TAM moves terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Critical Divide

TAM Airlines, Brazil’s major international carrier, moved its operations on 27 May at London’s Heathrow Airport from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 where it joins a number of other oneWorld partners.

As a member of oneWorld, TAM’s passengers flying in business or with the right card, will be able to use the British Airways’ lounge in the terminal.

TAM currently offers a daily service between London and São Paulo with connecting onward services, while British Airways offers daily services to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro from London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

Art for Art’s Sake – The Commercial Galleries of Rio

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Critical Divide

To add a little something extra to the the section of our sister site, Rio: The Guide, that looks at the city’s museums and galleries, we have asked our good friends at Ronya, one of Brazil’s leading experts in sourcing, acquiring, and maintaining art, to come up with some suggestions of the commercial art galleries in Rio de Janeiro where you can find some of the best and most interesting contemporary and modern Brazilian art and discover new emerging talents.

Just click on the links below to go to the web sites of the respective galleries. And remember, commercial art galleries are a Brazilian way of life. You pass one, you enter, you appreciate. If you like something, and have the money, you buy it. If not, just look and enjoy.

Centro

Botafogo

Copacabana

Ipanema

Leblon

Gávea

Jardim Botânico

H.A.P.

Brazilian residents request 5.2 million tickets for Rio 2016

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Critical Divide

Brazilian residents have applied for 5.2 million tickets for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games during the first sales phase, which closed on 6 May. In a reflection of the local sporting culture, the most sought-after tickets were for volleyball, followed by football and basketball. In total, about 7.5 million tickets for the games will be put on sale.

For events that have more requests than available tickets, there will be a ticket ballot. The results of the draw will be announced in June, with a second sales phase starting in July. However, only Brazilian residents who entered the first phase will be able to participate in the second phase, with those who were unsuccessful first time around having priority in the second draw. The results of the second phase will be known in August. For Brazilian residents who did not enter the first two phases, there will be a first-come-first-served online sales phase in October.

Non-residents of Brazil who want to buy tickets for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games should enter into contact with the authorised ticket reseller (ATR) for their territory, that are featured on the Olympic section of thie Rio: The Guide site. Click Here

Rio Restaurant listings go live on “Rio: The Guide”

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Critical Divide

The Rio restaurant listings have now gone live on Rio: The Guide, the sister site to Brazil: The Guide, and can be found in the Eating Out section of the site, and also listed by area and type.

There are an estimated 10,000 restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, so we have decided to give you a selection of the best and most interesting in the key areas of town.

We also list what the critics and general public consider to be the best in town.

The site also has a full list of the hotels and hostels on offer in Rio de Janeiro.

Rihanna and Rod Stewart return to Rock in Rio 2015

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Critical Divide

Rihanna has been confirmed as the headline act at Rock in Rio on Saturday, 26 September 2015. The singer last played Rock in Rio in 2011when she shared the bill on the opening night with Elton John and Katy Perry. Perry also returns this year and will headline on Sunday, 27 September.

Rod Stewart returns to headline the night of 20 September. Stewart, like Queen, played at the first rock in Rio in 1985.

Other recent additions to the line up include Sam Smith, Royal Blood, Motely Crue , The Script and One Republic.

So far confirmed are:

Friday, 18 September: Queen, One Republic, The Script

Saturday, 19 September: Metallica, Motley Crue, Royal Blood

Sunday, 20 September: Rod Stewart, John Legend

Thursday, 24 September: System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age, Hollywood Vampires, CPM 22

Friday, 25 September: Slipknot, Faith No More, Mastodon, De la Terra

Saturday, 26 September: Rihanna, Sam Smith

Sunday, 27 September: Katy Perry, Ah-Ha, Cidade Negra

FIFA confirms football venues for Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Critical Divide

It has been confirmed that the Rio 2016 Olympic Games men’s and women’s football tournaments will take place in six cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Manaus, Brasília and Belo Horizonte. It has also been decided that the 58 matches will be staged at: Corinthians Arena (São Paulo), the Maracanã and Olympic Stadium (Rio de Janiero), Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador), Mané Garrincha Stadium (Brasília), Amazônia Arena (Manaus – photo) and the Mineirão (Belo Horizonte).

“The inclusion of Manaus in the Rio 2016 Olympic schedule will enrich the tournament with a visit of the football players to one of the most iconic locations in the world,” said Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman. “I am certain that the Amazon will welcome the Olympic world with a memorable celebration.”

Football is the only sport that will be hosted outside of Rio de Janeiro, with the tournament taking the Rio 2016 Games out to the rest of Brazil. There will be 16 teams in the men’s competition and 12 in the women’s tournament.

Marco Polo Del Nero, chairman of the FIFA Organising Committee for the Olympic Football Tournaments, said: “The Olympic football tournaments will be a fantastic opportunity to revive the great atmosphere seen during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, not only in Rio de Janeiro, but also in the other five cities. They did an excellent job in 2014, and now they can use the World Cup stadiums and infrastructure already in place to unite the country for a major event once more. I am confident that the participating teams will have an unforgettable Olympic experience.”

Two South American teams are already confirmed in the Rio 2016 men’s football competition: Brazil, as host country, and Argentina, as the winners of the South American under-20 championship. In the women’s tournament, Colombia confirmed their place, along with hosts Brazil, by finishing runners-up in last year’s Copa America. All the remaining places will be decided by April 2016.

The men’s Olympic football competition features players up to the age of 23 (born after 31 December 1992), with the exception of three ‘over-age’ players per nation. The16 teams will be divided into four groups of four and the competition will begin on 4 August, one day before the Olympic Games opening ceremony. The two best-performing members of each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The final will be played on 20 August, a day before the closing ceremony, at the Maracanã Stadium.

In the women’s competition there are no age restrictions. The 12 teams will be split into three groups of four, and matches will start on 3 August. The top two teams in each group and the two best third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals. The final will be played on 19 August, also at the Maracanã Stadium.

Where do you locate Rio’s Olympic flame in 2016?

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Critical Divide

Rio de Janeiro is going to have to decide where to put the Olympic cauldron and the Olympic flame, and this is on the list of points for Rio 2016 to discuss with the IOC.

The problem is that the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics will take place in the Maracanã while most of the track and field will take place in the Engenhão. The Maracanã only hosting a couple of the football games.

In the opinion of Rio the Guide and Brazil the Guide the best and most spectacular solution will be to locate the Olympic flame at the feet of the Christ the Redeemer statue on the summit of Corcovado.

The result would be the first Olympics when most of the host city and its visitors could easily see the Olympic flame at all times during the tournament. That would include the yachtsmen and women in the bay, the rowers on the Lagoa, the cyclists as they cross through Flamengo Park, the archery and marathon at the sambodromo, and so on.

No you won’t be able to see the flame at Corcovado from the Olympic Village in Barra, but neither would you see an Olympic cauldron tucked away in the Maracanã or Engenhão.

We really hope that Rio 2016 will have the courage to think out of the box and play to Rio’s strengths as there will be few host cities, if any, that will have a mountain in the centre of it to use with such an iconic global landmark.

And talking of iconic, we all remember the iconic shot that went viral at the end of the 2014 World Cup!

Rock in Rio 2015 takes shape

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Critical Divide

Queen, the stars of the first ever Rock in Rio in 1985 (photo), and Metallica are the latest acts to be added to the line-up for Rock in Rio 2015. Metallica last played Rock in Rio in 2013.

Queen and Metallica join other acts announced that include Katy Perry, who also performed in 2013, John Legend, A-Ha (that attracted a crowd of 198,000 in 1991 when the festival was staged at the Maracãna), System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age (who played in 2001), Slipnot (who played in 2011), Faith No More (who played in 1991), and Hollywood Vampires, the new super group made up of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry.

The festival takes place between 18 and 27 September 2015 close to where the Olympic Village is being built. Prior to that, in May, Rock in Rio will be staged for the first time in Las Vegas.

Happy 450th Birthday Rio!

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Critical Divide

On 1 March 2015 the city of Rio de Janeiro celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding. The date relates to the first time the Portuguese really made an effort to set up a colony in Rio after driving out the French.

The Portuguese Government had first ordered the Governor General of Brazil, Mem de Sá, then resident in Bahia, to expel the French colony in 1560. His fleet entered the harbour of Rio on 21 February 1560, and in just two days he had taken control of the settlement. His job done, Mem de Sá returned to Bahia but without taking the precaution of establishing his own garrison. With Mem de Sá’s departure, the French returned, this time to set up camp on the mainland close to what is today Catete.

It would not be until 1565 that the Portuguese returned to Rio under the command of the Governor General’s nephew, Estácio de Sá, who landed on 1 March of that year (the date of the 450th anniversary) just west of Sugar Loaf. A bitter two-year struggle then ensued with the French defeated by the arrival of Mem de Sá himself on 18 January 1567. Two days later, on 20 January, Estácio de Sá was mortally wounded by an Indian arrow while in combat with the French settlers and their native allies. With the death of his nephew, Mem de Sá moved the site of the new town to Morro do Castelo, an area in front of what is today Santos Dumont Airport.

For a full history of Rio de Janeiro CLICK HERE

Beija-Flor wins carnival 2015

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Critical Divide

Beija-Flor (the humming bird) is the champion samba school of Rio’s 2015 carnival with a samba that was based on the historic links between Equatorial Guinea and Brazil. It was one of three schools to choose Brazil’s relationship with Africa as its theme. Viradouro, which also chose Africa, came last and was relegated.

It is Beija-Flor’s 13^th carnival title, the first since 2011.

Salgueiro was runner up with a theme that looked at the tastes and customs of the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais, while in third came Grande Rio who had as its theme cards.

Grande Rio tied on points with Portela, which looked at 450 years of Rio surreal, and last year’s champion, Unidos da Tijuca, that had a theme based around Switzerland and one of the great characters of carnival, Clovis Bornay.

In a closely fought contest the full results were:

Beija-Flor (269.9 points out of 270)
Salgueiro (269.5)
Grande Rio (269.0)
Portela (269.0)
Unidos da Tijuca (269.0)
Imperatriz Leopoldinense (268.9)
Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel (268.5)
São Clemente (268.4)
União da Ilha do Governador (267.2)
Mangueira (267.1)
Unidos de Vila Isabel (266.2)
Viradouro (263.7)

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