Visiting Rio (Part 2)

Visiting Rio (Part 2)

There are many places to visit but you should always include a visit to the Confeitaria Colombo which is a pastry establishment like no other and has been open since 1894. It’s wonderfully ornate decor makes it the perfect place for lunch or afternoon tea, even if you do not want to eat a visit here takes you back in time.

You cannot think of Rio without automatically thinking about the beach, which has become synonymous with its lifestyle. On weekends the locals or Cariocas converge on to the beach in thousands. This is Ipanema and it’s a magnet for all classes and age ranges. It’s here that the Cariocas parade wearing their latest beachwear and seem to forget anything else while enjoying the sun, sea, and sand.

Just a block from the beach is another café, Veloso as it was called, which is well worth a visit. It is now called Garota de Ipanema or The Girl from Ipanema and is where Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes wrote that classic. They had partly written the song already and after watching a pretty local girl, Heloísa Pinto, who regularly came by they completed what would become the second most recorded song ever.

If by some chance you haven' t heard of Ipanema then you will certainly have heard of the Copacabana, which is the most famous district of Rio. Now if you really want a once in a life time event then book a room in the Copacabana Palace which faces directly on to the beach. It was designed by the French architect Josef Gire, he was inspired by two hotels in Southern France, the Negresco in Nice and the Carlton in Cannes.

He was a great fan of the Carlton’s palatial style. So when the Copacabana Palace opened in 1923, 10 years after the Carlton, he had created a stucco fashion statement that complemented both hotels.

The hotel has become the place to be seen and is the venue for many social events and receptions, as well as attracting the normal celebrities. Despite this it' s still has a friendly Latin style of service.

The kitchen plays a role in the success of every hotel and this is no exception here with the Cipriani restaurant. Even if you are not staying then a meal here is something you will remember long into the future. The restaurant overlooks the pool at the side of the hotel and the menu has a Northern Italian flavor. Many of the meals come with their own freshly made pasta and sauce; the potato encrusted snapper however stood out for me.

The hotel has added some new facilities and one of these is the Bar de Copa. The ceiling has 10, 000 tiny lights in it trying to mimic the night sky; if you are staying at the hotel then entry is free.

If you are in this part of the world and can spare the time you should think about taking a trip 1000 km to the South. Here you can take a power boat trip up river and head straight for the huge Iguazu Falls on the border with Argentina. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu and are one of the best set of falls in the world but this trip will merit an article in its own right.