Biking the Gardens and Lagoa in Rio

This morning, we decided to have an active adventure of biking around Rio. We cycled along Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon before heading to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. We went around the lake, pausing to look at our beautiful surroundings (and to make fun of my socks! Why, oh why, didn't I bring my Chacos?!). Once we got to the Jardim Botanico, we took a break from the bikes and walked around to appreciate the flora and wild fauna. Ryan couldn't believe that there were toucans, parrots, and even monkeys just hanging around. We loved all the ancient trees and were grateful for the King of Portugal that started his collection of native and imported plants and trees centuries ago. It is such a beautiful, relaxing place...unless you need to pee. That's right, every bathroom seemed to be out of commission and I almost gave up all modesty before finally finding one. Afterwards, I was better to appreciate all the fountains, ponds, waterfalls, and even the pitter patter of the rain, much more! Soon, our stomachs were calling out for food and we cycled around trying to find a good place. We stopped at the Flamengo Club (soccer team) and were hoping to get a guest pass into their restaurant, but there were too many important people there so it was closed to us. We wandered into the Flamengo store and ended up being filmed for a fluff news story about the upcoming Lover's Day (dia dos namorados). Ryan pretended to be buying a present for me at the store. It was hilarious. Somehow, every time I come to Brazil, I end up being on TV! After leaving, we ended back at Ipanema for a little pasta while we watched a soccer game. All in all, it was so much fun that we decided that we should always rent bikes when we travel. It's such a fun way to get to know a place. I'll just have to work on my city cycling so I don't get killed or have a heart attack!