After a full and fun visit last week, my family left last night to return to Houston. Clay and I had such a good time seeing them, taking them around Rio and eating with them every night. It was nice to be able to show them where we're living and have them experience Rio instead of just telling them. I'm sure there will be tons of pictures posted to Facebook pages, and as soon as they send me the copies, I'll post them here.
Wednesday:
My family arrived early Wednesday morning, checked into their hotel and then I came to pick them up. We went on the "Bank scavenger hunt" (you never know which Brazilian bank will accept witch American ATM card) and found one on the third try, got them some money and went walking down Ipanema beach to eat at the famous Garota de Ipanema restaurant (the place where the song of the same name was written). After a traditional Picahnna lunch, we walked back down a main shopping road and did a little more sight seeing of the neighborhood we live in. That night, after Clay got home, we went to dinner at a place called Conversa Fiada. It's just a little pub-type place that is open air and has pretty good food. We all had Caiparinha's (except for mom who decided she preferred the Caipi Vodkas) and ordered a starter of EXCELLENT shrimp empadas. They tasted like little shrimp pot pies!
Thursday:
This was our first tour day and after breakfast we took a taxi to the Christo Redentor train station. This cog train takes you through a forest to the top of the Corcovado mountain to the huge statue of Christ the Redeemer. After saying 'hello' to Jesus, we went to the suco (juice)/snack area and got juices (mango for me, banana for dad, and strawberry for Elizabeth) and coffee for mom. While we were there we were introduced to a little raccoon like animal called a Coati (pronounced: Kwa-chee). They have become so used to tourists feeding them that they have no problem coming right up to you and sniffing your hands for food; scary if you don't know they are pretty tame! After having a drink with Jesus (as Ibs liked to call it), we had a whole afternoon of shopping. We started in Leblon (and had lunch at Lebronx - a sandwich place that was just okay) and walked in and out of shops, all the way down to Arporador. That night, dinner was at our favorite corner place, Sindicato. Clay and I eat there at least once or twice a week so we were excited to go there with my family. The food is always good and you can't beat the prices.
Friday:
After all the walking the first two days, Friday was a beach day! We put on our suits, slathered on the sunscreen and headed to Aprorador beach. This is the part of Ipanema beach that I like to be on for a couple reasons: 1. it's generally less crowded and I'm not a big fan of crowds, I get very claustrophobic. and 2. Clay and my friend, Maria, has a tent set up in it this section (baixihna for those in Rio) and b/c she knows us, we get the start treatment when using her tent. Chairs and umbrellas are always available, and she runs up and down the beach asking us if we want water, sodas, beers, etc. So we met Maria, got our chairs and settled onto a spot of sand. We got queijo, globo cookies, kangas and mom got a cover up from the passing vendors and actually ended up leaving the beach, sans sunburns! Then we did a little more window shopping in the surfing mall in Arporador and got Acai smoothies and pao de queijo to snack on. That night we had a great dinner at a fondue place. It is set up outside in a park every night. Clay and I hadn't been there yet and were glad it was so good. We had probably the best caiparihnas of the trip, bread with cheese fondue, chicken and beef fondu with 6 different sauces, and to finish we had fresh fruit (strawberry, grapes and bananas) with both white and dark chocolate. It was wonderful!
Saturday:
Weekends in Rio mean a lunch of feijoada! It is a meal of meat (sausage, carne seca, oxtail, ribs, etc.) cooked in a bean stew. You top rice with the beans and meat, and add farofa, kale, hot sauce, yucca, etc. to your taste. Casa de Feijoada is a restaurant in Ipanema known for its feijoada. They actually cook it here every day and not just on weekends. I could eat this every day! After lunch, we did some more shopping and then decided to do dinner separately since Clay was hungry after work and we were still full from feijoada. Afterwards we met at Devassa, a pub and brewery. We had a few drinks together and then called it a night.
Sunday:
Unfortunately, Clay had to work this Sunday and could come to the beach with us. We really missed him, but it was a very busy day and the beach was not as pleasant as Friday so he didn't miss much. Every Sunday in Ipanema, there is a hippie fair, where locals come with their crafts, clothes, art, etc. I think this was one of Elizabeth's favorite parts of the trip. That night we went to a great churrascaria called Porcao. Clay and I have been there before and loved it, so we knew my family would like it too. We ate so much food I thought we were going to pop!
Monday:
Monday, we toured Centro (the downtown area of Rio). We took a taxi down to the Cathedral Metropolitana, which is very modern looking, but also very pretty. Afterwards we walked down to see the Theatre, but it was under construction and we could only see the outside. It looked like a very beautiful building though. Then for lunch we ate at the Confeiteria Columbo which is in "Old Rio". The streets in this area are all cobble stone and narrow and there are shops all around. The confeiteria is a beautiful old building with ornate mirrors and a stained glass ceiling. You can have tea here, order traditional Brazilian snacks, or have a full lunch, and dessert at the end. Mom had the tea (which was actually a little disappointing) and Ibs, dad and I had the snacks (small quiches, empadas, puff pastries, etc) that were very good. Afterwards we walked to the Sao Bento Monastery that was truly a sight to see. Its sanctuary is completely covered in gold. Everything was only being lit by sunlight so the interior was a little dark, but you could still get a good idea of what it would look like if all the lights were on and the gold was glittering. That night we went to a pizza place, Eclipse, for dinner. Brazilian pizza is different in that they don't use tomato sauce, but it's still very good.
Tuesday:
Tuesday we went to see the H. Stern workshop. H. Stern is one of the famous jewelers in Rio and seeing the jewelry being made was actually very interesting. Brazil is also responsible for about 80% of the gem stone production of the world. They are the only producers of Imperial Topaz (a gem stone that varies in color from yellow-gold to pink). The mine in Brazil is the only one in the world, making the stone very valuable. When it runs out these stones will become priceless. It was very fun to learn about and even more fun to try the jewelry on! That night we went with our friend here, Marlon, and my family to a Thai, Japanese and Indian fusion restaurant called Opium. The food was excellent and the conversation was even better. I love Opium for the food that is a break from the traditional Brazilian steak, steak and more steak. it was a great last dinner!
Wednesday:
On the last day of their trip, we had breakfast together at the hotel and then got them packed up and checked out of the hotel. Then we walked down Copacabana to the Forte de Copacabana and took a tour. It was pretty impressive to walk through the fortress and see all the guns and uniforms and artillery rooms. We ate in the cafe on site and then went to a mall across the street. We looked at some more jewelry, but didn't buy any and then walked to the Zona Sul so my dad could get some sausage to bring home. They have a little different sausage here than home and it's vacuum sealed so my dad decided to bring some home for his cooking buddies to try. Then we came back to my apartment to check the flight status and my family got to meet our cleaning lady Monique, who I've told them a lot about. Then it was time to head to the airport!
All in all it was a wonderful trip and I'm so glad we got to share this time with them!
