South America-Day 27- Rio- Mo' Pope, Mo' Problems

We had decided to be a little more lowkey in Rio since we're getting a bit worn out, but the Pope's visit for the World Youth Summit is forcing our hand more than expected. This morning he held a mass at Copocabana Beach which closed down all the roads except for one major one to Ipanema since it's around the bend. After talking with the owner Lance, he recommended we go to an awesome market in Ipanema to check out the art and the crafts, so we went upstairs to get ready. When we came back down, we found out that the one road left open was so overcrowded that they weren't letting anyone else on and since the metro was also closed due to the pope,the market was no longer an option. We spent the next chunk of time fighting with the Christ the Redeemer website, trying to get tickets for Monday or first thing Tuesday, hoping the crowds would abate a bit. Unfortunately the tram option was completely out,which is the cooler way to do it, but we were able to get tickets in one of the vans instead. Phew. The last thing we were work on was finding tickets to go to the soccer match that night-- thankfully that did end up working out; a major victory in last minute planning!

Anyway, we spent the first half day in this manner then went to walk around our Santa Teresa neighborhood before we got picked up for the match. Santa Teresa is a small hilltop neighborhood, and is exactly what we wanted. It has a ton of character and is filled with old home as restaurants. Really nice to know you can eat well close to home and not have to worry about cabs or safety as much. So we went to the Parque des Ruinas as well as the art museum right next door. The ruins are those of an old house that they added steel and glass to, which looks really cool and has a great view over the city. The art museum is nice as well and is a private collection hrld in a house right next door, with three floors and many rooms, there are some really neat brazilian pieces of art and the house is interesting in its own right as well.

 

Then we headed further down the street to a staircase that contains 200 steps, the backs of which are decorated in tile. Very cool to see, and a true testament to the artistic/ boho feel of the neighborhood.

Since traffic was expected to be a nightmare and we were going to the soccer match with a group, we got picked up at 3:45 for a 6:30 game. Going with a group was not our typically independent way of doing things, but the stadium is in a non pacified neighborhood so we essentially paid for peace of mind. The stadium was redone recently and is where the World Cup finals will be held, so it was even cooler than just seeing two rio teams play and making up words to the cheers since we don't speak Portuguese.  It was an absolute blast, but I'm going to leave it to Brennan to recap below since this is obviously up his alley.

Brennan's match analysis: Flamengo and Botafogo are two of the Rio-based clubs in Brazil, so this match was a 'clasico.' They are currently competing in the Brazil Series A league, about a quarter of the way through the season. Flamengo has been having a rough time of it and was in the relegation zone before the match, while Botafogo was top of the table. That said, Flamengo has the larger and, dare I say, more passionate fan base, and so filled about 2/3 of the seats in the stadium.

Fortunately, we were in the Flamengo section, behind the goal and directly opposite the Botafogo section. Even before the match began, the crowd was in full form, chanting and singing (and cursing) across the stadium at each other. The wave of sound made us take a step back in the tunnel just outside of the seats, but we forged on, and what a sight it was. A sea of red and black across from a sea of black and white, waving flags, unfurling banners, waving in unison, and LOUD. It was an adrenaline rush just being there.

The match began and it was clear the teams' play reflected their personalities. Botafogo's clinical, controlled style controlled the tempo in the first half, rewarding them with a goal from a set piece and a shot off of the woodwork from another. Flamengo seemed to have more energy than they knew what to do with, and their lack of focus was evident. It wasn't looking good for our side.

In the second half, though, Flamengo's passion began to carry the play. They began to wear down Botafogo, creating numerous chances. Botafogo was occasionally dangerous on the counterattack, but couldn't control the ball any more. Flamengo 's first apparent goal was called back for offside (correctly), sending the crowd into agony. When a second goal (also from No. 8, Elias) was also called back for offside, this time more controversially, the crowd was in hysterics that fueled the volume even further.

It wasn't until the 95th minute, on a last, desperate push forward, that Elias (again!) managed a tying goal that finally counted. And we (and the crowd) went nuts! If we thought it was loud before, now our ears were truly ringing. It was a well-deserved draw and a fitting end to the game, and we left the stadium grinning and very happy to have had the opportunity to see such a match.

After the game, we came back to our neighborhood and had dinner at a well-known spot: bar de minoereo. We heard they make a great version of the brazilian stew called fejoida so we wanted to make sure to try it. Really great with black beans and meat, served over rice, greens and crunchy bits. Particularly good with hot sauce added and a caipriniha: