Over the hills, under the moon - and off the beaten path

João Goulart, the main road, which winds up along the steep slope of the  Vidigal favela, is normally teeming with traffic -  motorcycles, cars and lorries cruise up and down at breakneck speeds.  Normally, but not on the evening of Boa Sexta-feira, The Good Friday, when everything comes to a standstill during the enacting of the way of the suffering Christ. The darkness is lit up by  twinkling candles, carried by hundreds of pedestrians - all following the young man, who's designated to carry the cross up the hill. Along the route, neighbors have erected candlelit alters, each displaying a small figurine of the virgin Mary. They stand, praying, while the procession slowly passes by. - Pai de Misericórdia durante esta época de arrependimento olhai com compaixão para nós. The priest, walking in front, belts out the words. - Father of Mercy during this time of repentance, look with compassion on us. We walk solemnly up the alleys - until t...

As  our friends know well: We're not into football, but when you happen to be in Rio on the day of a Fla-Flu match, you just can't sit at home. Fla-Flu - the more than one hundred year old, intense rivalry between the two local clubs of Flamengo and Fluminense - is considered among the most beguiling derbies in the entire world. Unfortunately - this Sunday the two teams didn't, as is normally the case, clash together on  the fabled Maracanã stadium. If that had happened, we absolutely would have tried to get seats at the 'Clássico das Multidões' (the derby of the masses) - on the packed bleachers surrounded by what is described as a pandemonium of flags, banners and fireworks. This Sunday, the Fla-Flu match was (by reasons we didn't understand) placed on an obscure stadium far from Rio and we had to make do with watching it at one of the local taverns. Prior to a 'fla-flu' encounter the excitement is building up all over Rio -...

I'm beginning to feel a little bit as a Favelean now - and even though we have this very tiny kitchen in our apartment, today I went out shopping for one of the classic local dishes - beans and rice. First and foremost because it tastes so good (we had it as our first meal at a street kitchen in Salvador, shortly after our arrival), but also because it is one of the basics in Brazilian kitchen - just like "sauce and potatoes" is in the Danish. Now, I'm cooking, while, somewhere deep below, Michael is out running his daily distance along Ipanema beach. Eventually he has to climb the many hundreds or perhaps thousand steps leading up to our building on the mountain slope. I hope, he'll be building up a healthy appetite, because there will be plenty  in the casserole. Here is the recipe I have chosen: Rice and beans or  “o arroz com feijão” : 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 tablespoons of diced bacon or use a selection of salted meats (ready ...