Rio de Janeiro - last day

Tuesday was our last day to see the sights of this beautiful city. Martha found a fabulous taxi driver, Reynaldo. 

Reynoldo was a great source of information and a really good driver!  Driving in Brazil is a pretty scary thing so he quickly became my very favorite taxi driver in Rio de Janeiro. 

We did most of our sight seeing from the taxi as the temperature hit 40•c and we did not want to melt. The picture above shows how they try to keep the mountain from collapsing by reinforcing it with columns of steel and concrete. 

Ipanema Beach with another fabulous mosaic walkway. 

No this is not my new boyfriend!

In front of the biggest football stadium in the world. The city is getting ready for the World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2016 so there is a lot of construction everywhere. 

Contrast of buildings right next to the stadium. 

Beautiful cathedral in the distance. 

Time to eat again at the Colombo restaurant which was established in 1894. 

The floor looked like it would make a beautiful quilt design. 

Dessert before and after. Yummy!!

Love the colors on this fruit cart. 

Too soon it was time to go back and check out of the hotel and to get to the airport for the flight to São Paulo. 

What an amazing trip this has been. I am waiting now for my flight back to the US today, Wednesday. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to the Jordão family for their friendship and hospitality. It feels like they are family now and I will miss them very much. Since my visa to Brazil is good for 10 years, I plan to return and spend more time in this fabulous country. 

Obrigada e tchau ate nos encontrar outra vex!!

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

Rio de Janeiro in a day

I am finding it impossible to come up with words to describe the adventure today. It started with a tram ride up the hill to see the Christo Retentor, the most recognized landmark of Rio de Janeiro. 

This green guy was entertaining us while we waited for the tram. 

 Sally and Martha behind me in the tram. 

And Mike. 

This is where I run out of words so I will not try to describe. 

Unbelievable view of the city. 

We contracted with a taxi driver for the day and the next stop was Sugar Loaf or Pao de Acucar. It is another landmark with a gondola ride to Morro da Urca then another gondola up to Pao de Acucar. 

The view again was spectacular. 

Any picture with Martha is spectacular!

Christ the Redeemer is in the distance. 

Copacabana Beach from Sugar Loaf. 

Cute little coconut family. 

 

Interesting piece of art. 

And then it was time to eat again!  We found this very famous restaurant called Bar Urca. 

Beer all around and then....

Food!  Fabulous pumpkin cream shrimp something that came in a pumpkin and with rice. Very yummy!!

What could be better on a hot day in Rio de Janeiro than a walk on Copacabana beach.  

Famous hotel. 

And Martha had to have a coconut. 

And a dip in the water. 

It was an amazing day!  We saw things I never dreamed I would experience!  Checked some things off my bucket list that weren't even there yet!  Tomorrow is our last day here in South America and I feel like we have just begun. I must come back!!

But now I think it must be time to eat again, eh?

Rio de Janeiro.

Oh my gosh!  Can this trip get any better?!!  We flew from Campinas São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro with our beloved Martha yesterday. We just have a day and a half to see the highlights of Rio but are going to get the most out of it. 

But first we had to leave our friends and family in Sorocaba. The Jordão family is amazing and they made us feel as if we have known them forever. It was hard to say goodby and it still brings tears to my eyes. 

When we were waiting for our luggage, Martha spotted a famous Brazilian TV star. No idea who he is but she said she needed a picture. He is the one in the plaid shorts. 

Then while waiting for a cab along came another Brazilian celebrity, Ivete Sangalo  She almost ran Sally over but was so nice. I did not get a picture because it happened so fast and Martha was absolutely star struck at seeing her.  Now I have to look her up on the internet to see if I have heard her music. 

This is the view from our room at the Windsor Florida. 

Rio de Janeiro is a very beautiful city. 

So we had to eat again and found a delightful restaurant just around the corner. 

Monday will be a busy day as we try to squeeze a lot of sights into a very short time. And eat a lot, of course. Just about the time I think this trip is the best it gets even better. 

This Grand Adventure is truly GRAND!!!
 

Sorocaba - Day 4

It is nearly impossible to adequately describe the grandeur of the celebrations here in Sorocaba for the graduation of the 175 doctors in Martha's class.  Just when we thought it could not get better, it got better!

Throughout the day more friends and family arrived from São Paulo and Tupa. I think there were 25 or more here to celebrate Martha's achievement.  

Lunch was at a wonderful BBQ restaurant with almost everyone. The gala ball is the grande finale and it started at 11 pm and was to last until 10 am!  That is 11 hours of party!!  And eating!!

Ticket to the ball. 

I have never in my life seen so many absolutely stunning gowns on beautiful women. Over 1000 people came, some still arriving at 1 or 2 am. 

Martha's gown was georgeous!  She looked like Audrey Hepburn!

 This Martha's immediate family with her parents, sister Maisa and Maisa's husband Douglas. 

Tables were reserved with life size pictures of the graduate. Genius!!  It was so easy to find our tables with a life size Martha standing there!  

And of course there was food. At least 5 buffet stations throughout the hall. 

Chocolate was flowing from 4 fountains. 

And Willy Wonka was there in the chocolate factory with his munchkins. 

The music was amazing and loud and continuous. This is an attempt to capture a view of the jam packed dance floor. 

I could not help but want to dance!  This was the biggest and best party I have ever been to!!

Knowing that we were not going to last the night, the van came back to get some of us at about 3:30 am.  I think Brazilians have the day and night upside down. This grandma is just not sure I could party all night. (Now, maybe I can sew all night but that is different. )

This has been an absolutely unforgettable experience. We still have 3 days before the end of my Grand Adventure and we will go to Rio de Janeiro by plane on Sunday with Martha as our guide for 2 days there. So today I have to get my suitcases packed again ready for more airplanes and taxis.  

But right now it must be time to eat, eh?