Journalled on Sunday, 23 July 2023 | Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 25 degrees, a little hot and with a clear sky.
Sunday is always a special day.
Especially when you have something special to do, you are at peace, and it is a beautiful day. It is a day when you can do whatever you want with whoever you want, or even just with yourself.
I got up and went out to exercise at about 8 am. It was later than usual on weekdays, but early enough not to join the stream of people walking, running and walking their dogs in front of the beach and along the streets connecting to it.
I have noticed that almost every Sunday, there are sponsored running events, and because of the carioca heat, they are scheduled very early in the morning.
I worked out for exactly an hour, using a combination of skipping, TRX, and aerobics. I enjoy mixing and changing the series to make it more enjoyable and to see whether the final result is different. On the way home, I stopped by the local Portuguese baker’s, drank two coffees.
I also checked my social media, posted a photo on my Instagram account, and bought bread, cheese and ham to take home. When I arrived, both Yasmin and Nalva were up and having breakfast. I suggested we go to Praça São Salvador.
Praça São Salvador is a large public square surrounded by trees, a cobbled street, and bars and restaurants facing the square.
At one end, facing the square, is the local fire station, with two or three large fire engines tentatively waiting to respond. Now and again, when somebody is trying to kill themselves by fire, the engines jump into action and deafen everybody in the vicinity.
In the middle of the square is a large round fountain that informally divides it into two halves. The side nearest the fire station has a small, enclosed playground for young children, where they can play on swings and slides, and their parents can sit and watch on the half-height wall surrounding the playground.
The other side of the fountain has an inner square with a mini bandstand and a gazebo, which, depending on the day, is used primarily for musical events. When not in use, the bandstand gazebo is a place where the homeless can sleep the night or until they are collected or forced by the local council to move on.
The gazebo, made of bricks and wooden slats, is old and worn in a nice kind of way, and with the vines from the neighbouring trees intertwining with it, trying to take it over, it looks like something you would see in one of those enchanted fairy-tale films.
Along the cobbled street surrounding the square, bars and restaurants line the square.
Visitors can enjoy the music that typically emanates from the bandstand and be part of the lively atmosphere. People also like to buy food and drink and take them to the square to be closer to the music and the movement, to socialise. And what a crowd!
Depending on the type of music being played, the place is usually crowded, especially on weekends. Even on certain weeknights, it gets filled when something special is happening. If there’s a televised football derby during the week between the traditional big clubs, especially if it involves Flamengo, the square will definitely be packed.
The nearby restaurants set up TVs on stands outside for everyone to watch. It’s fantastic to see hundreds, if not thousands, of people eating and drinking outside while watching an important football match.
Twenty years ago, when I had dogs, I would often go to the square to walk them. At that time, it had not yet been discovered by the mainstream. There were only a small number of people there at night, and at one corner of the square, a very simple food trailer selling hamburgers would be there, which I sometimes bought from. That old decrepit food trailer is now gone; it is more organised, not necessarily better, just different.
I loved walking in the evening with the dogs, usually taking different routes on a round trip, sometimes with a long neck, but always listening to music through a pair of cheap headphones.
I was happy, but I did not know it!!!
We went to Praça São Salvador at about 1 p.m., a twenty-minute walk from where we live. As we approached the square from one of the side streets, we could already hear Chorinho, a slow, romantic style of music from northeast Brazil.
The square was completely packed, and a handicraft fair was happening around the perimeter, with stalls selling all kinds of Brazilian artesanato(handicraft).
The band playing Chorinho was positioned next to the bandstand and the gazebo; there were too many musicians for the tiny bandstand. Hundreds of people gathered around the band, many filming or taking pictures, but all appreciated the slow melody of the chorinho performed by such good artists. It was a pleasure to be there and see it.
After a while, we left the square and went up a street that led us down into another famous square in Rio, Largo do Machado, which is also famous for the northeastern community in Rio.
Nalva wanted to see if a particular shop was open, but it was not. We finally returned at about 4 p.m., had a late lunch, and relaxed. It was a simple but good Sunday.
In bed by 9 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. Feel free to explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
