Holidays and Slideshows

Brazil is one of Argentinians' favourite holiday destinations. I'm not the exception: warm weather, sun, friendly people, varied fruits, lively music and dance, amazing landscapes... who could ask for more! Barra da Tijuca, a beautiful residential area in southern Rio de Janeiro was my destination this summer. I expected to check all the items on my "wishlist". Well, most of them were actually there, except for... the sun! Every break of day brought new -unfulfilled- expectations. A grey sky covered us almost every day and a light shower fell down from time to time. Fortunately the temperature remained warm and allowed us to take long walks around Barra's streets, waterfront and shopping malls. We also took advantage of Rio's fast and frequent bus service to go to the famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. But above all I enjoyed the view from our flat's balcony, a combination of mountains, ocean, village and gardens. There we had our meals and our talks.

We took a guided tour of Angra dos Reis. The bus went along the "Green Route", a road through paradise: on one side, the flowers and forests on the green hills; on the other, the small bays, the green calm sea, the green islands and the colourful villages on the sloping hillsides. A boat takes you from one island to the other, you jump into the warm clear waters and swim to the sandy coast or watch the bright-coloured fish. Lunch onboard crowns the "Gilligan's Island" experience.

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