Golf is the new olympic sport!

It is official, golf will be played for the first time since 1904 in the Summer Olympics, right here in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games. The 2009 decision from the International Olympic Commission (IOC) came much to the delight of golf fans around the world. While the current options for golf courses are limited, Rio’s two eighteen-hole courses are top-rate and have unforgettable views of the city.

The Itanhangá Golf Club in Barra da Tijuca sits nestled between hills and the Tijuca National Park. The private country club offers memberships for those who have come to Rio for the long term, but those just passing through can buy day passes for R$250 on weekdays, or R$350 on weekends. Discounts are given for seven-day passes and to groups.

Spanning between Tijuca National Park and the beach at São Conrado, the Gávea Golf & Country Club is the city’s other golfing option. Built in 1926, the club offers a par 69 course and a clubhouse with a nostalgic ambiance of the grand old days. Visitors to the club can take-in the views of both Pedra da Gávea and the Morro Dois Irmãos hills between holes of golf. The country club offers limited memberships but golfers can buy eighteen-hole day passes for R$350 on weekdays and R$400 on weekends.

Earlier this year, the Itanhangá Golf Club and Gávea Golf & Country Club stepped forward and put their courses in the hat to host the golf tournament of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. But the news came through that they had not won the bid. The IOC did not pick either of Rio’s existing courses, but instead decided to build a third one specifically for the Olympics near Lagoa de Marapendi in Barra da Tijuca.

Visitors to Brazil who want to get out of the busy city and try the relaxed feel of one of Rio de Janeiro State’s resort towns, should head up the coast to luxurious Búzios. The Búzios Golf Club offers day passes for R$165, or seven-day golf passes for R$808. Golfers can also save some time and money for the beaches and bars in Búzios by practicing on the driving range for only R$18.

Whether scouting locations for the Summer Olympic or just trying to work-off their handicap, golfers in Rio have some great options, each with their own awe inspiring views.

For further information:

www.gaveagolfclub.com.br

www.itanhanga.com.br

www.buziosgolf.com.br

Rio 19ºC/66ºF

Cold and rainy!!

Hitchcock Film Festival in Rio

A wave of terror has washed over the Centro Cultural Banco do Brazil (CCBB) recently Alfred Hitchcock’s film festival. Their tribute to the Master of Suspense, which began on June 1st and runs through until July 14th, will showcase a retrospective of his work and, much to the delight of film buffs and thrill seekers alike, will include 59 films, 127 television episodes, and 8,954 minutes of suspense.

All of Hitchcock’s classics will be featured, including famous titles such as Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window, and North by Northwest.

Born in the late 1800’s, the British filmmaker had a modest upbringing. He worked as a draftsman and an advertising director at a cable company before dabbling in writing. He began publishing short stories in his company’s in-house publication and in 1920, landed a full time job as a title card designer in a film studio in London.

Hitchcock helped in title design, art direction, and writing until he got his first big break when a director fell ill and he was asked to complete his film. His career rose from title designer to director and producer in a span of only 5 years, and in the 1940’s he made the move to Hollywood.

A pioneer in the filmmaking world, he crafted haunting psychological thrillers and evocative mysteries. Although his films received fifty Oscar nominations in total, including five Best Director nods, Hitchcock himself won none. He died in his sleep in 1980 due to renal failure.

The CCBB tribute is fitting for Brazil. In 1945 Hitchcock directed and produced a thriller entitled Notorious, starring actors Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains. The plot centers around Bergman, an American woman sent to Brazil to infiltrate a gang of Nazis. While awaiting assignment in Rio, Bergman falls in love with Grant, an American government agent.

When asked why his films were so popular, Hitchcock declared that, “everybody likes to be scared.”

For further information  visit the CCBB Hitchcock site at www.mostrahitchcock.com.br

Place: Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB),

66 Primeiro de Março st,  Centro

 Date: June 1st through July 14th

 Time: Tuesday through Sunday, from 9AM to 9PM

Rio 22°c/72°F
Beautiful first days of winter, lots of sun!!!

In love with Rio

Made by producer Makulele the video "Poetry in motion" reveals a city full of rhythm that breathes and pulses in the poetry of their shapes, colors, lights, people and words. This little declaration of love for Rio de Janeiro shows how its natural beauty is fluid and how each moment is so beautiful and unique and is lived intensely by cariocas, the native people from Rio.








Rio 22ºC/72°F
Beautiful sunny day