Rio De Janeiro~ Where the Magic Happens

While Eric was in his last semester at Kellogg, working for that MBA, he was presented with the opportunity to go work with some other students for a company in Brazil. It was a 2 week, all expense paid trip to Rio, that required 40 hour work weeks, but weekends and evenings were all his. He naturally took this opportunity and I naturally tagged along. It was such a great trip for both of us. Just magical. When Eric was at work, Laura bummed around the city, taking walks along the beach, drinking from coconuts and working on her tan. Eric really enjoyed working for an international company and when he got out of work we would do fun touristy things together and with the crew from Kellogg. 

Rio is such a fun city. We went just a week before carnival, so bummer we missed it, but the plus side is the town was pretty chill. We got some great views of the city from up on top of Sugarloaf mountain. We got to see Cristo Redentor (Big Jesus) Christ the Redeemer. We ate at A LOT of buffets and Brazilian steakhouses. We played around in a botanical garden that a previous Emperor had created for his wife. We saw a soccer game (so crazy) and left early to avoid the riots. We hung out on a battleship and took a boat out to an island that was once the Rio customs house. And we hung out on the beach, a lot! 

Brazil truly gave us a warm retreat from Chicago and we had a genuinely amazing time exploring Rio. The whole time there Laura kept saying that she wanted to go back some day, and Eric concurred. While it was a bit pricey in Rio, we definitely saw it the right way, not on our dime =) Enjoy our pictures and know that we are always down to visit Rio!

It was just 5 weeks after we returned home from Rio that we found out we were having a baby!


Christ the Redeemer

The view from where Cristo Redentor is.

Laura and Eric, livin it up.

At the Rio Botanical Garden

Watching a soccer game

Shopping with friends in the night market

Celebrating after a successful presentation

Before dinner one evening

A seafood dinner out

At the brazillian steakhouse (Churrascaria!)

In front of the sugar loaf

Beer by the side of the harbor

In front of a submarine...with Ami

Eric and the destroyer

Exploring downtown Rio

A view from the boat

Coming at ya, guns hot!

Battle stations!

Damn the torpedoes!

With Matt and William on the boat

The customs house of Rio!

Laura in front of the house

Great view of Copacabana beach from the hotel room

Around town

Up on the sugarloaf!

Waiting in line to get to Cristo Redentor with the Kellogg crew

Up on the way to Christ the Redeemer

Eric and the statue

Laura and the statue

In front of the Sunday restaurant.  Another buffet, this one was all feshwata

Elephant ears!

Pretty as a pink flower..at the botanical garden

On the tour bus

In downtown Rio...this was a cool looking church

Cool street downtown

In front of the customs house

Around the customs house

Stained glass with the crest of the Emperor

Eric and William, our tour guide and work associate

Where do these stairs go? (To the dungeon..pay your taxes or else!)

Outside!

Enjoying the breeze...

At the market!

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