Joe and Lou's Travel Blog

Today we went into downtown Rio with Jose and Luiz. Jose pointed out the older buildings with the most interesting architecture. A lot of these were in the French style. There is a plaza where there are a number of beautiful old civic buildings. I think they were the fine arts museum, the congress for Rio de Janero state, the former Justice building and the Theatre. Close by there was a nice park with a fountain (all that remains of the Governors palace that used to stand there), a big statue of Gandhi and Cinelandia (an area where there are many cinemas).

We went home to rest and then headed out to Rio Scenarium a popular Samba bar. It was on three floors, with a central open section that spanned each level. A live band was playing on the ground floor and in front of it was a space for dancing (although people where dancing at their tables and on other levels). It has a lively atmosphere. The bar is eclectically decorated with Brazilian antiques/curiosities and carnival costumes. There is even a very old dentist´s chair which was interesting for Elizabeth (Luiz´s sister) who is studying to be a dentist. We ate snacks, drank beer and danced the night away. Great fun! At the end of the night the band played the popular songs fans sing at the football. Luiz translated the words for us and enjoyed singing along as he is a fan of a Rio team called Vasco. I think it would be hard to find a Brazilian who is not football mad! And it´s understandable as the Brazilian´s have such flair for the game. The Pan American cup will be held in Rio next year.