December 25th, Rio de Janeiro
‘Cause there’s a place in the sun
Where there’s hope for ev’ryone
Where my poor restless heart’s gotta run
There’s a place in the sun
And before my life is done
Got to find me a place in the sun
Stevie Wonder
We started the day with a Christmas breakfast at Ingrid’s family’s place next door to our hotel. Homemade bread, ham, eggs and coffee was a perfect way to start the day.
After breakfast we went down to their private pool. It seemed more or less like a lobster pot because of the hot weather and all the people who were there because of Christmas holiday. After a while the Brazilians went to lunch and we had the pool more or less to ourself. 30-35C in the air. 27-30C in the pool. Floating here was not exactly a bad way to spend Christmas Day if you ask me. Ahhh… 🙂
After fun in the sun, we decided to have lunch at Balada Mix in Leblon. The burgers were tasteful, but instead of beer they served fruit juice as many of the joints in Leblon. The locals in Leblon are obsessed with body, health, antioxidants and the possibility of eternal youth (at least they think so). Since we have come to term with the fact that we won’t live for ever, we had a greasy burger with bacon & coca cola…
Later that afternoon, our original plan (nr. 1) was to return to the hotel and get some late night dinner. In contrary to Christmas Eve we had checked that the hotel restaurant was serving a la carte until midnight. Also Stevie Wonder (himself) was having a free concert at Cobacabana that night, and we considered checking it out. After the burgers we had a stroll in Leblon beach (Dec 25th the road is closed again because it’s “Sunday”). On my way we met a hot dog with her owner (but I did not eat it).
After that we ended up in our new favourite bar next to our hotel – Bar do Lado. And for some reason, we never managed to leave. People came and went, and we stayed. Drinks were good and a concert at Copacabana sounded crowded and complicated. And how many nights can you enjoy sunset in 30 degrees with your favourite drink & tapas in a cool bar next to your favourite pool? No wonder we missed Stevie Wonder…
