My friend Claudia invited me to her colleague’s birthday party in Copacabana Wednesday night. The party was at a typical restaurant/bar here. They are usually outdoor restaurants along the sidewalk with a counter to order your food and tables set up under an awning. Everyone is very friendly. People who are originally from the city of Rio de Janeiro are called “Cariocas”. I am greeted by Claudia’s friends with a kiss on each cheek. (It’s more of a cheek-to-cheek embrace with air kisses.) The group of people at the party were mostly from her office at SporTV. I also met Flavio Canto, who is another famous Olympic athlete. He won the gold in a previous Olympics for Judo. Now he coaches kids in a lower income neighborhood. He is also on TV and is an ambassador for the Paralympics.
Claudia shows off Keating’s pirate picture more than I do!
Big crowd at the birthday party at a typical bar/restaurant in Copacabana.
Claudia, Nancy, Micheli Siqueira (very happy birthday boy, and Flavio Canto (famous Olympic Athlete for Judo, TV personality and Ambassador for the Paralympics)
They had big bottles of beer on the tables with small glass beer mugs. A bit different from our large beer mugs.