Rio | Brazil to the World

Imperial Museum of Brazil – Petropolis (RJ)

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Renata

View from the garden to the Museum.

The former summer place in the middle of Petropolis – RJ was buit in the mid-1800’s. Displays include the Brazilian Imperial Crown and Imperial Carriage. The museum is an hour’s drive from Rio de Janeiro’s city center and is one Brazil’s most popular museum with an average of 300.000 per year.

The Palace

Built between 1845-1862 to be a summer residence, the palace is considered the origin of the city named for the emperor and his father, Pedro I. Brazil’s first emperor had been charmed by the region in 1822, not long before he proclaimed Brazil independent. In 1830, he bought the farm where the palace was built.

The palace was designed by German engineer and Brazilian Army Major Júlio Frederico Koeler and followed through by architects Joaquim Cândido Guilhobel and José Maria Jacinto Rebelo after his death. Some of the outstanding features of the neoclassical building are the vestibule floor in Carrara marble and black marble from Belgium, floors and door frames made of noble woods such as jacaranda and rosewood.

The gardens were designed by Jean Baptiste Binot, under the emperor’s personal guidance, with native plants, some of them rare.

The best LGBTQIA friendly beaches in Brazil.

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Renata

Summer has not even arrived and temperatures are throughout Brazil already hiting around 95 degrees. Predictions are that the temperature is maintained over the next six months. With a coastline of 4603 miles washed by the Atlantic, the country has a plethora of beaches for those seeking to refresh from heat; although not all of them have a good acceptance of the gay community. To facilitate ‘the road to perdition‘, we list the five most LGBTQIA friendly beaches of Brazil.

Ipanema – Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro state

Immortalized by Vinicius de Moraes song and Tom Jobim, The Girl from Ipanema, the beach is one of the postcards of the city. Inviting at all times. Whether to enjoy the sea, take a walk or ride the bike path. In 2009, Rio de Janeiro was considered the best LGBTQIA destination in the world. Ipanema beach, especially Posto 9, is where freedom reigns.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Ipanema beach on sunny day

The best place to find a Caipirinha in Rio.

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Renata

Sprawling over a large sidewalk in the upscale Leblon district of the Zona Sul, the Academia da Cachaça is a best of Rio hot spot for conversation, creative caipirinhas (pineapple, passion fruit, lime, bittersweet orange, and fruit of the season) and other concoctions, such as the Academic Grit (orange, ginger, rum).

Hostel tips – oztel at Rio de Janeiro.

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Renata

oztel at Rio

Half hip hostel, half laidback boutique hotel, this might not be the place for the quiet life, but as an affordable entry point to vibrant Botafogo, Oztel is hard to beat. The lobby-cum-courtyard is at its heart, dappled with local contemporary art and invariably strewn with weary-looking travellers, but things get going once the sun sets and the bar warms up. There are also some excellent restaurants nearby, and most of the city’s beaches and attractions can be reached in just a short taxi ride.

Location
Botafogo may not have the pulling power of Copacabana or Ipanema, but both are to be found within a swift taxi ride, and the gorgeous Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas is a short walk away. What the neighbourhood does offer is a wealth of excellent restaurants and bars, from the cheap, young and trendy to the upmarket and extravagant. There’s also easy access (traffic permitting) to the city’s main attractions.

Carnival. Take one.

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Renata

Maybe you all think that it’s too soon to start thinking about Carnival since it normally happens in February (depending on the year, it can be in March) and we are in the beginning of January, but you are mistaken. Carnival is one of the most famous events in the world that Brazil is known. So, during the rest of the month and while we start going towards it, I will continue posting the Take two, three and so on. My last post, to close the subject with the golden key, will be Rio’s Carnival.

This year Carnival will be on February 14 to 17. In truth the holiday itself is only on 17th, but we, as brazilians, started to get more and more days of “vacation” to celebrate Carnival. Our party is completely different from the one in Venice, for example. And that’s what I am here to do: show that we have Carnival for all types of people and tastes.