Brazil—is distilled from fresh cane juce as compared to rum which is distilled from mollasses.
It is mainly drunk in a cocktail called caipirinha, though it warms many a poor man straight up on a cold night.


Recipe for making caipirinhas

about 2 tbsp granulated sugar, or depending on taste
1/2 lime, skin on, tips and white center removed, cut into four wedges
a couple jiggers cachaça

Muddle the sugar into the lime in an old-fashioned glass. Add ice, preferably crushed, to the top of the glass. Pour the cachaça into the glass. Stir well or better yet, fit the bottom of a shaker over the top of your glass and shake.
Be careful, the stuff is delicious and powerful. You sit there happily but after two of them you might not be able to get up. The same recipe is also used with different liquors like vodka for a caipiroska, sake for a caipisake and so on. Other fruits, like passion fruit or pineapple, are also used in the recipe, though lime is the traditional.

Sunday Hippie Fair

The Hippie Fair in Ipanema is a tradition in Rio as well as being a lot of fun and a great place to pick up all kinds of crafts, from silver jewelry to glass earrings to T-shirts to leather goods to paintings anything you can think of.
Don't miss out on trying typical food from the state of Bahia and enjoyed watching the ladies, in traditional clothes, preparing the dishes. In particular try acaraje, a bun made of dried black eyed peas, fried in dende oil and filled with a shrimp sauce. Dende is an oil made from a palm tree from Northeastern Brazil.Praça General Ozório, Ipanema
Sundays, from around 9 to 6 pm

Arkana

A little bit out of the way, probably, this is a lovely little store full of Brazilian crafts.
Have look, I'm sure you will find something you like and fits your budget






Rua Humaitá 63, loja A
Humaitá
2226-7187

Shopping on the beach

Don't you think malls are boring? So, why not shop on the beach, you
will be amazed at all the things you can buy. Though of course you will be paying a bit more than elsewhere. After all, it is very hot and hard work.

How about a wrap that also works as a bag?


Or how about shrimp, individually packed, defrosted on the spot and grilled along with a cup of draft beer?
And what's more, you can actually pay for the shrimp (R$4.00 a skewer or less than $2.00) with a credit card?


And how about a tablecloth to enjoy at home after the beach?


or some fresh oysters, picked this morning in Buzios?

Should you have partied too much the night before
you could have a massage before lunch
and how about some beach toys for the kids?

Do you need a hammock to relax in or maybe a souvenir for friends at home?


Something like a xylophone at R$60?
Can you believe the guy actually has been selling these
on the beach for 20 years and makes a living with it?
Air cookies go good with beer and are definitely
not fattening



And of course, you need sunglasses
and suntan lotion

And to stay cool......
a new bikini or some watermelon?

Tired of shopping? Relax with your chess board......................

Geocaching

My favorite activity both in Rio and at home. When visiting Rio (and if you have a GPS) look for caches, you will discover incredible sites and views and you will meet some really cool people who like to have fun. Just like you!!!!!!!!!!!!
If this sentence has mystified you, have a quick look at www.geocaching.com. It will introduce you to a treasure hunt played worldwide. At the time of this writing there are 770.759 caches hidden, though in Rio there are only 28.
All you need is a GPS and a desire to discover new places

Above, the view from Pedra Bonita, great trail

My friend Monica who bravely hiked up Trilha dos Bem-te-vis, up to urca in search of treasure


And this one, looks like a turtle doesn't it, on a search for fortune and a wild deserted beach way out of Rio

People, people

Who are you?


Beautiful or not so much


Too hot or just right?



sporty or a bit lazy?


fun loving or maybe a bit removed?


a little roundish or sort of skinny?



a little older or sooooooooooooo young?
Discreet or not so?









Black or white?


It does not matter, everybody has a lovely time on the beach. It does not cost anything........just be careful with the sunburn.