Update!!

So I know Brazil isn't in Europe and this Blog is about my experiences abroad in Amsterdam and Europe but I'm spending the summer in my aunt's house in Brazil and thought that my cultural experiences in Brazil would be a fun addition to the blog. So I'm extending the blog to my cultural experiences during my thirty week long excursion outside the U.S. I hope you enjoy my discoveries and stories.

Kisses,
Sofia

Forte de Copacabana

At the end of Copacabana beach there is a fort, Fort of Copacabana, there I learned a little bit about Brazilian history. Apparently in 1922 there was a revolt amongst a few military bases and the government, which at the time was an oligarchy. The Copacabana Fort was the only military base that lasted three days and launched attacks against the government bases. Originally there were 300 or so rebels who locked themselves in the Fort and fired cannons at the government bases but after the military positioned battle ships to bomb the Fort there were only 18 left. The rest of the soldiers escaped knowing that the Fort would not last against a modern battle ship. The 18 soldiers that were left fought for about a day against a troop of 3,000 government soldiers, though they lost and many died the story of their bravery lives on. The walls of the fort tell the story of their bravery in successfully planning the first military attack against the oligarchic government that had been in power for too long. Within the museum/fort there are the photos of the two surviving soldiers who along with the other sixteen are known as national heroes. The fort, which wasn’t completely ruined after the revolt lies on huge rock and the roof of the Fort is the top of the rock and there you can see all of Copacabana beach. It’s really beautiful, take a look...

At the Copa, Copacabana!

I’m in Rio de Janiero, Brasil and I’m super stoked because the last time I was here I got to spend a whole three days visiting the famous tourist attractions (O Cristo Redentor, Jardim Botanico, and all the famous beaches). Now I’ve seen everything a good tourist needs to see and I can just have fun like an average Brazilian teenager. However because of Global Warming Rio has been unusually cold and by cold I mean in the mid 60’s °F, so no bikinis. With sunbathing out of the picture there isn’t much to do in Rio during the middle of the week, especially when students still have class. So me and my cousin, Julia, decided to walk around Copacabana beach…