Things to do Archives - Page 3 of 7

Eat Rio Food Tours!

20/11/2013/20 Comments/in Things to do

I hinted recently that I had some big news to reveal. Well the time has come, here it is. There’s a new activity to add to your list of things to do in Rio: Eat Rio Food Tours!

Tell your friends!

The idea was hatched in a bar (naturally) many months ago. I was chatting with Diana, my US/Colombian friend who moved to Rio earlier this year. Diana is as food-obsessed as me, but she actually knows what she’s talking about! She has a degree in Restaurant Business and a Masters in Gastronomy (pretty fancy right?).

So there we were, discussing all our favourite Brazilian dishes and ingredients and lamenting the fact that so many visitors come to Rio but miss out on the best stuff. Well, we chatted away, drank some beers, ate some bolinhos and by the end of the night our plan was decided: we would take people out of the comfort zone of Ipanema, away from the mediocrity of Devassa and show them the best food in Rio!

A stroll in Saúde with Rolé Carioca

05/11/2013/13 Comments/in Art and culture, Things to do

Last Sunday, a friend and I got up super early (well, 8am, but this was a Sunday remember) and headed to central Rio. Centro is a weird place on the weekend – most of the huge, wide streets, so busy and chaotic on weekdays, are almost completely deserted.

It’s a shame because Centro has some beautiful buildings and excellent bars and restaurants but almost everything shuts down on weekend – you half expect to see tumbleweeds rolling down Avenida Rio Branco. There are some oases, such as the Saturday samba on Rua do Ouvidor, but the vast majority of the city centre is completely fechado.

There are some reasons to be hopeful – I’m hoping that regeneration schemes such as Porto Maravilha will help improve the situation. While we wait for that though, there is another option but it means giving up your Sunday morning lie-in.

The people at Rolé Carioca organise walks through the more interesting, historical areas of the city.

Feira do Rio Antigo

31/08/2013/7 Comments/in Things to do

Every first Saturday of the month there is a street market called Feira do Rio Antigo in Lapa. The street itself is lined with second hand furniture shops and then the pavement/sidewalk is crammed with stalls selling all kinds of bric-a-brac, from antique dinner plates and cutlery to clothes and other bits and bobs. Mix in some bars with chairs and tables sprawling across the street and you have the makings a of lively afternoon/evening.

Browse the shops and stalls, enjoy a few drinks, soak up the atmosphere.

Later on you could head to everyone’s favourite nightspot, Rio Scenarium, which is on the same street. I would say “See you there next weekend”, but I’ll be in Peru…

Something else to do in Rio

17/07/2013/2 Comments/in Things to do

A few weeks ago I had a couple of work colleagues visiting town – one from London, the other from Tel Aviv. They had both visited Rio 3 or 4 times before, always for business reasons, and I could tell they weren’t exactly excited to be here. I suspect that most of you who’ve experienced business travel will understand.

My current job doesn’t involve much travel, but in a previous job I travelled to South Africa, Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland. At first I rather enjoyed telling a friend nonchalantly “Oh yeah, I’m off to Madrid next week…”, but pretty soon I came to understand that the reality was bland business hotels, eating in restaurants on your own, waiting around in airports and obsessing over receipts.

Business travel – welcome to your bedroom for the next 5 days…

So, as the weekend approached I saw the glum looks on the faces of my colleagues and decided it was time for them to catch a glimpse of the real Rio! When I asked what kind of things they wanted to do, they both started off by saying “Not the Sugarloaf or the Jesus statue – we went there on our last visit. We just want to go somewhere normal for a few drinks”.

Igreja da Penha

23/04/2013/8 Comments/in Things to do

At the start of one of my first trips out of Rio, we were driving through the North Zone of the city when we passed a rather amazing sight. Luckily for me (kind of) we simultaneously hit a traffic jam, so there was plenty of time to get a photograph.

Crepuscular rays shining down on the twin steeples of Igreja da Penha.

What a striking sight: a church with 2 steeples, perched on top of a huge rock, seemingly surrounded by favelas. My curiosity was well and truly piqued.

Time passed, other things came up, and Igreja da Penha remained one of those places I kept meaning to visit. Until recently!

Archive for category: Things to do