Imperial Museum of Brazil / Museu Imperial do Brasil

(Versao em Portugues no final da pagina)

Imperial Museum

The Imperial Museum of Brazil is situated in the historic city of Petropolis in Rio de Janeiro state. It was built in 1845 and it’s where the royal family (D. Pedro II) used to spend their summer holidays.

Imperial family

If you visit Rio de Janeiro, why not go up the mountains and visit the museum? It’s a short bus ride (less than 1 hour) away.

Wearing slippers / usando as pantufas

Once you get your tickets, you are asked to wear slippers (pantufas) but there’s no need to take your shoes off. It’s fun to slide away inside the museum. If you have bags or rucksacks you’re also asked to store them away in the lockers provided. Cameras are not allowed inside the museum. However, when you get to the chariots palace in an outside building, photographs are allowed.

Leopoldina Train

For further information on the museum, check their website – it’s all in Portuguese, though.

Versao em Portugues:

O Museu Imperial do Brasil esta localizado na historica cidade de Petropolis, no Rio de Janeiro. Foi construido em 1845 e eh onde a familia real (D. Pedro II) costumava passar as ferias de verao.

Se voce visitar o Rio de Janeiro, por que nao aproveita para subir a serra e visitar o museu? A viagem de onibus eh bem curtinha (menos de 1 hora).

Assim que voce compra os ingressos, eles pedem pra voce calcar pantufas mas nao precisa tirar os sapatos. Eh bem divertido patinar pelos corredores do museu. Se voce tiver bolsas ou mochilas, eles pedem que voce as guarde no guarda-volumes que ficam dentro do museu. Nao eh permitido tirar fotos dentro do museu mas no predio anexo, onde ficam as carruagens, fotos sao permitidas.

Para mais informacoes sobre o museu, visite o website – esta todo em Portugues.

The Museum’s beautiful garden

 

 

Nuclear Power Station in Angra dos Reis, RJ / Usina Nuclear em Angra dos Reis, RJ

(Versao em Portugues no final da pagina)

If you happen to be in Angra dos Reis, RJ, you can visit the Nuclear Power Station also known as Angra 1 (since 1985) and Angra 2 (since 2001) – Angra 3 is being built at the moment.

There are guided tours for groups of 15 to 40 people that need to be previously booked by phone.

As there were just 4 of us, we were able to go in the Visitors’ centre only. There are heaps of information there plus a 7 minute video. However, it’s all in Portuguese only.

Nuclear Reactor (Angra 2) / Reator Nuclear (Angra 2)

Angra’s nuclear reactor is approximately 10 metres high and weighs 233,000 kg! This type of reactor – PWR –  is the safest in the world and there are only 240 units all over the world.

Video at the Visitors’ Centre / Video no Centro de Visitantes

Useful info on Angra 1:

Reactor: PWR

Project: Westinghouse

Energy Power: 657 Mwe

Useful info on Angra 2:

Reactor: PWR

Project: Siemens / KWU

Energy Power: 1,309 Mwe

Visitors’ Centre

 

Versao em Portugues:

Se voce estiver em Angra dos Reis, RJ, voce pode visitar a Usina Nuclear, tambem conhecidas como Angra 1 (desde 1985) e Angra 2 (desde 2001) – Angra 3 esta sendo construida no momento.

Existem tours guiados para grupos de 15 ate 40 pessoas que precisam ser previamente agendados por telefone.

Inside the Visitors’ Centre

Como nos eramos 4 pessoas, a gente so pode entrar no Centro de Visitantes. Tem muita informacao la e tambem tem um video explicativo de 7 minutos. Tudo em portugues apenas.

O reator nuclear de Angra tem aproximadamente 10 metros de altura e pesa 23 mil kilos! Esse tipo de reator – PWR – eh o mais seguro do mundo com 240 unidades em operacao em todo o planeta.

Dustbin at the visitors’ centre / lixeira no centro de visitantes

Informacoes uteis de Angra 1:

Reator: PWR

Projeto: Westinghouse

Potencia: 657 Mwe

Informacoes uteis de Angra 2:

Reator: PWR

Projeto: Siemens / KWU

Potencia: 1,309 Mwe

Angra 1 and Angra 2

Lyme Regis (Dorset, England)

(Versao em Portugues no final da pagina)

Last weekend we decided to take our Electric Car and go west (Go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeest!).

Destination? Lyme Regis in Dorset.

Distance? 69 miles from our house

EV Range? 90 miles

Rapid Charge on the way: Dorchester (charge your car) for 1 hour

Lyme Regis is a very beautiful ancient town at the Dorset- Devon border which is featured in the Domesday Book. The town is famous for its fossils, landscape and  films such as Persuasion and  The French Lieutenant’s Woman.

When we got there, we left our car charging at a car park and we went for a quick walk long The Cobb (the harbour wall) and had chips. We didn’t spend much time there but it’s definitely a place worth visiting again. We decided to set Lyme Regis as our destination for our first “go-west” trip in our electric car and we were pleased to know that it was doable.

Although we used a rapid charger in Dorchester which is on the way to Lyme Regis we didn’t need to stop there again on the way back 🙂 and we still had 16 miles on the clock (ok, ok it was a flashing red light haha). A bit of range anxiety on my part but we made it!

Hope you like the photos and if you’d like to know more about what to see and do in Lyme Regis, click here.

It was worth going down 113 steps from the car park 😉 / Valeu a pena descer 113 degraus do estacionamento.

Having chips 🙂 / Comendo batata frita 🙂

Versao em Portugues:

No fim de semana passado resolvemos pegar nosso Carro Eletrico e seguir oeste (o que nos fez lembrar a musica do Pet Shop Boys: Go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeest!)

O destino? Lyme Regis em Dorset.

A distancia? 69 milhas da nossa casa

Autonomia do carro eletrico? 90 milhas

Carga Rapida no caminho: em Dorchester (atraves do charge you car) por 1 hora.

Lyme Regis eh uma cidadezinha muito bonita que fica na fronteira entre Dorset e Devon e consta no livro Domesday. A town eh famosa pelos fosseis, paisagem e filmes como Persuasion e The French Lieutenant’s Woman.

Ao chegarmos la, deixamos nosso carro carregando no estacionamento e fomos dar uma volta pelo The Cobb ( onde os barcos ficam) e comemos batata frita. Nao ficamos muito tempo por la mas definitivamente vale a pena visitar de novo. Decidimos por Lyme Regis como nosso destino pois foi a primeira vez que fizemos uma viagem – no carro eletrico – seguindo pro oeste e ficamos contentes em saber que eh viavel.

Apesar de termos usado um rapid charger (carregador rapido) em Dorchester que fica no caminho para Lyme Regis nos nao precisamos fazer o mesmo na volta 🙂 e ao chegarmos em casa ainda tinhamos 16 milhas no painel (ok, ok, a luz vermelha estava piscando haha). Um pouquinho de ansiedade de autonomia de minha parte mas conseguimos!

Para saber mais sobre Lyme Regis, clique aqui.

Driving in the countryside / Dirigindo pelas estradas rurais

Here’s a video we’ve made while driving our electric car in the countryside 😉

Autumn 2015

Aqui vai um video que fizemos enquanto dirigiamos nosso carro eletrico pelas estradas rurais (campo) 😉

Outono 2015

Farm Shops

Versao em portugues no final da pagina:

I’m really not sure about this but I don’t think I have ever seen Farm Shops in Brazil. The closest I’ve seen would’ve been grocery shops (Hortifruti) or street markets.

Unlike street markets, Farm Shops here are open every day from Monday to Saturday. Farm shops here in the UK sell fruit and veg and different cuts of meat all of which are free range and free from preservatives. Not to mention the price! It’s way cheaper than the big superstores. Also, shopping at farm shops is a great way to encourage local businesses to keep going.

Gluten Free products! Yay!

There are many farm shops round where I live and last weekend my husband and I went to one in a different town and one thing that caught my eye is that they had temporary kennels (if I can call them that) where you could leave your dogs while you went shopping.

Dogs in their temporary kennels

Anyway, if you haven’t been to one, I suggest you do because they have a wide variety of things 😉

PS – Going to farm shops is also a great way to improve your English vocabulary 😉

Versao em Portugues:

Eu nao tenho certeza mas acho que nunca vi Farm Shops no Brasil. O maximo que vi foram os hortifruti granjeiros ou feiras de rua. Tambem nao sei como se traduziria “Farm Shops” (lojas da Fazenda? rs)

Diferente das feiras de rua, as Farm Shops funcionam todos os dias de segunda a sabado. Farm Shops aqui no Reino Unido vendem frutas, verduras, diferentes tipos de carne e tudo eh free-range (os animais vivem soltos e “felizes”) e sem conservantes. Isso sem falar no preco! Eh bem mais barato do que nos supermercados. Outra coisa, as farm shops tambem sao uma otima oportunidade para manter o comercio local a todo vapor.

Existem muitas farm shops perto de onde eu moro e no fim de semana passado eu e meu marido fomos a um farm shop em uma outra cidade e o que me chamou atencao foi que neste farm shop eles tinham umas “gaiolas” (se eh que posso chama-las assim) para voce deixar seus cachorros enquanto voce faz suas compras.

Enfim, se voce ainda nao visitou um Farm Shop eu sugiro que o faca porque eles oferecem uma variedade de frutas, verduras e afins. 😉

PS – Visitar as Farm Shops eh uma otima maneira de se aprimorar o vocabulario em ingles.

Walk: Beaulieu to Buckler’s Hard / Caminhada: Beaulieu a Buckler’s Hard

Footpath between Beaulieu and Buckler’s Hard

(Portuguese version at the end of the page)

A nice day out

One of the good things about living in the countryside and away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities is the fact that you can go for a nice walk through the woods and along the rivers. How else would I spend a Monday off?

My husband and I decided to set off to Beaulieu, in the New Forest and use the footpath all the way to Buckler’s Hard. It’s roughly a 40-minute walk with breathtaking views of the woods and the river. We usually do it the other way round but today we decided to have lunch at Buckler’s Hard which proved to be a nice treat!

Walking through the woods

View of the boats in the river at Buckler’s Hard

Yep, one can go cycling there 😉

There are many things to do either in Buckler’s Hard or Beaulieu if you come down here for a day:

If you want more info on Buckler’s Hard, click here. Also, one thing we enjoy doing is having a pint at the pub whilst enjoying the view of the river with its lovely boats. If you’re into ships, why not visit the Maritime Museum too?

Buckler’s Hard

If you want more info on Beaulieu, click here. There are a few things that I’d recommend though: If you like cars, a visit to the National Motor Museum is a must. If you don’t want to eat at pubs, why not bring your own packed lunch and eat by the river near the donkeys and ponies? Just be careful as they might try and steal you food haha.

Versao em Portugues:

A nice day out

Uma das melhores coisas de se morar em area rural e fora da confusao das grandes cidades eh o fato de que voce pode dar umas caminhadas pelas florestas, matas e rios. Quer forma melhor de se passar uma segunda-feira de folga?

 Eu e meu marido decidimos ir a Beaulieu na New Forest e caminhar pelo footpath ate  Buckler’s Hard. Eh mais ou menos uns 40 minutos de caminhada com uma vista espetacular das matas e do rio. A gente geralmente faz o caminho invertido mas hoje decidimos almocar em Buckler’s Hard o que para nos foi um luxo!

Tem varias coisas para se fazer tanto em Buckler’s Hard quanto em Beaulieu se voce vier por essas bandas por um dia:

Para maiores informacoes sobre Buckler’s Hard clique aqui. Agora, uma das coisas que a gente costuma fazer eh beber uma pint no pub enquanto apreciamos a vista dos barcos no rio. Se voce curte barcos, por que nao aproveita e visita o Museu Maritimo tambem?

Para maiores informacoes sobre Beaulieu, clique aqui. Algumas coisas que recomendo sao: Se voce gosta de carros, uma boa pedida eh o National Motor Museum – la voce pode ver varios carros que foram utilizados nos filmes de James Bond. Se voce nao quiser comer em pubs, por que nao traz sua propria comida e faz um picnic na beira do rio perto dos burros e poneis? Apenas tome cuidado pois os animais adoram roubar comida hahhaha safados!

Cycling in the New Forest: Burley

(Portuguese version at the end of the page)

Today I decided to cycle to a village called Burley which is 9 miles from where I live.

The ride through the forest is quite pleasant and most cars respect cyclists.

road to Burley

Burley is a tiny village with lots of little shops and one cycle hire. So why not hop on a bus (or even drive there) and explore Burley and its surroundings by bicycle? It’s a great way to get some fresh air and to keep fit.

Cycling is rather popular in Burley

New Forest ponies

Burley

Burley is famous for being a “witches’ retreat” and many shops are witch-themed. The Queen’s Head pub was built in the 16th century and was notorious for smugglers (photo below).

  Burley is easily located in the heart of the New Forest, with great access from the A31 and A35. If you are using Sat Nav set your destination as BH24 4AB to head for the village centre.

Thanx for reading 😉

Texto em portugues:

Hoje eu resolvi pedalar ate o vilarejo de Burley que fica 9 milhas de onde moro (aprox. 15km).

O trajeto pela floresta eh bastante agradavel e a maioria dos carros respeita os ciclistas.

Burley eh um vilarejo minusculo com varias lojinhas e um cicle onde voce pode alugar uma bike. Entao que tal pegar um onibus (ou ate mesmo ir de carro) e explorar Burley e arredores de bicicleta? Eh uma otima maneira de respirar ar fresco e se exercitar.

Burley eh famosa por ser um retiro das bruxas e muitas lojinhas tem bruxaria como tema.

O pub chamado Queen’s Head foi construido no seculo 16 e era bem conhecido por ser um local de contrabando. (foto do pub acima).

Burley eh facilmente localizada no coracao da New Forest, com facil acesso pela A31 e A35.

Se usar SatNav (GPS): BH24 4AB

Esse eh o CEP (post code) que te levara ate o centro do vilarejo.

Obrigada pela visita!

Kingston Lacy

(Versao em Portugues no final da pagina)

If you’re ever in Dorset I suggest a visit to Kingston Lacy. It’s a country house and estate owned by the National Trust in Wimborne Minster. The National Trust is a conservation organisation.

The house was built to resemble an Italian Palace in 1663. It was completed 2 years later.

Philae obelisk

The  Philae Obelisk that can be seen in the pictures and video (sorry, it’s in Portuguese again! worth watching nevertheless) was found in Egypt and then acquired by William John Bankes, who used to own Kingston Lacy. There are 2 inscriptions on it and one of them is believed to be Ptolemy and Cleopatra in hieroglyphic characters.

It’s said that it would have taken 7 years to transport the obelisk to Kingston Lacy. Nineteen horses were needed to raise it upright.

The Duke of Wellington laid the foundation stone in 1827.

The house decorated for Christmas

Kingston Lacy, back door

Apart from the house itself, it’s worth going for a walk around the property and why not enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate at the tea room afterwards?

Lots to see on a lovely walk around the garden

Kingston Lacy:

Wimborne Minster,

Dorset

BH21 4EA

Portuguese Version:

Se voce estiver pelas redondezas de Dorset, eu sugiro uma visita a Kingston Lacy que eh uma country house (“casa do campo ou palacio rural”) e estate (propriedade) que pertence ao National Trust (orgao resposavel por conservar patrimonios historicos, tipo o IPHAN).

A casa foi construida com caracteristicas de um palacio italiano em 1663 e a obra foi concluida 2 anos depois.

O obelisco Philae, que pode ser visto nas fotos e video (no texto em ingles acima), foi encontrado no Egito e entao adquirido por William John Bankes que era o dono de Kingston Lacy na epoca. O obelisco possui duas inscricoes e numa delas esta escrito Pitolomeu e Cleopatra em hieroglifos.

Acredita-se que para transportar o obelisco ate Kingston Lacy levou 7 anos e dezenove cavalos foram necessarios para ergue-lo.

A base do obelisco foi colocada pelo Duque de Wellington em 1827.

Alem da casa, vale a pena tambem fazer uma caminhada ao redor da propriedade e para finalizar, porque nao se deliciar com uma caneca de chocolate quente?

PS – fotos e video podem ser apreciados no texto em ingles 😉

Breamore House

If you happen to be in Hampshire I’d recommend a visit to Breamore House.

Breamore House is a Manor House that was completed in 1583 and is one of the oldest estates in the area.

Nowadays, the house belongs to the Hulse family who still lives there.

The house is open to the public and a guided tour is recommended.

Unfortunately, photos are not allowed once you’re inside the house but I filmed its surroundings (sorry readers, the video is in Portuguese but you are very welcome to watch it nevertheless).

In 2005 Breamore House was used as one of the locations for the film Pride and Prejudice.

The adjacent Church of St Mary Breamore

Breamore house is situated just north of Fordingbridge, Hampshire.

Eden Project, Cornwall

When people mention England most of us think of London straight away, right?

Well, it’s quite natural to think of London once it’s the capital of England but do people think of Brasilia as soon as one mentions Brazil? I doubt it!

Anyway, this post is not about Brazil – not yet – but about other attractions that England has to offer. We’ll talk about Cornwall in the south west of England!

It’s an amazing county with an outstanding coastline, mild weather (good for surfers!) and one of my favourite ice cream flavours: clotted cream (to die for!).

Besides the above mentioned, the Eden Project is a must-see!

 The Eden Project 

In the photo you can see  adjoining domes that house thousands of plant species, and each enclosure emulates a natural biome.

Once you go inside, the temperature is quite tropical and you’ll be amazed to find all kinds of plants that wouldn’t stand a chance if they weren’t inside these domes.

Plants inside the domes.

Anyway, if you’re heading towards Cornwall I suggest you visit the Eden Project. Make sure you have a few hours to spare because there’s so much to see…

 The domes

Trivia: In 2002 the Eden Project was used as a filming location for the James Bond film, Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan 😉

Eden Project
Bodelva
Cornwall
PL24 2SG
UK