While in Eastern Europe the snow is high and the temperatures are low, some others, long distance friends, fly to Rio to enjoy the unique Carnival. Thank you Roberto C. for letting me uses your text on my blog. Because you have signed R&R I have to thank Ricardo as well, even though I did not know him.
Română: În timp ce la noi sunt munţi de zăpadă şi temperaturile sunt tot mai jos, alţii, prieteni la distanţă, zboară la Rio să se distreze la Carnaval. Mulţumesc Roberto C. că m-ai lăsat să folosesc textul pentru vederile mele. Trebuie să-i mulţumesc şi celuilalt R, deşi nu-l cunosc, e vorba de Ricardo, pentru că Robby a semnat R&R. Un text minunat din care se simte adrenalina emanată la Rio şi faptul că totul e aşa de diferiţi că nu şti de unde să începi, unde să mergi, unde să te opreşti, ce să mai încerci…
One of the highlights in the Portuguese news last week was the strike of Brazilian military police, right few days before the upcoming event of the Carnival. Everybody was questioning the safety degree of the days to come and for some strange reason the smile of the concierge guy in Lisbon while wishing me "Have a nice time in Rio at the Carnaval mister C" was full of double meaning :-) During the 10 hour flight, same kind of stories about rough times to come, but relief has come when we found out the strike was cancelled...apparently until Wednesday, which means the Carnival will still not be fully protected.
Our first good morning to Rio was done with a breakfast at Café Colombo, the one with panoramic view of the Copacabana beach. If you head to Rio you cannot stop getting back and forth, on a daily basis, on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Close one to another, but with a different history and decade of glory, the Copacabana dominating the 30’s while Ipanema getting all the attention in the 60’s, starting with the Bossa Nova years. The latest one seems nowadays to be the first choice when you speak about finding your place to get your “carioca” suntan. Carioca’s – the people of Rio – appear to be extremely happy of their origin and place on this earth, which makes you wonder about the sensitivity and specificity of the “happiness” tests, which indicate Scandinavic countries always on top. The dinner plans with our friends were modified by the late call for a Favella adventure, where we were supposed to see the last rehearsal of a Samba school. We grabbed fast something to eat, we got our first encounter with a guarana drink, which was meant to keep us awake and strong the whole night and after hard negotiations of a friend, we managed to get a taxi driver willing to drive into that favella. The show was impressive, the strength of the “batterias” (drums) touching our bodies made us vibrate to their Samba-Enredo (like an anthem of the school, every year a different one)… although next Monday we will be their opponents in the Carnival Contest of the main Samba schools. Despite all the warnings of a violent neighborhood and the fact that the rehearsal was right in the streets, it was nothing but joy and samba. We’re getting faster than we imagined in the preparation for the Carnival, having a start on Saturday with a parade in the bohemian area of Saint Tereza neighborhood on their Carnival block, while Sunday we’ll be watching our rivals on their parade in the specially designed Sambódrom. Monday is our turn, dancing for the Rio Grande Escola de Samba. Looking forward tonight to get our costumes.... R&R
I do not have many Rio cards and I don’t have cards with the carnival. If there is someone willing to swap with me please contact me.
Română: În timp ce la noi sunt munţi de zăpadă şi temperaturile sunt tot mai jos, alţii, prieteni la distanţă, zboară la Rio să se distreze la Carnaval. Mulţumesc Roberto C. că m-ai lăsat să folosesc textul pentru vederile mele. Trebuie să-i mulţumesc şi celuilalt R, deşi nu-l cunosc, e vorba de Ricardo, pentru că Robby a semnat R&R. Un text minunat din care se simte adrenalina emanată la Rio şi faptul că totul e aşa de diferiţi că nu şti de unde să începi, unde să mergi, unde să te opreşti, ce să mai încerci…
One of the highlights in the Portuguese news last week was the strike of Brazilian military police, right few days before the upcoming event of the Carnival. Everybody was questioning the safety degree of the days to come and for some strange reason the smile of the concierge guy in Lisbon while wishing me "Have a nice time in Rio at the Carnaval mister C" was full of double meaning :-) During the 10 hour flight, same kind of stories about rough times to come, but relief has come when we found out the strike was cancelled...apparently until Wednesday, which means the Carnival will still not be fully protected.
Our first good morning to Rio was done with a breakfast at Café Colombo, the one with panoramic view of the Copacabana beach. If you head to Rio you cannot stop getting back and forth, on a daily basis, on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. Close one to another, but with a different history and decade of glory, the Copacabana dominating the 30’s while Ipanema getting all the attention in the 60’s, starting with the Bossa Nova years. The latest one seems nowadays to be the first choice when you speak about finding your place to get your “carioca” suntan. Carioca’s – the people of Rio – appear to be extremely happy of their origin and place on this earth, which makes you wonder about the sensitivity and specificity of the “happiness” tests, which indicate Scandinavic countries always on top. The dinner plans with our friends were modified by the late call for a Favella adventure, where we were supposed to see the last rehearsal of a Samba school. We grabbed fast something to eat, we got our first encounter with a guarana drink, which was meant to keep us awake and strong the whole night and after hard negotiations of a friend, we managed to get a taxi driver willing to drive into that favella. The show was impressive, the strength of the “batterias” (drums) touching our bodies made us vibrate to their Samba-Enredo (like an anthem of the school, every year a different one)… although next Monday we will be their opponents in the Carnival Contest of the main Samba schools. Despite all the warnings of a violent neighborhood and the fact that the rehearsal was right in the streets, it was nothing but joy and samba. We’re getting faster than we imagined in the preparation for the Carnival, having a start on Saturday with a parade in the bohemian area of Saint Tereza neighborhood on their Carnival block, while Sunday we’ll be watching our rivals on their parade in the specially designed Sambódrom. Monday is our turn, dancing for the Rio Grande Escola de Samba. Looking forward tonight to get our costumes.... R&R
I do not have many Rio cards and I don’t have cards with the carnival. If there is someone willing to swap with me please contact me.
Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.
Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Brazil For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.
Brazil For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.
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