Recife February 24, 2014

Another day at sea and then we arrived in beautiful Recife. I fell in love with the city aided a bit by our adorable and excellent tour guide, Leo.
Above you can see the Dutch influence here.


We drove along beautiful beaches but in this area you have to beware of sharks if you go swimming! This is Boa Viagem, literally beautiful voyage!





We went up into lovely Olinda, a Unesco heritage site where


You see I checked out local crafts!


We loved the brightness!


We went back down into Recife and this is inside their courthouse I think.


Then we went to a craft centre, with many shops all of crafts and arts of this state, Casa de Cultura, once the prison!!


We definitely didn't have enough time in this beautiful city-my favourite stop so far!!

Salvador de Bahia, Day 5, February 22

Saturday we were at sea and had lectures and I took a water colour lesson and we were well entertained
And Sunday we arrived in Salvador , the capital of the Bahia region. Our first tour stop was Ingreja de Nosso Senhor de Bonfim.


This area has a large percentage of people with an African heritage as this was where many slaves were originally brought. This church combines Catholicism with native African religions. The ribbons for instance symbolize good luck!


Next we went into historic Pelourinho district and above is inside the Sao Francisco Church


We still had the flavour of Canivale in the streets.


We next visited the Barra district where this lighthouse is located. It was lovely to walk in the breeze here! We enjoyed exploring Salvador but it was definitely very warm!!! I should mention the ship was docked in the Lower Town and for a few pennies you can take an elevator to the Upper Town.

Day 3 Rio Sugar Loaf and City Sights

We had to be out for 7:30 am for our tour so I got a nice sunrise picture


Today we were on our way to Sugar Loaf Mountain,also known as Pao de Acucar and made of granite. our trip had two stages. Our gondola took us to the first stage where I took the picture above, looking down


And above you can see the summit which we climbed in a second gondola. We had to trust Swiss engineering!


From the top looking down to Cococabana Beach (Ipanema is around the curve)


And back on the ground you can see where we were!


A little of the Centro district above



And this is Cathedral de Sao Sebastiao de Rio de Janeiro built in the 60's and able to accommodate 20 000 people!


Our tour ended and soon we departed Rio... We definitely didn't have enough time here but it certainly lived up to our expectations!

Day 2 in Rio February 19,2015

Thursday after breakfast and another walk along the beach to check out that fancy hotel we boarded our ship, the Azamara Club Journey, and this is our view above from our balcony.


Later, after dinner, we set off on our night tour of Rio. Our destination was the Plataforma Show House.


It was our way of catching a bit of the Carnivale spirit a day or two late.


And a bit of Brazilian history through a variety of dance and music.


In addition to dance and music, we were able to see Brazilian Carnival costumes and awards won by the Samba School.

Day 1-Rio Feb.18, 2015

After a long flight from Toronto about ten hours we eventually got to our Hotel Excelsior right across from Copacabana Beach. We needed a nap and then took along the beautiful and busy beach.


We couldn't go into the Grande Dame of Hotels, the Copacabana Palace because Brazil's president was expected


So we went to our hotel


And had a swim and then dinner on our rooftop deck. We had a great view!


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Cruising from Rio to Salvador de Bahia and beyond

I am having internet challenges. I tried posting pictures online from my phone but that didn't work and I also can't stream my iPhone pictures to my ipad and internet on ship is expensive and rather slow so some of these blog postings may not come together for awhile so please be patient!!! The picture above was taken as we left Rio on Friday evening after one night in a hotel right across from Copacabana Beach with a great view, and one night on board ship. As I write we have had another day at sea and one at Salvador de Bahia and now Monday, we are back at sea heading for Recife. so many sights and experiences already but right now I am experimenting!!

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Flying to Rio

For the last few months the farthest I have been is Seattle and since I happen to kind of love where I live despite the rain, that's okay, but as of Tuesday, that all changes.  That evening I will be meeting my friend, Val, and we will be flying from Toronto to Rio de Janeiro.

When Val phoned me in September to ask me if I would be interested in going on this trip with her, I told her I would think about it, and then I have to admit the first images I had were from the movie, Flying Down to Rio.  When I was a child I used to love to watch those old movies, old even then, on TV, and I imagine that one was particularly appealing in the midst of a Quebec winter.

So despite the stretch on my budget it didn't take me long to say, Yes!  So here is our itinerary! 


And here's a bit more information…Taken from the cruise ship information

COPACABANA TO BISCAYNE BAY

Reinvigorate with nine luxurious days at sea mingled with colonial cities, an Amazon marketplace, pristine beaches and English gardens. Before we sail, relax with a caipirinhaon one of Rio’s famous beaches, then head out for an evening of samba and bossa nova. Don’t miss the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Pelourinho, a colorful colonial town of museums, shops and restaurants, and Olinda, a beautiful 16th century town filled with churches and convents. Sail sixty miles inland for a taste of life at the mouth of the Amazon River and the huge local marketplace at Belem. In Ile Royale, tender ashore to the infamous French penal colony at Devil’s Island. Bridgetown is a genteel contrast with its upscale shops, beautiful beaches, rum factories and English gardens. On Virgin Gorda, swim among the giant stone Baths.


We will be travelling on a rather luxurious ship, the Amazara Club Journey. Anyway I am getting excited!  I have been trying to learn a bit of Brazilian Portuguese with various language apps.  I am thinking back to those snowy afternoons watching old movies.  Right now I have on Road to Rio with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamarr.  I know that the reality will be quite different than these old movies but I hope to take you along on my adventures.  So you can always follow this blog!  Anyway I think I will send you out with a bit of a dance routine from Flying Down To Rio!  

Seattle Day 2-February 9, 2015-going to Chihuly Glass and Garden

Day Two in Seattle no one was allowed to leave the hotel until all four were present so we set off for breakfast...




As you can see- it was raining!




And here we are at a favourite bakery below-right across from the market- Le Panier!





I love this place as did my friends!





One of my friends questioned whether this was breakfast but





I just like the colours!





and designs!





Below was my breakfast-almond and chocolate always a good choice!







I have a thing for decorated bicycles as well!




And we were off to the Space Needle





Well we just took the monorail there from downtown!






Our real destination was not the Science Centre


or  the Experimental Music Project Museum (though one day I really want to go)  -see the building below...







And those flowers are part of the Science Centre.





and look a tree!






More from the Pacific Science Centre









 Our destination that opened at 11 am was Chihuly Garden and Glass.  A few years ago I saw some very pretty photograph cards at our local artists' coop and when I asked about the images i was told they were from the glass bridge designed by Chihuly in Tacoma.  I was so struck by those images I really wanted to visit the bridge and Chihuly Museum of Glass there and I did a couple of times.  If you haven't been to downtown Tacoma I totally recommend checking it out for all the beautiful Chihuly pieces in his hometown.

Then I was thrilled to find out about the opening of Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle.  This was my second visit and Liz and I were happy to introduce Chris and Olivia to this wonderful place.

One of my favourite installations is below!





How cool is this?




I took a picture of the description of this room but it is not clear so I will just tell you this is the Northwest Room!  And the work here is influenced by his growing up in the Northwest.  There is a wall of Pendleton type blankets and displays of Northwest Native baskets and you can see the influence on his work.

baskets

blankets

Next you enter the sea life room (again showing the influences of growing up in this area)












































I love these ones with the reflections!

I think my description above is clear enough to read.  These chandeliers are so amazing!







More drawings below!






I started trying to get inside the plants in some of my photos below!




















This chandelier walkway takes you out into the garden!























One day I want to come later in the season when the garden is in full bloom!


























A real flower below!





This sculpture is so amazing!





Chihuly as a young man admiring Palm House at Kew Gardens as a young man.  Little did he know that thirty years later he would be invited to show his work there!





We ended our visit with an early lunch at the Collections Cafe which is in itself an amazing place with tasty food as well!






It was time to head back downtown on the monorail

and drive back home with a few short stops along the way and a long border wait where we amused ourselves doing the crossword we got from our bagel stop!
I truly love these February road trips to Seattle, a great city.  I know many people who seem to just go to Washington state to go shopping (but with the devalued Canadian dollar not such good bargains anymore) but there is so much to see and experience in the city.
I hope you enjoyed the trip!