Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - January, 2006
As soon as I arrived in his garden at Jacarepagua, Rio De Janeiro, I knew he is the dog I have ever wanted.
And it was love at first sight. Have a look at some shots of us and his beautiful garden and friends...
Allegro watching over me by the pool.
Yes, true love at first sight, indeed!
Orchids grow in the garden just like Daisy's in Europe.
From the garden I had a nice view at the impressive Tijuca woods – the biggest urban wood in the world.
The sounds of the animals in the nature that surrounded us were just amazing – a real tropical atmosphere!
The humidity, the strong green colors of the vegetation and rare flowers…
That entire ambience gave me the feeling that that country is in at that point nothing more than “heaven on earth”.
And banana’s grow as willow’s in Europe. Those are banana’s from Allegro’s garden.
Allegro’s friend, parrot “Kiki”
I would like to introduce Rio to all of you who are maybe at this moment sitting in your homes and freezing your feet off. Maybe this will warm you a little bit...
The city is very interesting, because of its many contradictories. The buildings, old and new, urban and than those small colorful ones. The big impressive mountains, the Atlantic ocean, the tropical forests, its wild and beautiful animals...
But what impresses me really the most and what is going to leave a big influence on me and my further way of living and thinking are THE PEOPLE. Like I read in books and guides about the Rio, people here are so special, people are thouse who make Rio special. I've never seen such good looking people in my life. Here the big amount of population, I would say around 80% of them, take care about their bodies. From young to old, from black to white, they all go jogging, training their bodies. You see for instance older woman having a bigger stomach, but she is all tightened, with strong body, that tells you, she is still training her body... They are relaxed. I think because they have so good bodies there's no need for them to dress themselves the way we do in Europe. For a night out I dressed my black dress that looks always elegant on me and I felt that I was, how can I say, looking too conservative, too stylish, which would in Croatia be a simple classic dress for a night out. So, this is what impressed me, Carioca’s are not concerned about which spectacular clothes would they wear for a night out, they just like to have fun with friends, sitting in the sand by the ocean, fishing, children are playing with "sky dragons", walking their dogs, chatting and dancing at bars...
Here is a short introduction to my dazzling photo collection of Rio,
“The Marvelous City” and all the friendly Carioca’s.
It shows you the immense variety of sights and activities that this city offers its visitors.
You name it, the city has it.
Old colonial imperial monuments, modern architecture, rich food,
beaches and nature only 10 minutes from downtown.
Opera staires
View from the center to the Sugarloaf…
The old library that fascinated me…
In the meantime we took the opportunity to visit Brazilian Kennel Club (BKC)
where I had a “chit-chat” with few influent people from Brazilian kynology.
The entrance door to the BKC....
The rooms were very nice decorated, I liked the furniture, paintings and figurines. So here’s one detail…
And one more...
Back to the center…
Look at this: jungle in the middle of strict center. Isn’t it amazing? I loved it!
The food in Brazil was splendid!
No, those are not potatoes! Just lots of healthy vegetables, some eatable flowers, piece of fruit and meat. Brazilian’s like to eat lots of beans and a good meat. But on their menu quality vegetables and fruits are a must!
This king was once upon a time very well known for “stinking”!
Lucky that monuments don’t stink…
On this running competition a huge number of people took part (sorry, the number was too big for my blond head to remember). People of different nationalities, races, ages… you name it.
This old lady was in perfect condition for her age!
People in a wheelchair could compete equally…
There are lots of beautiful parks.
In this park a cute Afro American boy took my attention…
In all those parks you can see most of people exercising, jogging…
Brazilian’s like to keep their body and soul in top condition always!
In all life stages. Like this old lady. I was positively surprised to see this.
As I was not in the top condition, I found a “friend” who understood how I felt among all those body minded Carioca’s in good shape…
This group of people caused at me lots of sighs! Of course as a dog owner I was amazed that Brazilian’s love dogs so much. And care about them so much.
This mister had a relaxing day at the beach while his doggy took a safe place in the shadow. I find this picture so special, can’t explain why. I just saw in that moment a beautiful photography that will tell a gentle story about a man and a dog.
This is one pet shop in Rio. You can find here turkeys as well…
This made me feel good. To see that I am not the only “crazy” one that has more than one dog…(but there were lots of dog walkers with about 3-6 dogs)
The view toward the Christ statue… He was watching over us all the time, spreading his arms, like he wanted to say: “I love you all”…
The only bird I could “catch” with my camera.
Sorry, but the parrots were too fast for me! I tried hard, but with no luck!
Most popular beaches were always very crowded and so lovely colored!
Somebody left this coconut.
For me, it was more than just a simple coconut, that’s how I saw it….
Just have a look at this beautiful vegetation…
A day on the beach…
No, I am not what you think. Just a woman who would love to have a body like that!!! Now I know, there’s a lot of truth in “Ipanema girl” song.
This is what we ate at the beach. Yummy! First I was very dissapointed, like, how the hell I am going to eat this creatures and how they will satisfy my big hunger, but after tasting them, I licked my fingers and wanted only MORE!
And of course, this is what we drunk.
Coconuts keep you long time safe from dehydration.
Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) opens his arms wide as if to embrace all of Rio de Janeiro. The statue stands atop Corcovado Mountain, which visitors can climb by taxi or cog railway to gain unparalleled views of the city.
And beautiful “Pao De Acucar” once more from very close…
Copacabana beach…
And longest “waves” path, along the Copacabana beach …
Rio is The Marvelous City indeed…
And this beautiful dog reminds me on this unforgettable experience every day.
I promise, one day I will return to beautiful Rio.
Until we meet again, I’ll keep it in my heart…
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