ALFAIA RESTAURANT, RIO

AMAZING GRILLED OCTOPUS

GREAT HALF BOTTLES OF RED

Alfaia is a great little hole in the wall place. 

I felt out of place arriving solo, with lousy Portuguese language abilities.

But I'd seen great reviews, this was footsteps from my hotel and I did not want a tourist trap dining experience.

The owner-host was warm. 

The waiters amazing.

The Octopus came with grilled onions, tomatoes, potatoes, olives -- yum. 

The selection of half bottles of Portuguese reds was amazing.

Total cost, with nice tip, about 30 bucks. 

Would have gladly paid double that for such fresh seafood prepared so expertly

http://www.restaurantealfaia.com.br/wp/

THE HIPPIE FAIR

EVERY SUNDAY IN IPANEMA

A group of hippies started a Sunday market in Ipanema in 1968 and the traditional fair continues with over 700 stalls set up at the Feira Hippie de Ipanema.

Occurring on Sundays only, it is a great place to find authentic Brazilian folk and contemporary art, jewelry, clothing and lots of food.

Plenty of tourists flock to the fair that is extremely popular today - don't miss out!

If you are looking for souvenirs then the fair is the best place to find a good bargain.

Ceramic figurines, embroidery, lace, gemstones – are just afew examples of the great folk arts and crafts you will find at the Ipanema Hippie Fair.

Come rain or sun shine, the fair must go on every Sunday from 9am to 5pm.

The Hippie Fair is held every Sunday at Praça General Osório, a square that takes up an entire city block that is bordered by Rua Prudente de Morais and Rua Visconde de Pirajá.

--Courtesy of Viator

FEIRA DE SÃO CRISTÓVÃO

THE PLACE IN RIO FOR FOOD, MUSIC AND GOODS FROM THE NORTH

From Lonely Planet:

This enormous fair (32,000 sq meters with over 600 stalls) is not to be missed.

It showcases the culture from the northeast, with barracas (food stalls) selling Bahian dishes as well as beer and cachaça (cane liquor), which flows in great abundance here.

The best time to go is on the weekend, when you can catch live bands playing forró, plus samba groups and comedy troupes, MPB (Música Popular Brasileria) and rodas de capoeira (capoeira circles).

The vibrant scene runs nonstop from Friday morning through to Sunday evening.

In addition to food and drink, you can browse music CDs (forró , of course), hammocks and a wide assortment of handicrafts

GUANABARA BAY

 
BEAUTIFUL, PICTURESQUE AND POLLUTED

Ilha da Boa Viagem -- Island of Good Travel/Safe Voyage -- is much smaller than, but pound-for-pound almost as beautiful as the famed Sugar Loaf.

Home of both a battery that used to protect Guanabara Bay and the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, it is the stuff of dreams perched atop the blue waters.

A bridge links it to Niteroi on the mainland.

Though our Portuguese is pretty lousy, we understood a sign we saw in late January to say the buildings are being restored for visitors.

It is about a five minute walk downhill from the Museum of Contemporary Art -- the space ship designed by the late Brazilian modernist master Oscar Nieymeyer.

CEMITÉRIO DE SÃO JOÃO BATISTA

 (SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CEMETERY)

This huge city of the dead in Botafogo is the final resting place of at least nine presidents of Brazil and a host of celebrities.

Carmen Miranda, the colorful singer and dancer rests here along with pioneering aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont and important mineral geologist Orville Adelbert Derby.

Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim, composer of the legendary "Girl from Ipanema" and his collaborator, Vinicius de Moraes, also a significant Brazilian poet and diplomat in addition to being a composer, also rest in peace here.

VILA CANOAS

WITH FAVELA TOURS

Vila Canoas is a small to medium favela above posh Sao Conrado in Zona Zul, Rio de Janeiro.

It is part of a two favela tour hosted by Favela Tours.

For 100 BRL (about $25 USD), Favela Tours picks you up in an air conditioned van at any Zona Zul hotel (mine was in the Lido section of Copacabana near Leme).

Less than a half hour later, you are in famed Rocinha http://urbantravelandaccessibility.blogspot.com/2016/03/favela-rocinha.html

Marcelo Armstrong, the founder of Favela Tours. He demystified them by taking dozens of visitors daily into the winding roads past makeshift hillside homes.  My host that day was a Brazilian woman of German heritage who spoke flawless English. She shocked me when she said she perfected her English as an exchange student in Peninsula, Ohio -- about a half hour's drive from Akron suburb I grew up in. Ah the joys of travel?

Favela tours show daily life without objectifying the people of the favelas. The tours prove that you're more likely to run into a teacher, laborer, hotel worker or sous chef than a dangerous gang member in a favela. In Rocinha, you get a chance to buy art -- I rarely do this, but picked up a cool original on cloth for 50 BRL (less than $13 USD).  In Vila Canoas, the first stop is a boteco, where you can get snacks and order a caipirinha (dirt cheap) to down at the end of the short tour, before boarding the van back to conclude the 3-hour tour.

We highly recommend first visting a favela through Favela Tours, then returning -- city buses go there -- for some additional safe, daytime exploring.
www.favelatour.com.br 

MOSTEIRO DE SÃO BENTO

ABADIA DE NOSSA SENHORA DO MONSERRATE

Completed in the 17th century, the Monastery of Saint Benedict features a stunning gold leaf interior inspired by the Baroque and Rococo periods.

The outside of the Abbey of our Lady of Monserrate features a less spectatular facade in the Mannerist style.

THE MOST LOYAL DOG IN THE WORLD

 

A BEAUTIFUL AND PROTECTIVE POOCH WRAPS HIS LEGS AROUND HIS SLEEPING MASTER IN A LOVING HUG

We thought long and hard about taking this image.

It was pouring rain that day in Rio de Janeiro.

We were under an overhang of a bank building, trying to decide what to do to keep from getting soaked.

We looked down and there was this great animal, protecting his owner.

The man obviously lives and sleeps on the streets.

His belongings are next to him in a makeshift cart.

With a bed of thin cardboard, he sleeps off the troubles of the world.

All of this was taking place on one of the most elegant shopping streets of the upscale Ipanema district.

We didn't want to invade the man's privacy, but we felt there was a story too true to not tell.

On the tragic side, no matter how much Brazil increased its middle class and scrubbed its image to host the World Cup and soon, the Olympics, poverty is all around -- and not just in the favelas.

On the transcendent side, these two images capture the wondrous bond between our canine friends and their guardians.

COPACABANA ARCHITECTURE

    ZONA SUL -- RIO DE JANEIRO

Rio's fabled Copacabana district features hundreds of buildings designed in a mildly art deco to international style.

 Fortunately, the scale tends to be around 12 stories.

KIOSKS OF COPACABANA BEACH

A WAY OF LIFE DAY OR NIGHT

Codfish snacks, french fries, pizza, Arabic food and really good garlic bread -- that's only scratching the surface of what you can dine on at the kiosks -- many modernized with restrooms, showers and lockers for the beach below -- on Copacabana Beach in Rio.

Of course, the real attraction is ice cold local draft beer and caipirinhas -- traditional and fruit flavored. Some our made with vodka (yuck, please stick with cachaça for ours)

CADEG MARKET -- ZONA NORTE -- RIO DE JANEIRO

ABACAXI E BACALHAU DESFIADO...OH MY!

CADEG (“Centro de Abastecimento do Estado da Guanabara“) is an indoor market hall about 100, 000- square-meter and it’s primarily a wholesale outlet with more than 350 shops which supply Rio’s restaurants and shops.

At CADEG, you get really good prices, high quality and the selection is huge. You are able to buy everything from fresh seafood, tasty meat, fruits, vegetables, wines, oils, nuts, utensils , cheap plants, jars, vases and everything else food related. They also have a separate hall next door that sells wonderful flowers to a good price.

They also have a great little shop downstairs that sells cake decorations and other accessories and equipment you need for baking and birthday parties.

--courtesy of Rio For You

http://www.cadeg.com.br/

GLORIA, LAPA, CATATE & LARGO DO MACHADO

FOUR VERY GOOD REASONS TO VENTURE BEYOND ZONA SUL
...NO MATTER HOW COLD THE BEACH SIDE CHOPP IS

BANDA DE IPANEMA

IT'S A TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY THING...FOR HALF A CENTURY

Banda de Ipanema has a lot of visibility for several reasons.

Tradition. tolerance, location, and a passionate commitment of organizers and regulars.

The prestigious band and the lack of a vocalist turns everyone into a participant.

Cariocas learn Carnaval songs since they are children.

Because of the cultural profile of Ipanema, this is an event where people of all ages get together to celebrate.

We are joined by fellow Brazilians from other States, and visitors from all over the world.

You will feel welcome and tempted to join the fun.

--courtesy http://www.ipanema.com

http://www.ipanema.com/carnival/banda.htm

 

LARGO DO BOTICARIO

(APOTHECARY'S SQUARE)

During its "golden age", the Largo do Boticário became filled with huge houses owned by well-known figures in Brazilian society and foreigners attracted by the parties and social events held by the neighborhood's illustrious residents.

Currently, however, the once-decadent area has fallen into decay. Between 2006 and 2008, one of the houses was taken over by a group of homeless people.

The Largo do Boticário is one of the few places in the city from which one can see the Rio Carioca. 

Near the square, several other historic sites in the Cosme Velho neighborhood can be found, including the Solar de Abacaxis house and the Corcovado Railway.

In the 1970s, the square was featured in a scene in the movie Moonraker.

-- Courtesy, Wikipedia