Rio Getaway!

To celebrate my friend's birthday, we spent a long weekend in Rio de Janeiro!  It was my second trip, but my first as a tourist.  I visited before in December for my job, and I worked the whole time.  I saw the Christo from a taxi, and that was about it.  This time my friend and I set out to see things that we couldn't bring our kids to, since it was a rare trip without them.

Starting the day off right at Stabucks.  Olin?  That would be me.

Fresh produce in a street market.

This is the Metropolitan Cathedral downtown.  Very modern.

Stained glass inside.

The top.

Next we found this Presbyterian church, so we had a look there too. 

Beautiful and peaceful.

Following this we proceeded to get pretty lost.  Getting lost can be fun too, though.  :)

After getting our bearings and grabbing some lunch, we had a tour of the Municipal Theater.

Stained glass inside.

The ornate interior.

 Dinner brought us to Via Sete, where I had this burger with pesto, cherry tomatoes and burrata.  What a day!

Good Morning Lisbon!

After a good night sleep (babes slept past 8:00!!) we set out for a morning of exploring.  We walked down to the waterfront in gorgeous weather!  What a great morning!

This umbrella is serving as an impromptu baby leash for new walkers who really just must walk!

Pork cutlet sandwich for breakfast.  Yum!

What a gorgeous sight!  The hat and glasses lasted about 60 seconds, but at least we caught the shot.  :)

Portuguese tile work in the plaza.  We have this type of stone work all over Brazil  It is fun to see where the patterns and the art form originated.

Monument in the plaza.

The view up the street.  Just a castle on the hill, no biggie.

More tile work.

I think this one looks like a crab.

Street car passing by.

A tuk-tuk painted special to attract tourists.

Family selfie!  Babes still doesn't have the hang of this.

What a great place to run, run, run!

Yesterday someone told us this is the point where some of the Portuguese explorers set out to sea.  Wow.

Having a break in the (not boiling hot) sun.

Play time!!

Our Adventure Begins!

We arrived in Lisbon an hour earlier than expected this morning (YAY!), got checked into our apartment and hit the town!  It was rainy and cold today, just like Seattle, so we did some shopping and stayed close.  Besides, we just got off a red-eye with a baby.  Naps were needed for everyone!

One of Lisbon's famous streetcars.

A fancy looking hotel on the plaza.

That's one chic (pronounced she-key, of course!) baby, getting to wear mama's jewelry.  She doesn't quite know what to make of these long sleeves and layers.  This is the first time she's ever worn jeans!

 

 We stopped in for an afternoon treat.

 

Coffee eclair

Lisbon has a fancy elevator in the middle of the city connecting two neighborhoods.  We saw a very similar set up in Salvador, Brazil!

Train station (with Starbucks!!) on the plaza.  All that smoke is coming from one guy selling roasted chestnuts.  Only 1!!

We ended up back at the apartment early for a good night's sleep.  Hopefully the weather will clear up for a full day of touring fun tomorrow!

Salvador III

For our last day in Salvador, we boarded the "Regular Sightseeing Bahia Bus", which was just about as regular as a hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus gets, as the name so clearly stated. It was actually a really great way to see some of the more far-flung sites and was a nice way to spend the day between checking out of the hotel and heading to the airport.

 Ready for some regular-old sightseeing!

#i'monabus

 A fine example of the regular power lines that were definitely NOT just a few inches from our faces during the whole trip!

 Picturesque beaches...and no sharks!

 Look swimming and boating! What?

 Barra Lighthouse

 Say "Regular"

 Yes, Kylie, you need to hold mom's hand when we're walking by cliffs!

 Lookout tower

 Pacifier popping fun with pop!

 Back to the Lacerda Elevator again!

We didn't ride it today as the bus driver warned us that the line could take more than the hour and a half time allotment for this stop!

Where's my lunch!?! #hangrymommaandbaby

...at Restaurante Maria Sao Pedro in Mercado Modelo

 This is your reminder bracelet. Not returning it is necessary!

 Words putting order in important not is.

 Cruise ship terminal

If the souvenier backpacks are included, 

I might be interested in buying a slightly used VW Jesus hatchback!

 We guessed that the "Hot Bull" special must be some kind of extra large hot dog-zão

 Unfortunately the boat cruise portion of our regular sightseeing tour was cancelled due to sinking!

Just kidding, but seriously, this "marina" was a stop on the tour.

 At last! Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bomfim!

It's known for its mix Catholocism and Candomblé

 More Bomfim ribbons!

 Sunset over the Bay of All Saints

A quick drive by of Dique de Tororo park and its lagoon filled 

with statues of orixás (Candomblé gods!)

Our final stop was at Shopping Salvador...sister-mall to our very own RioMar! We grabbed a quick bite to eat, picked up our bags at the hotel and headed home!

Thanks for the memories Salvador!a