Continuing...

Saturday, November 25, 2006


Friday
Current mood: calm
Category: Travel and Places

Friday, we visited Niterói. "Hidden Waters" in a nativ language, it's quite a spectacular looking place - cleaner than Rio (it's smaller, duh!) - European feel to it, and it's got a beautiful bay and beach.

(Churrascaria - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churrascaria )

Niterói - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niteroi

We visited the Oscar Niemeyer Museum of Contemporary Art (Port.: Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói or MAC), which is a flying saucer-shaped museum sitting on a jutting piece of rock over the bay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niter%C3%B3i_Contemporary_Art_Museum

There was a delay in getting inside - CNN or someone was interviewing a minister in the building. So I took quite a few photographs of the bay - Guanabara Bay -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanabara_Bay - while we were waiting. Senor Rubens and Senora Lourdes were with Dani and I - they had never been to the MAC before, although there are plenty of museums in Rio, especially Downtown.

(The drive over there was two hours, and the drive back as well. It's only about 30km from where we are in Barra de Tijuca, but traffic was hellacious. At one point before the bridge to Niterói there was a major jam - there is no real off-ramp before the bridge [not that I could see one] - as people from the main artery cut across the on-ramp to get to a service road. Talk about crazy!)

There was a motorcycle accident on the way back. A fatality. There were a lot of rubber-neckers, and a goodly number of moto riders had parked their bikes to watch and make sure things were taken care of. It looks like a community within a community almost.

I'll try and have the photos of Niterói up later this week before we head back to the states (November 30th).

Last night Dani and I met up at the Hard Rock Café Rio with Ani and her bf Leonardo (younger guy who's been to the states and we hit it off, talking in Englés), Christine (30-yr old married fitness expert who looks like a short Rosanna Arquette [ala Desperately Seeking Susan, not Pulp Fiction] ), and Roberta (27-yr old student).

Good crowd. They danced, I watched the band - the Eclethics ( http://www.eclethics.com.br/ ). 70s cover band. They played all the oldies - YMCA, Hot Stuff, Good Times, I Will Survive, Rapper's Delight, Let's Dance (the Last Dance), started off with the bass line to Shaft, some Kool & the Gang, Commodores, Donna Summer, more. At one point a member of the audience (Roberta something but someone different - not the one in our group) was singing along with them on stage.

Wasn't drunk enough to dance. Did have a hurricane (was good...... ) and a beer, but the sandwich was atrocious. The jumbo sampler was good though, even if the chicken tenders were crispier than they should've been.

Hard Rock Rio - http://hardrockcafe.com/locations/cafes3/cafes.aspx?LocationID=26&MIBenumID=3&MenuID=15

Got back around 1:45 or so this morning. Woke up a little while ago.

Senor Rubens and Senora Lourdes went to the country house in CorraGrange (think that's the spelling), while Senora Cris went to work and Dani went to get Loana so they can spend some time together today.