Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro First Day. Hotel: Arena Copacabana

When we came out from the baggage area, we expected to see a driver, holding a sign with our name, waiting for us. There was no one. We called the number and found out that they had somehow missed the message that we were coming in a day early. Everything sorted itself out and we were soon picked up and delivered to the hotel. On the way to the hotel we saw Sugarloaf Mountain, the Cristo Blanco and the sensational beaches.

We were checked in fairly quickly. The clerk came from Iceland and we were his first customer. We settled into our room and then quickly headed out to walk the Copacabana beach. It was a lovely afternoon and we just relaxed and strolled along. Lots of very buff fellows and mostly bikini clad girls (although not all should have been wearing them). We returned to the hotel and had a refreshing regional drink called Leblon, on the rooftop overlooking the Copacabana beach. Down for a shower and an hour snooze. We decided to have dinner in the hotel- a very bland Caesar salad full of unexpected chicken. Don had Crab croquettes and Lee had Pappardelle with shrimp. Portions very large so we didn’t do justice to the meal. After dinner, we took a brief walk along the Avenida Atlantica, which separated the hotel from Copacabana beach and saw many groups on the beach playing various forms of volleyball and football. We returned to the hotel and prepared for bed.Read more