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Back from Ipanema's plush beaches is the Lagoa Rodrigo de
Freitas, always referred to simply as Lagoa.
A lagoon linked to the ocean by a narrow canal that passes
through Ipanema's Jardim de Allah, Lagoa is fringed by
apartment buildings where Rio's most seriously rich and
status-conscious live.
Until recently, the lagoon's water was seriously polluted,
but a programme to clean it up has been remarkably
successful and the lagoon's mangrove swamps are now
recovering.
On Sundays, the shore surrounding the lagoon (which forms
the Parque Tom Jobin, named in memory of Rio's famed
bossa nova composer who died in 1994) comes alive as
people walk, rollerblade, jog or cycle the 7.5km perimeter
pathway, play or watch baseball (a popular meeting place for
American residents), or just watch the passers-by. Summer
evenings are especially popular when, on the west side of
the lagoon in the area known as the Parque dos Patins
(Skaters' Park), there are food stalls, live music and
forró dancing.
There are about 20 kiosks
around Lagoa. Each one with Brazilian food specialties.
There are also two of them with Mediterranean and Italian
food.
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The kiosks play music
according to the food they serve, so you can delight
yourself with a oustanding view, wonderful food and
Brazilian music.
The steep hill slopes behind the apartment buildings are
still well forested.
Parque da Catacumba (daily 7am-6pm) developed in its
place on one of the more accessible hills, by the southeast
corner of the lagoon on Avenida Epitácio Pessoa. It's a
wonderful shaded place to relax, and the dense tropical
vegetation forms an excellent backdrop for Brazil's only
sculpture park.
Lagoa Christmas tree
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