Saturday, August 20, 2011

Leme Beach Series, Part 6 - Churros

"A churro, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry-based snack, sometimes made from potato dough, that originated in Spain. Churros are also popular in Latin AmericaFrancePortugalMorocco, the United StatesAustralia, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands." (From Wikipedia)


This was all news to me. I had no idea it originated in Spain, all i know is that for years it smelled like end of class snack after high school, while waiting for my granddad to pick me up... Sometimes while watching the frequent summer rains in Rio, or watching the other kids play with never ending energy, it was my constant companion during my childhood.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Leme Beach Series, Part 5 - Work it out...

"Gym  for all" near Leme Stone...

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Leme Beach Series - Part 4




My Rio de Janeiro,
By Paulo Coelho
“It is hard for a man to make any city worthy of such surroundings as nature has given to Rio.”—James Bryce.
Rio is a city where people live within their own limits, afraid of street violence, but not afraid of singing in the streets. Where the smooth sea pats the rugged mountain to show that life, like nature, is full of contrasts. A city where the sidewalks on its main beach are made of black and white stones, of darkness and light. A city where men and women come in all colors and in all creeds, and never argue because of that—but are constantly killing each other for worthless things, like the best samba song or the best soccer team. A city where 11.5 million people can dwell on top of each other, and the extreme poverty exists side by side with the most ostentatious wealth, and it is all part of daily life. A city able to teach each of its citizens the importance of one of William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell: "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." A city where midway points do not exist, where forests are found downtown, and high rises are in the suburbs. A city with love and hatred. Where mayors come and go and are not able to destroy the city, no matter how hard they try. A city where the glory of the past is today’s madness and also the hope for the future.
A city where the real quality of life lies in the fact that it is difficult, tense, harsh, funny, crazy, unbearable, unforgettable. A city that can be called a city, politically incorrect and deliciously treacherous. A city where sea waves create one of its limits, and the mountains take charge of spreading its structures along the coast as a line, because it simply refuses to grow in the boring circular way of all other cities.
If you find another city with all of this, please let me know. But I know only the city of Rio de Janeiro, and that’s the reason why, for the moment, I will stay here.
Rio. The real thing.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/rio-de-janeiro-essay/

Friday, August 12, 2011

Leme Beach Series - Especially for Jimmy!




To Jimmy and all who love my city as much as I do: This is a sunset sequence in a wonderfully lazy Sunday afternoon, in the area between Copacabana and Leme, heading to Leme Stone. I was alone that day, but, still, I wasn't lonely. I never felt lonely here...

See you all tomorrow;)