Its calling for unseasonably hot weather today - 36 degrees. We decided to tour a suburb of Rio called Santa Teresa. It has lovely Colonial architecture, great views. and sloping, cobblestoned streets with streetcar tracks. Before Cariocas (locals) went to the beaches to get relief from the heat they found cooler climates in the hills surrounding the Centro (city centre). In the 19th & 20th centuries many prominent families built mansions in Santa Teresa. A streetcar transported the residents between downtown and Santa Teresa. Today the neighbourhood is popular among artists and foreigners who like the "hippie" vibe and small town atmosphere. The districts streets used to be used as escape routes for slaves in the 18th century. We took the subway to get the historic streetcar that would take us into the area. The streetcar is reminiscent of the trollie's in San Francisco. 

We entered the neighbourhood armed with maps and a plan of attack which was promptly foiled. The maps we had were not very good. We got lost several times and saw the same sights several times. We stopped to ask a cabbie for directions and, confident we knew where we were going, continued on our way only to hear a horn honking at us about 10 minutes after climbing a steep, never ending hill. It was the cab driver coming to find us and tell us he gave us wrong info. Imagine that! And if that wasn't nice enough he told us to get in and drove us to where we wanted to go for free. We offered to give him some cash and he refused. After exploring (walking around in circles in our world), we tried to find a restaurant that we heard about all the while working up a sweat. I don't just mean a little glow but a full on workout sweat. When we arrived at the restaurant I think they wanted to call the paramedics. But they seated us and the climb was worth the effort. This was one of the nicest locations we've been to. It was nestled high in the hills with a view to die for. The restaurant, called Aprazivel, consists of several open multi level decks with thatched roofs and incredible views overlooking the city. The food was Brazilian fusion and was melt in your mouth fantastic. I had a chicken dish (which the waiter said was by far the best dish in the restaurant) and Vic had grilled squid tentacles (which the waiter said was the most interesting dish). In any event, both were great. It is rated in the top 5 restaurants in Rio by Trip Advisor I've been told. We left there and made our way back to the streetcar stop. Luckily we made the last run. We didn't know it but it closes at 4:00 pm. Lucky for us we decided to leave when we did because if we had stayed at the restaurant any longer we would have been stranded. 
 
We we got back to the hotel and went to get ready to go to the soccer game. Did I mention we happened to get tickets for a semi-final match between Fluminense and Palmeiras for the Brazil cup? The tickets were $70 Brazil reals or about $25 Cdn each. We were centre field and 5 rows up. Great seats. Do the Leafs have any tickets at that price anywhere in the arena??? We also paid for transport there and back and a guide still for less than the cheapest Leaf ticket and it was a semi-final match!! A bus picked us up at 6:30 pm for a 10:00 pm game. We had to stop at 5 other hotels and the traffic was worse than any Toronto traffic I've ever seen. It took us 2+ hours to make a 20 minute drive. Once we finally got there we were told that this was the first game since 2007 where they were serving beer. That must have known we were coming! It was epic! The locals were constantly taking selfies of themselves in front of where the beer was being served. The beer was $7 Real or less than $2.50 Cdn. Compare that to a $12 quaff at the Air Canada Centre! We saw almost every possible thing that could happen at a soccer game: goals that counted for both teams, goals that didn't count for both teams, dives, yellow cards handed out, a player being carried off on a stretcher, game delay due to Palmieras wearing an unsanctioned uniform that they had to change shortly after the game started), corner kicks (1 that scored), penalty kicks and even one of these that scored. The final score was 2-1 Fluminense. But there were 6 goals scored. 

I was hoping I'd get to Maracana Stadium. it is probably the most recognized soccer stadium in the world to soccer fans. (Fun fact 1: Maracana Stadium was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, in which Brazil was beaten 2-1 by Uruguay in the deciding game. Since then, it has mainly been used for football matches between the major football clubs in Rio. It has also hosted a number of concerts and other sporting events. Fun fact 2: Until recently the Maracanã Football Stadium was the largest football stadium in the world, with a capacity of close to 100,000. Fun fact 3: This the stadium will forever be associated with soccer greats such as Pele, Rivelino, Socrates, and Ronaldo. Fun fact 4: Pele scored his thousandth goal here in 1969. Fun fact 5: the 2014 World Cup final was played here. Fun fact 6: It has had a makeover and is now getting ready for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Fun fact 7 (not sure about this one as the source is questionable - Vic): It set a record for attendance with 200,000 people.). We were surprised that the stadium wasn't full but there were probably 50,000 people there (including kids and babies) despite the 10:00 pm start. There seemed to be a lot of empty seats but the ones that were filled were filled with passionate fans for both sides.There was a battle of sorts before the game with fans from each side singing and playing drums trying to outdo the other. Whenever something happened, good or bad, the respective fans went wild. It was an experience I'll never forget. 

Can't wait for day 3 when we plan to see Christ the Redeemer, weather permitting.