Number 29 - Bar dos Descasados, Santa Teresa - starting the celebration!

Sometimes you just can't make it...some of my (very few) readers have asked me: What happened to the blog? What happened to "the 50 new things before you turn fifty"? Well, one thing you learn when you turn fifty is that sometimes you just can't make it, sometimes the process of getting somewhere is what makes it more fun, and sometimes admitting that you failed is the best way of letting go, of moving on and inventing a new way of life. And the amazing thing is that even a failure can feel like a victory! So now, many months after turning fifty, I decided to wrap it up an start anew...

I got a wonderful surprise for my birthday! Not only did my parents come from Norway to celebrate with me, my oldest brother came too.The Parents have been to Rio many, many times - one year they even got their own blog: Two months in Rio - http://twomonthsinrio.blogspot.com.br//
My brother had only been here once, but as he said; he had done the obligatory stuff - now he was ready for a different visit.

So I set out to show him some of my favorite places, and of course took the opportunity to visit a new one, since, as you know, I was still missing some to complete my list.

We started out by going to Lapa, where the first stop was The Selaron Steps.

Then we went on to see the "Rio Antigo" street market:

The plan was to take the tram to Santa Teresa. Unfortunately, the tram still is not back to normal after the terrible accident in 2011 when 5 people died. The tram is working, but for a limited time during the day and at 30 minutes intervals, so the lines to get on are long and take hours. We therefore went up by taxi, and as my brother put it: it was exciting enough for him! The streets in Santa Teresa are narrow and steep - so it can be quite a ride!

I had set my mind on Bar dos Descasados - a bar inside the Hotel Santa Teresa. The hotel used to be called Hotel dos Descasados - the hotel of the divorced - and thus the name of the bar. The old hotel has been beautifully refurbished and is now considered one of the best and most charming hotels in Rio de Janeiro. http://www.santateresahotelrio.com/

The bar is known to have one of the best views in Rio, and I figured it would be a great place to start the celebration of my fiftieth birthday!

We were not disappointed, the bar is cozy, charming, has a fantastic view and incredible food. We spent the afternoon there, relaxing, laughing and talking, and I decided that turning fifty was not so bad afterall!

 Cheers!