For The Love of Travel

Last days in Rio….quite a story….’held hostage’ by crazy football fans; confusion over dinner location; Niteroi museum is way out of Rio and Uber access, requiring bus ride home; less than delicious lunch at highly prized Santa Teresa bar; Confeteria Colombo is good…but nowhere touching Melbourne’s Brunetti!!

A perfect one hour flight from Belo Horizonte to Rio, picked up my case from baggage retrieval really quickly, and was then bewildered by the strange and very LOUD chanting noise made by males approaching us…a woman standing next to me said “Flamengo!”, and told me that the team was flying in….I then understood it was (crazy) football supporters who had piled into the arrivals hall…you had to determinedly push through to get out into the open air for a taxi. Who, when you got in, went nowhere, because of crazy Flamengo supporters who spilled out onto the road, blocking traffic. Grrrrr. After about half an hour, we got away….only after taxi drivers got out of their cabs and physically threatening airport authorities to “do something”! Ah Brazil!

After hotel check in, and I do love the Americas Copacabana Hotel!!, walked around Botafogo to take in the view of Sugarloaf mountain; then photos from the 8th floor of the local shopping centre.

Was really looking forward to the dinner that I had booked @ I Bistrot, Grand Mercure Hotel, which had rave reviews in one of the airline’s magazines, TAM I think. Anyway, Uber taxi delivered me to the door, I walked to the lift and discovered there was no restaurant on the top floor. After talking with reception, discovered there were 2 Mercure hotels (at either ends of the Tijuca area), which in the Uber directory were named as Grand Mercure Hotel, and Hotel Grand Mercure…..I finally got to the right one by 21.30 and had a light, but very yummy meal. Here’s a pic..

On the way back to my hotel, we travelled past a few stadiums and buildings highlighting the Paralympic Games……

Sampling some culture early in the day…Uber taxi for about 40 minutes from Rio to Niteroi to see the saucer-shaped UFO modernist structure, the Niteroi contemporary art museum designed by Oscar Niemeyer with the assistance of structural engineer Bruno Contarini, who had worked with Niemeyer on earlier projects. It’s 16 meters high; its cupola has a diameter of 50 meters, over three floors. The museum projects itself over Boa Viagem (“Bon Voyage,” “Good Journey”), the 817 square metres reflecting pool that surrounds the cylindrical base “like a flower, ” in the words of Niemeyer. You can see Sugarloaf mountain in the distance over the bay.

“The sea, the mountains of Rio, the magnificent landscape that should be preserved. And I raised the building, creating the rounded shape that, in my opinion, the space required. I had a feeling that the museum would be beautiful and very different from others, and one that the poor and rich would be delighted to visit.”

Then lunch at Armazem Sao Thiego (Gomez Bar), founded in 1919, as a Spanish grocery store. Great ginger caipirinha, really disappointing bar food – despite the hype.

The next day’s ‘Lunch’ @ Confeiteria Colombo’ a historic French café with stained-glass windows, brocaded mirrors and marble countertops create a lavish setting for coffee or a meal. Dating from 1894, the Confeitaria Colombo serves desserts – including a good ‘ fatia de baunilha’ (vanilla slice) – befitting its elegant decor, and can I say, the BEST lime caipirinha EVER!  

The restaurant overhead, Cristóvão , spreads an extensive buffet of Brazilian dishes for those wanting to further soak up the splendour. 

 

Last story, and as I’m standing at 3:30am in the Rio International airport queue to check my baggage, I hear “Lidia Slucki!!”……I turn, to see Liz unexpectedly, my friend from Melbourne, who was catching the same flights back home. She and I were on different journeys and hadn’t talked about dates we were flying home. Weird (again) that we were on the same pathway. Great to know we are looking forward to being Qantas lounge guests in Santiago courtesy of Liz!

Tiradentes, the man:  Joaquim José da Silva, 1746 – 1792, known as Tiradentes, or the ‘tooth puller’, was a leading member of the Brazilian revolutionary movement known as the Inconfidência Mineira, whose aim was full independence from the Portuguese colonial power and to create a Brazilian republic. When the plan was discovered, Tiradentes was arrested, tried and publicly hanged (drawn and quartered). Since the 19th century he has been considered a national hero of Brazil and patron of the Military Police.
Tiradentes, the town:  is known for its baroque colonial-era architecture, in particular the Church of St Antonio. Sweaty walk to this church which features hundreds of kilos of gold decoration and a gorgeous facade designed by Brazilian sculptor Aleijadinho.  Then, lunch at “Luth”, fabulous and cool restaurant ! Walked past a shop that had a pig in its window…thought it might be a case of ‘pig thinking about flying?’….lastly, stopped off to have a refreshing passionfruit capininha !

Early drive around town before the crowds descend. Pity it was very grey and not much light so photo opp limited. Off to the township of Mariana….my accommodation was off the beaten track and was also quite an effort to find, but really worth while once I got there. Passed a few colourful but dirt poor towns lined on the hillsides of the approach into the Mariana township….

Recanto Aguas de Minas, my Pousada…A family business, with teen age son and daughter translating into English for their parents…really comfortable bed, luxurious towels, onsite parking and a spacious shower, with universal signs for hot and cold water. Perfect!

Weather improved heaps, with a sunny afternoon, so explored the little town of Mariana, the oldest city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. I remembered that there was a mine (tailings) dam collapse here last year, with over 500 people needing to be relocated and over 20 dead. The down stream city of Governador Valadates, with 278,000 people, was left without fresh water supplies for a week.

It used to be the capital, founded in July 16, 1696. Ouro Preto took over, then finally Belo Horizonte. Mariana retains the characteristics of a baroque city, with its churches, buildings and museums. 

Much more ‘chilled’ than its sister town Ouro Preto! A delight to visit.  But I do have to point out the old stone whipping post to which slaves and miscreants were tied and beaten…uggh!

Then, a return to Ouro Preto in the afternoon, to get better photos than possible this morning.