Today was not supposed to be as busy, more of a rest day!

We were originally planning to visit museums but they are closed on Monday. So instead a walk along Copacabana Beach as far as Ipanema Beach and then to catch a bus back towards the hotel.

We walked for a few blocks along the beach admiring the seascape and the whole beach strip. It was very warm and we sought shelter on some chairs and under an umbrella and bought a coconut to drink. The vendor used a very sharp blade to slice the top off and slit a drinking hole in the top. The coconut was green but I'm sure this is the best for drinking. If this is the last blog that you read you will know that I am wrong!

We sought refuge from the sun in the main shopping street one block back from the beach for a while then back out on to the beach to cut across to Ipanema.

Ipanema is a much smaller beach which also looks south to some beautiful headlands and mountains. There were probably more people on Ipanema than Copacabana (per square metre).

Joanne enjoyed the shops and continues to marvel at the price of shoes - made from Brazilian leather. I think she will one day have a shoe shop back home and import shoes!

I won't talk about where we had lunch but afternoon tea was at a nice little diner on the way back through the Copacabana shopping area.

Joanne has worked out that we have walked about 12 km today. Not bad for a so called rest day. Oh; we didn't catch the bus back either but walked.

This evening we are going out to a Brazilian cultural show which should be exciting if a little less hectic than last night at the Samba Drome.

Today's picture is of the Copacabana strip looking back to the North towards our hotel and the central city area behind and to the left. Sugarloaf mountain and the cable car is on the distant right peak.

Oh Rio! You are a marvelous city that continues to amaze me.