Brazilian Soccer Fans are Very Energetic

Trip Start Aug 10, 2008
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Trip End Sep 20, 2008


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Where I stayed
Castelo Valentim
(Rio de Janeiro hotels)

Flag of Brazil  ,
Sunday, September 7, 2008

Yesterday morning we wandered around Santa Theresa, taking in an art musuem and an old, ruined mansion that's been converted into a lookout point. From it we could see our b&b with the Christ the Redeemer statue in the background. We had feijoada for lunch--it's the national dish of Brazil, a  stew with beans, pork, and sausage, served with rice, collard greens, and manioc. It was good, and incredibly filling. I think we left at least half of what they served us behind.

After lunch we found out that we were able to get last minute spaces in a tour going to a soccer game that night. So we got a cab down to Copacabana and met up with our group to ride over to Maracana Stadium. One of the local teams, Fluminense, was playing Gremio. We were sitting (by design) in the section with all the rabid fans, so the entire game required standing on our seats to see through the mass of flags, banners, and waving arms. It was a lot of fun. The game itself ended in a 0-0 draw, which was better than expected for the home team, so people seemed relatively happy. And we even got to see someone get a red card.

After the game, we wandered around Copacabana a bit and had a late dinner.

I've been reading the news about Hannah hitting Virginia (and Alexandria keeps sending out emergency emails). We seem to have a knack for being on vacation while Hurricanes hit the East Coast. We did the same thing with Isabelle back in 2003.
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