Perfect Day

A Day of Sunshine in Leblon

I woke up early today and went straight to the beach, at Posto 11, which is three blocks from my apartment. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the sand was warm. I took off all my jewelry, put the exact money for a coconut water and a beach umbrella in my bag. I put on my favorite bikini, grabbed my canga (brazilian sarong), book and sunscreen and went to enjoy the sea. The water was delicious, refreshing and crystal clear. I asked the person sitting close to me to watch my bag. I swam, talked to people I had never seen before, played with dogs.

After a few hours of reading, sunshine and sea, I got hungry and had lunch at Bracarense, one of the most traditional and famous bars in Leblon. There I ordered a cold beer and a bolinho de bacalhau (codfish appetizer), which is one of the specialties of the house. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, delicious! I also tried other snacks, such as bolinho de camarão com catupiry (shrimp and cheese appetizer), bolinho de feijoada (black bean stuffed with collard greens appetizer!). Everything was very tasty and well served. The energy of everyone at “Braca” is contagious.

After lunch, I went shopping at Shopping Leblon, one of the best malls in town. There I found several international stores such as Zara and Sephora, mixed with unique brazilian stores such as Salinas and Richards. I bought some new clothes, some beautiful accessories and some wonderful beauty products. I also stopped by Travessa bookstore and spent an hour looking at so many interesting books. I ended up not buying anything but had a great coffee there.

I finished my day in Leblon with a gelatto at Borelli gelateria, which is right next to Leblon cinema (now Kinoplex Globoplay). The diet pistachio cone made me immensely happy! I walked back to the beach again and watched the sunset; so many people playing volleyball, beach tennis, walking their dogs, riding bicycles. Who needs more than that to be happy?