On Sunday we went for a day trip to Petropolis, an hour and a half away from Rio in the mountains. The city was developed as a summer mountain retreat for Emperor Dom Pedro II and his family in the mid of the 19th century to allow for the stay in the cooler and mosquito-less climate. The old part of the city features the palace, noble houses and a small cathedral.
A great way to explore the cobblestoned old city centre is by horse-drawn carriages.
The one hour round trip takes you to see the cathedral, the summer palace, the crystal palace, build for Princes Isabel in France and brought to Brazil in 1884
and the House of Santos Dumont, the brazilian writer, inventor, architect and aviation pioneer.
A tour around the Imperial Museum hosted inside the summer palace rounded up the cultural part of the visit. The museum exhibits royal furniture, part of the crown jewels, old horse-drawn carriages and this wonderfully over the top golden crib for the royal heir:
Back in Rio and after a stroll at Ipanema beach with a friend we tried out a new mexican restaurant/bar Azteka on Rua Visconde de Pirajá 156. It serves burritos and tacos filled with a wide variety of ingredients. Food was very good as well as the very friendly service. A good spot for a lunch or take away to the beach.
Recipe for Cesar Salad for 2 as side dish for a steak or grilled fish
- 1 Roma lettuce, washed and cut
- 50g of parmesan cheese grated
- 3 anchovy fillets finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic pressed
- 1 egg boiled for 3 minutes, using only the egg yolk
- 3tbs olive oil
- juice of two limes or 1 lemon
makanandcomida 
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