being set free.....

The last week was so beautiful up here in the mountains.  It is still a little cool in the evenings, we are in winter after all, but the days have had bright sunlight and scattered clouds and  almost balmy breezes.  If we were living in Chicago it would be perfect summer temps.  Because of the beautiful weather, we decided to take in one of the last of the winter festival’s planned activities.  

Saturday, in the Praça do Suspiro, Centro Friburgo starting at 11:00 there would be music and balloons released.  Sounded like an activity for families with children and possibly a chance for few nice photos.  We parked in our favorite parking lot and walked along the canal to the praça – from several blocks away we started saying it is too quiet.... no music.  The praça, now pretty much cleaned up from the floods in January, new sidewalks installed, more parking, the horses set off on the side and a new building to house the cable car built, had about 50 adults with half as many children sitting in a circle..... no music to speak of but clowns doing tricks – the children and adults enjoying themselves.

 

And lots of colorful balloons rolling gently in the breeze...and I wasn’t the only one enraptured with all the color. 

Apparently this same scene was being enacted in both Teresopolis and Petropolis.  The balloons would be release at exactly noon in all three cities.  The biodegradable balloons containing seeds of the forest trees would float high into the sky, burst into small pieces and drop back to earth where the seeds would have a chance to grow into tall trees.... I am loosely translating the announcer here.  We were assured that the balloons were biodegradable at least 3 times.  I looked up biodegradable balloons on the internet and yes balloons made from latex – latex being organic will break down within 6 months of landing in the forest.  The children were very excited..... (so was I)  Each child was given their own balloon filled with seeds to set free with the rest.  (I didn’t get a balloon, but enjoyed myself anyway)

This little girl – name unknown – under the watchful eye of her mother was determined to let all the balloons go before noon, until she was given her own balloon, then she patiently and very seriously waited, doing her part for the environment.)

        

 

really a nice experience even without the anticipated music. 

Retractions / corrections and additions : Winter Festival 2011

When you don’t speak a language well, there is always the chance that listening in on other’s conversations will get you bad information.  Misunderstanding verbs is my worst problem with language, and second to that is adjectives or adverbs.  So you can just imagine what comes out of my listening – not understand who (whom) is doing what and why.  When I am feeling good about myself and my new found language skills, I don’t ask for clarifications, taking my listening / understanding / asking skills – with apparently misplaced confidence.

You may need to go back one post to see what I am talking about.   First retraction/correction: the Municipal Theater of Nova Friburgo holds 480 people not around 250.  While waiting for the doors to open for our second concert this week, we ask and received, directly, info versus counting seats and multiplying, (and not taking the balcony into account). 

Second retractions (the listening skills):  the concert series was organized by the Major’s office and was not separate from the Winter Festival 2011, but was a side event.  The main winter festival’s events are organized and sponsored by SESC Rio.  (www.sescrio.org.br) and in Nova Friburgo runs from July 8 – through the 31st.  There are also events in Petrópolis and Teresópolis – check the SESC web site for those events. 

Okay that is enough apology – that did sound like an apology didn’t it?-

On Wednesday, we went in to town after DARK.  It wasn’t bad at all to drive our little curvy, country road at night.  We should do it more often.  We went in to see an Spanish / Argentine band Otros Aires, (piano, drum, a bandoneon, sometimes guitar) presenting “Milongas Electronicos”.  There were two arrangements done with only the bandoneon and piano that were (in my opinion) beyond excellent.  The use of old videos tied to the modern musical sounds was very interesting and well worth the drive.  They were only 15 minutes late starting and the show lasted a good hour and a half.
I don’t know if I said but these concerts were gratis (free) a contribution of food the only requirement for admittance. 

Finally, On Thursday, we went in late afternoon to listen to Miguel Proença performing “romantic” compositions.  The program listed Gluck-Kempff arrangement, Schubert, Schumann, Scriabin, and Chopin, and if I understood correctly, he substituted Schubert with a Grieg piece and then did Schubert on request at the end.  He was nearly 30 minutes late getting started but then played for 1 and a half hours.  After the standing ovation he played a tango – everyone left happy – again in my opinion.  Have you ever wondered how the classical pianist are able to play without music pages in front of them.... ?

Winter Festival 2011

Every year this area of Brasil has a winter festival.  It can happen any time between the middle of June and the first of August.  I have no clue as to why particular weeks are planned one year, and not another.  The last time I wrote about the festival was in August of 2008 – can you believe it – Three years ago....  I don’t know where the time goes.  All I know for sure is that time flies by and I can’t begin to tell you why I have missed winter festival in Nova Friburgo the last two years. 

Other years there has been a small newspaper that gives the times and places of all the activities, four or five pages of activities.  This year not only are there very few activities but they seem to be more cultural: piano concerts and a ballet versus street dances and choirs singing religious music in the park.  This year it also seems to be only one week, including only one weekend.  I know that this is because  the mayors office is short of cash, there are so many projects in place trying to get the city back to normal after the January slides.  It is a shame though because the city needs its tourists, and the town’s people need to have some family relaxation – ‘kick up your heels time’.   That all said I need to get to the point. 

Yesterday Camillo and I went into town for one of the ‘Concertos ao Meio-Dia’ – ‘concerts at mid-day’ series.  In the eight years we have lived here, we have been to maybe three other concerts.  This is one of the activities that we enjoyed in Houston and I miss it.  When living in the states we went about four times a year to the opera, the symphony, to a play or a musical, to say nothing about going dancing once a week, and here we just don’t seem to keep track or actively pursue these pastimes and we should.

I was totally impressed.  The Municipal Theater of Nova Friburgo – Teatro Municipal de Nova Friburgo - seats about 250 (a rough count while waiting for the concert to start) and is comfortable and has excellent sound.  We were entertained for over an hour and half by Aleyson Scopel and Ronaldo Rolim, both young Brasilian pianists, playing Prokofiev’s , and Rachmaninov’s concert for piano No 2, respectively.  We will go out again on Thursday.  I didn’t ask to see / hear what, just said YES!

Simplicity.

Welcome to my One Hundredth (that is 100th!) My Town Friday Shoot-out.  Starting in March of 2009 with PEOPLE, spanning well over 2 years, learning about my towns, about my camera and very much about myself.   Along the way, I have met many wonderful ‘shoot-out gang’ members.  Being invited in, at the very beginning by Patty H in Maryland and Gina when they were first conceiving ‘My Town’. Getting to know Gordon and Chef E while putting together the Friday Shoot-out blog, and working that blog for nearly a year before turning over the reins to Doreen, et al.  Corresponding with Pauline, Jarielyn, Mark, and many others, off and on over the years; enjoying moments of total understanding and acceptance.  So many great moments like ringing the bells for Barry and participating in the final honorary post after his passing. 

You all know by now that I post based on where I am on any given Friday. I routinely enjoy giving you bits and pieces of Nova Friburgo and of Rio de Janeiro in Brasil, and from Houston, Texas my hometown, but I’ve also brought you topics from France, Italy and from other cities in South America and I hope you have enjoyed this trip through towns and cities around the world as much as I have.  A big Thank You to all that have passed through my computer bringing me interesting topics, laughter and tears, from my town to yours and back.

And the one hundredth – Simplicity.

Another view, another mood from the veranda in the mountains north of Rio,

As the day begins in the Valley Stucky, Nova Friburgo, RJ, Brasil.

June 14, 2011

Nightlife in Rio

By now, you all know that we live part-time in Nova Friburgo and the other part in Rio de Janeiro.  When in Friburgo, we don’t really go out at night.  In the 8 years living here in Brasil, I’ve been out maybe 10 times at night in Friburgo and two of those was to go downtown for carnival.  The road from our house is a narrow two lane road, with many sharp hairpin turns – neither of us really likes driving it at night – so we don’t.  I am sad to say we watch TV.   We go to Rio if we start wanting to be out after dark.  We either walk around Ipanema to go to the movies, or to dinner, or to just go for a beer and ‘Lula & French fries’ or we take a taxi to meet friends for an occasional change of pace in their neighborhood – for dinner or drinks... Yep not a very exciting night life for us.   

In Ipanema, by around 7 all the stores (lojas) are closed up for the night.  The people that are on the street are local residents and tourist that are staying at the hotels.  Like us they are looking for food or a movie.  I think that there are clubs on either end of this barrio that keep the young people entertained, but we aren’t really aware of them and most definitely don’t go anywhere near them. 

During the day the streets are so crowded that you can’t loose focus long enough to look in the shop windows but at night our 6 block area of Ipanema is quiet and it is nice to window shop or to walk along the beach. ..... (for us that is between 8 and 10, then to home!)

   

Down by the beach there is still a little traffic and some action.  Most of the action is soccer or volley ball games on the beach and people enjoying a beer and conversation at one of the kiosks along the way.  The day is winding down.