A walking feast for the eyes, ears and mouths in Rio today.

Food recommendations saw us modern hunters breaking fast with cheese puffs, then heading out via the Metro to the central district and looking for architectural landmarks.  The ornate theatre facades and the distinctive mosaic squares were aplenty and we gawked skyward for many blocks. … though often should have been looking more closely for broken footpaths and tree roots. A The aquaduct is impressive and the old fashioned tram on top was a definite “must do”.

We trundled uphill to Santa Theresa where the wealth of the locals became more evident and our local guide Pedro took us on a gentle walk around the area.  The cleverly muralled walls, the marmoset monkey on the electrical wire, the original No. 1 tram in the cultural arts centre, the Sofitel hotel with its celebrity seclusion and great city views, the Anglican church of St Paul and the tram tiles depicting the history and contemporary life were interestingly different.

On the downhill tram ride we detoured off and trekked to the tiled, vibrant and international drawcard of the Escardio Selon steps.  We managed to find a tile representing Scotland to plant my bottom for the “me in front of pic”.  The steps have an amazing array of tiles depicting the home countries of visitors and local icons and political statements etc – quite fascinating!

On the homeward wander we tackled a tapioca pancake filled with cheese and oregano – delicious, and another tick off the foodie must do list.

The delights of the magnificent flowers, the seascape, and looking for the girl from Ipanema through the park kept us busy on the long walk along the beach promenade.   The yummy gelato helped too!  There were the surfers and the young lads honing their football or volleyball skills, and while our companions uncovered the history at the fort at the end of Copacabana, we watched the fishermen and avoided the cats.

The night was topped off by a few cold thirst quenchers at the nearby restaurant with Moqueca – another local specialty seafood stew on coconut milk with a great herbal sauce and sprinkles of ground manioc/cassava flour.  Dessert was a coconut and tapioca caramelised cream with piquant vanilla gelato……… more ticks off the list….and just as well as we have an early departure for Iguazu in the morning.

Now I can genuinely say ‘ Wish you were here!’