Breakfast and into a cab to meet Michael at the Teatro do Colon. Some kind of parades/protests going on, so we hop out of the cab a couple blocks away and high-tail it to arrive just in time. The tour guide is wonderful and we enjoy seeing the grand staircase, the beautiful hall with incredible 1/2 ton chandeliers where singer and orchestra members practice and relax,
and then get to sit in the Presidential box to view the auditorium. Lucky us – the philharmonic is practicing for tonight’s Strauss concert.
As we exit, we gaze up at the domed ceiling, which has the names of famous classical composers engraved, and the gold rim around the dome has a place for singers and performers to stand and look down, enabling them to be the “voice of God” or the Phantom of the Opera, depending upon the current performance.
When the tour was finished, we went to the Museo do Bella Artes (Find Arts Museum), and their small collection of impressionists, sculptures and Goyas. We then walked through the busy streets to find Roux, a restaurant highly recommended on an ex-pat foodie blog, entitled pickupyourfork.com. Directions and distance were murky, so we hopped in a cab and arrived pretty quickly.
Such a lovely spot! We order different entradas (first course), and all are seduced by description of the ribs for our main course…
We revel in the fact that we are the only english-speaking patrons, and enjoy every bite. No dessert is too appealing, so mom enjoys her tea with lemon, and then we head back to the hotel. I am feeling under the weather, so head upstairs for a two-hour nap, while Michael and his grandma enjoy some rummikub, and she heads to the local hair salon for a shampoo and blow-dry. She mentions her surprise at the hairdresser greeting she and Michael both with a kiss, but Senor Miguel tells us this is typical.
We hang out, and mom is picked up by Andrea and Francisco at about 7. A fond farewell, with words about our next trip from me, than Michael and I head back upstairs. He is downed with a headache pretty quickly, and I encourage him to drink water. After a while, I head out for an ice cream at Persicco, my chosen favorite spot, and I stop at a store to buy a couple of bananas and some bottled water. On the way home, because he said he hadn’t eaten much, I stop in a lovely cafe a few doors from our hotel, Ninina, and purchase a turkey sandwich and shrimp salad for us. After we eat, he’s feeling much better. We chatter on, then he heads back to his place for the night.
Aah, the peace and quiet of a night alone!!