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Rio-metro

World Cup 2014: What to do if you don’t have tickets for a Brazil World Cup game…

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Rio-metro

The Rio Metro on World Cup game day.

 

Well, it’s World Cup 2014 game day again and the nerves are jangling here at Eat Rio HQ. Personally I’ve been fairly confident on Brazil’s behalf for all of the preceding games, but Mrs Eat Rio has been a bag of nerves from day 1. But going up against Germany in the semi-final of the World Cup? Well, let’s just say I have some painful memories…

The game today will be played in Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, but what should you do if you’re in Rio and want to get the big game atmosphere? How about walking through Cardeal Arcoverde metro station on the way to the Fanfest in Copacabana? Here’s how it went down in Brazil’s most recent game against Colombia:

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altinha

Futevôlei: Is this why Brazil is better than England at football?

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I’ll be honest from the start, I like football a lot – I used to play a bit and I think it’s a great game. I’m not obsessed with football though; I don’t love it. If anything, my interest in the game has faded a bit over the last 15 years. I certainly don’t think football is a matter of life or death (or even more important than that), so if you’re looking for insightful and up-to-date football analysis, you should probably check out some proper blogs.

Did anyone stick around for the second paragraph? OK, so now that we’ve established that I’m no expert on the subject, let’s talk football! I have a premise so deeply ingrained in my footballing psyche that I doubt I’ll ever be able to shake it: Brazil are better than England. For most of my life this had been an indisputable fact. The fact that this is now a matter for some debate (sadly due to a slump in Brazil’s form rather than a surge in England’s) is something I still struggle to get my head around.

But why are (were?) they so much better than us?

altinha

Brazilians play a lot of football. But then so do the English!

 

On my first trip to the beach in Rio I saw something that made me go “Ah! So that’s why they’re so good!”:

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vhils-closeup

Photo Post: Vhils in Rio

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A couple of weeks ago I was getting off the Metro station in Copacabana. I was in a big hurry because I was running late, but just happened to look up for a moment and saw something pretty amazing.

Vhils-Copacabana

 

This is the work of Portuguese artist Alexadre Farto, AKA Vhils. Apparently his process involves first painting an image onto a wall, then using drills, chisels and other tools to chip away at the painting to leave the final image.

Here’s a close-up:

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Invasion of the Mermaids by PXE

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I’ve been spending a lot of time in Copacabana recently. A few months back they closed the Metro station in Ipanema, so nowadays the bus drops me on the beach in Copacabana each night and I wander the streets looking for either Siqueira Campos or Cardeal Arcoverde stations to complete my journey home. At first it was a real pain – I got lost quite a bit – but after a while I found that I was getting to know my around the neighbourhood.

As I walked the streets of Copa, I noticed one set of letters appearing over and over: PXE. I’ve seen these letter on walls, shop fronts and especially on those nondescript, grey boxes that contain, erm, telephone wiring? Electricity stuff? Clearly I have no idea what these boxes are for, but I do know that they look better when they’ve received the PXE treatment!

 

PXE

PXE, or Marcio PXE to his friends, has a pretty cool blog. I have noticed several themes running through his work and these themes have meant I’ve had to learn some new vocabulary!

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Photo Post: You must be mine

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When the sun comes out in Rio, things get very hot! If you have to stay out on the street for any amount of time, you’ll find yourself looking for some shade before long. This particular street in Copacabana has the shade situation pretty well covered.

Street-Copacabana

This tunnel of trees in Copacabana ensures that you won’t have to worry about finding a shady spot.

 

Does anyone recognise this street? Here’s a clue: It was named after a Brazilian revolutionary heroine who was born in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina and who died in Italy.

Her future husband’s first words to her were “You must be mine” (I imagine he growled this while fixing her with his best look of smouldering desire…).

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