A Personal and Professional Experience of a Lifetime.. One Month on Social Sabbatical in Brazil: Single Beds and Middle Seats make for the most amazing weekend!

There are a number of songs that have been written about Rio de Janeiro … including “The Girl from Ipenema”, “The Copacobana”,; even Barry White and James Taylor have gotten in on the action, as have countless Brazilian musicians… Please see the attached list from the wiki’s to get a view of your favorite City… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_about_cities …but before I lose my point –I absolutely know why they are writing songs about this amazing City!!! We were in fact humming the aforementioned hits the entire 3 days in Rio. #whatabeautifulplace!!!

Talk about absolutely knowing…as you fly over Rio, you immediately know why the Portuguese and French ‘stopped’ in lovely Rio de Janeiro in the mid-1500s. The location and position of the City is breathtaking. It is nestled in the mountains and on the sea at the same time. And oh by the way, the city itself is nothing to shake a stick at either.

At that time, of course, the massive ‘favelas’ or slums had not sprung up all over the hillsides. This phenomenon has emerged in urban environments and is of course sad, but are actually quite beautiful from a distance….the colors, the sprawl up the mountains. I was warned that Rio would be dangerous and I needed to be vigilant (which I have been the entire time in BR) – but my colleagues and I felt quite the opposite… Safe, at home and back in a cosmopolitan environment! (For the first time since coming to South America, I was coveting other peoples' fashion choices! Now - that is saying something!!)

My 3 colleagues and I visited the ‘must see’ sights in Rio...including Sugarloaf Mountain and the Christou statue. And we just generally got to know this beautiful City. We visited the beaches in Copacabana, and Ipanema, did a little shopping – and again, viewed the City from on high from 2 different vantage points. Truly incredible. Certainly, doing this brought a lot of laughs, which always makes a trip even better! We also visited the neighborhoods of Santa Teresa and Lapa, which are the more bohemian spots.

They say pictures speak a thousand words, so I posted many below to show you why I loved Rio so much. But maybe a few things that stood out about Rio, besides the amazing scenery...

- The lines were incredible...almost everywhere. Certainly for the tourist attractions, but at the airport and every meal it was a similar experience... I guess one could say the lines and the traffic in Rio are analogous. It was also interesting that Rio is such a world destination, but the tourists were overwhelmingly Portuguese speaking...

- Running on Copacabana.. Sunday morning after visiting Christou, we came back to the hotel and I decided to go for a run on Copacabana - which was so cool. They started closing down the street directly in front of the beach - like NYC has done - to allow people to exercise more easily. It was so fun to sweat, people watch and listen to the Brazilian music being played at the various beach bars.

- Food! Food, and more food! Since food has been a theme for my entire trip, I have to comment on Rio. It was truly delicious. The freshness. The focus on 'local'. The pineapple alone deserves a shout out!! Also - we tried Amazonian food, which I loved. The food in Rio Grande do Sul (where Porto Alegre is) is not spicy - so I was VERY excited for coconut and spicy... If you can, try Amazonian food. Delish!

- You can buy ANYTHING you want from the comfort of your own beach chair... Seriously. We saw everything from shrimp on a stick, to bathing suits, to kiddie pools, to hot Brazilian tea, to towels/cover ups...and the list goes on. We had a tally running - but Ive forgotten what the exact number was

So all of this begs the question... will Rio really be ready for the World Cup and the Olympics in 2016? I do not know the answer- but I took it upon myself to pose the question to many. The overwhelming response - inside and out of Rio (because I of course asked in Porto Alegre many times too, as they will be a host of the Cup, too!)...is that they will not be ready. Only time will tell....

One thing is certain, if you have it in your sights to go to Rio for the World Cup or to visit in general - Go there! (Immediately if not sooner!) Tell them Sarah sent you.... The American with the broken Portugeuse who couldnt stop smiling. :)

Before I forget... our hotel was AMAZING... but mine and Amy's room had 3 single beds...and I sat in the middle seat to and fro from Rio... but I would do it again in a heartbeat, or a NY minute... and I wouldnt be on Brazilian time! :)