Discovering Rio de Janeiro.

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architecture, brazilian history, carriages, colonial times, discovering rio de janeiro, holiday, home, ipanema beach, museu historico nacional, museum, national history museum

The National History Museum of Rio de Janeiro is widely used as an event venue. The last time I had walked in the place I was wearing my black strapless dress, holding a clutch and trying not to trip over my heels. This time, however, I wanted to actually see what was on display.

The museum was already being prepared for an event that would take place later that day, builders were making some sort of stage in the centre on the main lounge. I went upstairs, where the exhibitions were.

To be fair, I’ve seen better museums. It’s short on items to display – it does have an amazing coin collection, I suppose, but I don’t find that extremely amazing…

The only thing I found extremely amazing was the exhibition “Do móvel ao automóvel” which was basically carriages from the Brazilian colonial time. But my amazement wasn’t the crafty decoration on the carriages or even that people actually went places on these massive things. Here’s a picture of me standing next to one of the carriages’ wheels:

Can you believe it’s my size? Am I ridiculously small or is that wheel freakin’ massive?!

What I really enjoyed was the architecture of the place, which I tried taking a picture of with my little camera:

This patio is really simple, yet I found it really beautiful and calming. Cariocas aren’t used to randomly walking into museums, so it was really silent.

I recommend this museum if you like colonial history, otherwise, maybe try Ipanema beach.

Copacabana Beach.

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beach, copacabana beach, holiday, journalism, just back, rio de janeiro, telegraph

Voices of all heights and tones offer you whatever you fancy; drinks, fruit, clothes, earrings, hats, popsicles… Anything and everything you might want whilst tanning under the Brazilian sun. The Copacabana beach is anything but relaxing; people selling everything and anything scream out to advertise their products, portable radios play samba songs, the conversation is loud and lively and the roaring of the sea blends it all together. The countless parasols crowd the beach, uselessly attempting to shade people from the sun. Everyone is so close to each other, it is impossible not to feel included. Everyone is part of the atmosphere.

There is a quaint sense of mixed culture all around, but it makes you feel like you belong. Foreigners and locals share the sand, the sun and the sea; there is an unspoken understanding that everyone is welcome here.

In Rio de Janeiro the rich live on the bottom and the poor live up high. At night, when looking up at the hills, millions of lights can be seen across the slums. They shine in the night, illuminating the people who live up there. These people, so far away from the bottom yet so close to it, are probably resting from a hard day of work, spending time with their family, having dinner. But, from down here, they look like nothing more than stars, glowing from far away, decorating the skyline.

Down here, where it is safe to take a closer look, it seems like poverty is slowly being hidden with each step Rio takes towards modernization. The shops have the latest fashion and the restaurants offer five star food and service. Brand new buildings tower over the shattered streets and sidewalks. The modern cars in the deteriorating streets clash with the old buildings that are falling apart and covered in graffiti. All around there are signs of progress and change to make the city look better and richer. The slums, however, seem to stay where they are and so do its inhabitants.

The beach seems to be the only place where both worlds meet at peace, where all classes, races and nationalities co-exist without clashing or embarrassment. Everyone is there for the beach; they all want to enjoy the heat, soak up the sun, swim in the angry sea. It seems to be the only place where everyone speaks the same language; the language of freedom.

No matter where you’re from, you can do what you like. You can lie underneath a parasol, or tan under the scorching sun. You can play volleyball with whoever is around, or play football with your friends. And anything you might want or need is available.

The voices are loud and there is no silence, but Copacabana beach is not a beach for tranquillity; it is a beach for belonging.

Originally submitted to Just Back – Travel Writing Contest for the Telegraph.

Ten things I forgot about home…

Tags

copacabana, holiday, home, ipanema, rio de janeiro, summer, travelling, university

- counting down from ten…

10) Football is a massive deal here and in consequence of this I will cry if Brazil does not go on to win the World Cup.
9)Crossing the road to get to my apartment building is an almost suicidal mission. There isn’t a pedestrian path and I am in mortal danger at least once a day.
8) The sun is massively bright and I was nearly blinded the first time I saw its full rage since I’ve been back. It shines everywhere and it’s only sort of cold during the night and even then I don’t feel the need to carry any winter clothes with me.
7) I love love all of my friends and they are amazing. We can jump right onto where we left off and have the best time together. A lot of things annoy me about them but the fact I can (mostly) overlook these things proves how strong my friendships are.
6) Having an actual TV and a living room is awesome. For watching movies, football or socializing. I love it.
5) My family has fights. I forget tensions happen at home as well as in uni – I think by the end of summer I’ll be under the illusion nothing bad happens at uni.
4) My dog is the most adorable creature in the planet. Actually, maybe this pair beats my dog but otherwise she’s my number 1 cheerer-upper.
3) Brazilians love Michael Jackson. And I mean really, really, really love him. It’s been one year he died and at least 5 Brazilian TV channels have had programmes and documentaries showing this whole week about the King of Pop
2) Home can be very boring… But tediousness has only hit me today, about two and a half weeks after I got here. Not bad, uni was boring me a lot more often these last few days.
1) How lovely and terrible it is to have nothing to do with your life for three months. I want to get a job but I want to sleep til late – hire me as a professional sleeper, please?

much loveee. x