Rio de Janeiro must have attracted more cliches than any other city. The 'Girl From Ipanema' features a few: beautiful young women, sun, sea, samba, macho men. There are others, stunning scenery, dangerous streets, football mad, corrupt politicians (to be fair these last two apply to all of Brazil).

Well I can debunk some of these straight away. Sunny all the time? Not when we're here! We didn't see the sun until our third day and on the first the weather, cold and wet, was more reminiscent of the North east of England. (In fact most of Britain was warmer than Rio that day). Beautiful women? Well there are some but there is also evidence that Brazil has a significant obesity problem. Probably not surprising when you consider how sweet their desserts and cakes are. Not that that puts people off wearing the skimpiest of swimming costumes. The Brazilians, it appears, have few inhibitions about displaying the flesh even when there is plenty of it to display.

Sea and sand? Well, yes, plenty of that in Copacabana where we are staying. And whatever the weather it seems Brazilians still flock to the beach. There were people still playing football and volley ball at nearly midnight.

And when the sun comes out then Rio is a pretty magical place especially from the statue of Christ The Redeemer or the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain. On both, the mountain falls sheer away giving you a bird's eye, panoramic view of the city curving around Guanabara Bay and nestling against a range of hills that rear up out of the sea. In places the city has crept up the mountain side, some of the notorious favelas clinging to the steep slopes - the best views in Rio are often in the worst neighbourhoods. (The photo for today is the statue of Christ The Redeemer taken from the top of Sugar Loaf Mounatin at sunset).

Not that the city feels unsafe, provided you are sensible and heed advice about where not to go. (Although as that apparently includes a stretch of street outside a posh hotel just around the corner from our apartment it may be that it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt). True all the apartment blocks are gated but is that a sign they are all under threat from gangs of marauding drug barons? Or just that that is how apartment blocks here are designed and built? There is certainly a considerable police presence on the streets, with a bewildering variety of different police forces, but they seem fairly relaxed and non-threatening (not that I tried to threaten them). Rio certainly feels no more or less safe than, say, London.

So that leaves samba. Unfortunately our efforts to see and hear some came to naught. We did try and find a regular Monday night samba party in Pedra do Sal, a favela near the downtown area, but by 9 o'clock the party was still not under way so we 60 plus year olds had to leave for our beds.

Oh, and football. On the TV in every bar. But everyone seems to be ignoring it. That's the trouble with cliches — they're not always true.