Breaking the limits (or Part VII)
Written: Apr 08 '00 (Updated Apr 09 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: endless history and beauty
Cons: bumpy bus ride
|
|
|
| CariocaSurfer's Full Review: Rio de Janeiro |
Besides being a city, Rio de Janeiro is also the name of a beautiful Brazilian state in which the famous Marvelous City is just the capital and a small part of it.
Therefore, after following my VI former reviews on Rio, it’s time to adventure beyond the metropolitan area and discover what lies ahead. Following bellow are some great destinations that deserve to be explored when visiting Rio. You will have to travel by car or by bus (the latter departs from the large Rodoviária Novo Rio, north of downtown).
1- PETRÓPOLIS , the Imperial City -> Located on the mountains, a little over 40 miles from Rio, this city can be easily visited on a one-day round trip from the capital.
After leaving the ugly traffic congest area of Rio’s North Zone and Brasil Avenue, this journey will take you up hill trough one of the few remains of the gorgeous Brazilian Coastal Forest. If going by car you will have many opportunities to stop along the way and admire the landscape in which on a clear day it is possible to see Rio itself on the
distant horizon and an immense green tapestry of tress lying on the foreground.
In about 1 ½ hour you will arrive in Petrópolis, named so after Pedro, the Brazilian emperor who used the city for summer retreat together with the Royal Family in a time when Brazil was still a monarchy (the only one ever established in the Americas). Because of its altitude, Petropolis has a much cooler climate (compared to Rio) and you will notice it as soon as you start driving up the mountains. Late in the afternoon the road that leads to/from the city is usually covered by fog.
This historical city has many things for you to check out and the best way of doing so is either by foot or on romantic horse carriage sightseeing tours (cost : U$20 for the group ride last year, in which we were 4 people + 1 child). These stop at the main attractions, all concentrated in a relatively small area. You can start the ride in front of the must-see Imperial Museum, where the Crown Jewelry is on display. This building was in the past the Summer Royal Palace. The floors are always shinning, polished by the slippers that every visitor must wear upon entering. The building has magnificent rooms and objects of art. Outside there’s a shady garden.
Another site worth stopping by is the majestic gothic Cathedral where the emperor remains are buried . Also of special interest is the bluish and renewed shiny Crystal Palace, used as a ballroom for high-society parties in the last century, this construction is entirely made of blue glass panels. In my visit last year it had a wonderful orchid and bromeliad exhibition indoors.
Among other historic houses you will find the weird Santos Dumont’s one. He is considered (at least for Brazilians) as the airplane inventor, instead of the 2 North American brothers - a diplomatic international “cold war” never put to rest. As a superstitious and uncommon personality, Dumont planned himself this house with no furniture and an entrance staircase with alternated half steps beginning with the right-sided one, what would force any visitor to enter it using the RIGHT foot, considered by many as being the lucky one.
A little out of town, but on the road back to Rio, visit the Quitandinha, a marvelous German Architecture building situated next to a beautiful lake.
2-> BUZIOS- > Located about 120 miles east of the city in the Lake Region, Buzios is Brazil’s Riviera and a must if your length of stay in Rio allows. The center of the town has carved stone streets, dotted with elegant boutiques and shops, fabulous restaurants and night clubs in a world apart . However the major attraction is perhaps its 22 unique
and stunning beaches waiting to be explored. Reserve at least 3 days here to fully enjoy it.
On your first day you should sail along the coast to familiarize yourself with the area. Tours depart from lovely Ossos Beach (within walking distance from downtown) and include tropical fruits and drinks aboard. The journey usually stops for a while in the middle of the ocean so that you can dive and swim to a small desert island nearby. Upon
returning, walk from Ossos to tiny and precious Azedinha Beach. What a beautiful walk that is !
On a second day you must go to Forno Beach, where you can sip on a beer under a tiki bar while watching the waves and the magnificent cliff walls along the ocean. Walk along the beach towards the right end and take the path up hill that leads to the secluded Olho-de-Boi (Bull’s Eye) Beach, a nudist heaven. The view from the top is gorgeous and the small beach down there is a pure invitation to paradise. Bring water and snacks
for it’s quite a hike. On weekdays very few people adventure all the way there, so don’t bring any valuables with you to be on a safe side.
On a third day in town you should check Ferradurinha Beach (Little Horse Shoe) . This place has one of the best mix of ocean and rock scenarios I’ve ever seen in my life (so, bring your canvas!) and from here, walking along the shore and over the rocks to the left, you can get to the long shaped Ferradura Beach and its many bars on the sand in a perfect
location for lunch, drinking, making friends and where you can rent jet-skis and banana-shaped boats for fun. Try a Coconut Batida (our version to the Pina Colada) and a Cuzcuz for dessert, a coconut and cream marvel sold by vendors everywhere. From here go see the sunset in Geribá, probably the most well-known surfing beach in our country. Just beautiful.
During the night you should go always to Rua das Pedras (Stone St.) because it is here where all the action takes place. There are countless good places to eat, so just pick one that attracts you somehow either by its charming or atmosphere... but please, in one of these nights order a Crêpe (with some exotic topping on it) and watch it being made while sitting at one of the stools placed right on the sidewalk of a popular restaurant on the main street. Great location to watch people walking by and have a good time.
Finally, make sure you snoop inside plenty of shops and enter as many little alleys as possible and you shall find hidden places of singular and very, very fascinating interest.
At the end Buzios will be the closest you can get to an European resort flair in a Brazilian rendering. I must add: If you can only visit one single town outside Rio, this one tops the list.
In time: There are 3 other side trips that I highly recommend in the state of Rio, however due to this long matter they will be subject of my review (PART VIII). So, make sure you check back soon.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
CariocaSurfer
|
|
Member: Marcus
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 6 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.