At the Jardim Botânico, Zhi-Ning strolled down the avenue with Brazilwood and Royal Palms.

On July 12 we visited Rio’s famous Jardim Botânico.  It was created in 1808 by Prince Dom João VI to grow spices, but it is also the home to many tall trees of Pau-brasil or Brazilwood.  The botanical garden doesn’t just spotlight Brazilian plants.  There is also a Japanese garden, a bromeliads greenhouse, and an orchidarium.  I liked the insectivorous greenhouse, with its Venus Flytraps.  Bridget liked the cactus and succulent garden.

At the Japanese Garden, Paul posed on the ornamental bridge.

The garden is located in the Lagoa District, close to Lake Rodrigo de Freitas. We were grateful for an island of peace in the midst of Rio.  There was even a space at the garden dedicated to the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the samba composer.  At the end of our tour, we walked to a restaurant for lunch, then visited the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio, where Paul had studied international relations and Portuguese.

The Pontifical University was where Paul studied international relations and Portuguese.

After visiting the PUC, we took a bus to Ipanema.  There we sat by the beach until early evening, watching the lightning out over the Atlantic.  When it began to rain, we sprinted to the Girl from Ipanema bar.  We were soaked when we arrived, but had a great dinner at the site where Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes composed their famous song.  The next day, we took a ferry to the peninsula called Niteroi.