Relieved to be in Rio

We successfully made it out of winter, thanks to the wonderful people at United Airlines and the Boeing Company. Oh and thanks to our son Chris who got us to the airport and has since reported that mom's car was safely returned to our garage at home. At the moment, Mrs. Gym and I find ourselves resting in our room at the Barra Windsor hotel. We are shell-shocked from the full day of travel behind us and the fact that we have just experienced a transition of 60 degrees celsius between Calgary and Rio de Janeiro. We went from 30 degrees below zero in Calgary, to +30 here in Rio.

When we left Calgary you could see ice crystals in the air and you wore as much clothing as possible. Here on Barra beach though, clothing is just an accessory, the less the better. Mrs. Gym took a few shots when we went out for a stroll along the promenade this afternoon.

lots of surfers and kite surfers

This shot is from the room looking up the beach towards the north

The scene is near the No. 3 lifeguard station.

I have to tell you that we blundered in making our travel plans for this trip. We actually arrived here on the last day of Carnival and we missed the whole pageant. Lent starts real late this year and consequently, Carnival went right into March when normally it finishes in February. If we would have known that the festival was so late this year, we would have left a few days earlier to see what all the fuss is about.  There is always next time though.

The Barra Windsor hotel is quite nice, not 5-star nice but it is clean, well served by some very friendly staff and they have a really nice bar in the lobby. Our room has granite every where, everything works and the bedroom has a nice hardwood floor which is an unusual feature for a hotel room. We are right at the front of the hotel but the room is pretty quiet because the building is solidly built. We don't have a balcony but there is a cool rooftop pool and lounge area that is just four floors up.

Our home for the first night

The lobby with an elaborate Carnival costume decorating the far end.

We are only here for one night and then tomorrow we board the Regatta. We embark tomorrow on a 12-day cruise along the Brazilian Riviera, the coast of Uruguay and finally into Buenos Aires, Argentina. Don't worry though, after we dump our stuff off on the boat, we will get a detailed tour of some of the touristy areas of Rio before we weigh anchor and head out into the Atlantic. We will get some more good shots of this beautiful city and pass them on to you

Tuesday and no one is working.