2/23 Buzios, Brazil

This was another beautiful resort town, made famous by Bridget Bardot when she vacationed here in the 1960's.  there is a statue of her an a street named after her in the middle of the town.  The skies were clear but we had gusts of wind reaching 40 knots that created a substantial swell.  The captain came on the PA early and warned of the rough sea and cautioning everyone about being extra careful when entering and exiting the tenders.  We went ashore about 10:00 am and walked around the town.  It was very pretty with trees lining the cobblestone streets.  There were many nice shops and restaurants but about one third of the shops were not open this early.  Typical of Latin American countries! 

Pier at Buzios

Elaborate sand castle on the beach

There were two main streets lined with trees

Brazil is a large producer of gems and for the last seven ports, jewelry stores (Sterns, Amsterdam, Sabin, Ben Bros and others) have had representatives on the piers when we arrived. (Two representatives from Sterns are even on as passengers, having boarded in Buenos Aires.) They were passing out brochures and token gifts trying to get passengers to take advantage of their offer of free tours with private cars and drivers when we reach Rio. Of course the tour would include a stop at their stores.  There must really be a lot of profit in jewelry!

We have really been impressed with the resort ports of Brazil.  After two days in Rio we head north with several stops before entering the Amazon in nine days.  Brazil is a huge country, as large as the continental US.  We are having a great time but our knowledge of Portuguese is minimal.