My good friend, who also happens to be my boss, is in town this week. She came to Rio a few times before for work, but we were never here at the same time until now. Her last "touristy" thing to do was to visit Sugarloaf, so even though I've been there a few times already I was happy to go along. The view from Sugarloaf at sunset is breathtaking.
We left work at 3:30 PM to be able to get up there on time. Sugarloaf on a Tuesday evening is DEAD. It was awesome. No lines, no waiting, just got right up to the top. She was very impressed, as she should have been. Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) gets all the hype, but I would take the view from Pão de Açucar any day.
After that we went to a restaurant in Copacabana called Deck, which I've already visited a few times. It's not the cheapest place, but they have live music, nice outdoor seating across from the beach, and good food. So, what's a little splurge here and there? We shared carne seca com aipim, one of my favorite Brazilian dishes, and bolinho de bacalhau. We probably should have eaten a vegetable but hey, she's on vacation and I eat at home all the time. So there. :-)
After that we went walking through one of those open markets where they sell jewelry, beach clothes, and souvenirs. I found two pairs of earrings and a necklace that I loved. She bought presents for people back home.
I felt so happy, strolling through the humid ocean air with my dear friend, humming one of my favorite Brazilian songs that the guys at the restaurant had been singing. We were a small audience but the singer and I caught each other's gaze in this song, and shared a secret smile.
Quero a vida sempre assim
com você perto de mim
até o apagar da velha chama.
E eu que era triste,
descrente desse mundo
ao encontrar você eu conheci
o que é felicidade, meu amor...
I won't bother translating that for you; I wouldn't do these beautiful words justice with my half-assed translations. But I, like most people, hope that someday, someone feels that way about me. I am starting to be the descrente, the disbeliever. But that isn't to worry about tonight.
Boa noite, minha galera.
We left work at 3:30 PM to be able to get up there on time. Sugarloaf on a Tuesday evening is DEAD. It was awesome. No lines, no waiting, just got right up to the top. She was very impressed, as she should have been. Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) gets all the hype, but I would take the view from Pão de Açucar any day.
View from the top
After that we went to a restaurant in Copacabana called Deck, which I've already visited a few times. It's not the cheapest place, but they have live music, nice outdoor seating across from the beach, and good food. So, what's a little splurge here and there? We shared carne seca com aipim, one of my favorite Brazilian dishes, and bolinho de bacalhau. We probably should have eaten a vegetable but hey, she's on vacation and I eat at home all the time. So there. :-)
After that we went walking through one of those open markets where they sell jewelry, beach clothes, and souvenirs. I found two pairs of earrings and a necklace that I loved. She bought presents for people back home.
I felt so happy, strolling through the humid ocean air with my dear friend, humming one of my favorite Brazilian songs that the guys at the restaurant had been singing. We were a small audience but the singer and I caught each other's gaze in this song, and shared a secret smile.
Quero a vida sempre assim
com você perto de mim
até o apagar da velha chama.
E eu que era triste,
descrente desse mundo
ao encontrar você eu conheci
o que é felicidade, meu amor...
I won't bother translating that for you; I wouldn't do these beautiful words justice with my half-assed translations. But I, like most people, hope that someday, someone feels that way about me. I am starting to be the descrente, the disbeliever. But that isn't to worry about tonight.
Boa noite, minha galera.
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