More airlines move into Terminal 3 at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport

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Screen Shot 2014-08-20 at 12.04.41Opened in May 2014, the new Terminal 3 at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport continues to expand. During August 2014 four more airlines moved to the new terminal. These included Air France, British Airways, KLM, and Iberia. They join Air Canada, Alitalia, China Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Swiss Airlines, TAP, Turkish and United, that have already moved their operations to the new terminal. The main Brazilian carrier, TAM, will move later in the year by which time 80% of the airport’s international flights will be using the terminal.

While many carriers fly direct to Rio de Janeiro, many others choose to offer connecting international flights to-and-from Rio over São Paulo.

A number of new shops and restaurants have also opened including landside in the new terminal including the first Brazilian branch of Red Lobster which is located in the hallway that links Terminal 3 and 2. Other food options include Garrets, Carl’s Jr., Jimmy’s Buffet Margaritaville Ráscal, Viena Snacks, Desfruti, Olive Garden, Piola Piola and Casa Bauduco.

Stores include the bookshop Saraiva, FNAC, and airside, along GRU Avenue, can be found Amsterdam Sauer, Kate Spade, Lacoste, Track & Field, Coach, Burberry, Emporio Armani and Victoria’s Secret.

Screen Shot 2014-08-20 at 12.04.58Star Alliance has also opened its new Lounge. About 1,350 square meters in size, the lounge can accommodate up to 295 guests and is open daily from 12.00 noon to 03.00. Access is for passengers traveling on Star Alliance member airlines from Guarulhos in First or Business Class or holding Star Alliance Gold Status. The lounge is located on the mezzanine level, overlooking the atrium and the airport apron beyond, and can easily be reached by escalators or elevators.

In line with the new Star Alliance lounge concept, local touches and flavours have been combined with global branding elements. This has allowed for the creation of a very Brazilian look and feel, reflecting a strong artesian heritage. The use of wood, rope, natural fibers and typical ceramic finishing bring coziness to a sophisticated interior and provides a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere to customers.

The lounge was developed and is operated by In Flight Solutions Brasil on behalf of the Star Alliance. For those wishing to work, free Wi-Fi access is provided throughout the lounge, with convenient power and USB outlets available. A dedicated business center and free Wi-Fi printing is also provided.

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First equestrian teams qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics

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Screen Shot 2014-08-31 at 19.18.47With the results at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in France the eventing teams from Germany, Britain, Netherlands, France, Australia and Ireland have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Showjumping teams to qualify for Rio include the Netherlands, France, US, Germany and  Sweden.

They join the German, British and Dutch dressage teams that became the first in any sport to qualify for the Rio Olympic games.

Brazil has automatically qualified as the next Olympic host nation.

Ronnie Biggs publishes his novel written in Rio de Janeiro

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Keep On Running 2014One of Rio’s most famous and infamous foreign residents was the Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs. Biggs landed in Rio de Janeiro on 11 March 1970 and departed on 6 May 2001. He was “discovered” and arrested in Rio on 1 February 1974, and subsequently kidnapped on 16 March 1981.

Biggs tells the full story of his time in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro in his autobiography Odd Man Out: The Last Straw. He wrote his autobiography while living in Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro and then updated it when he was released from prison in the UK on 6 August 2009.

During his time in Rio de Janeiro, Biggs also wrote his one and only novel, Keep on Running, a book which was originally published in 1995, and has now been published on Kindle for the first time.

Keep on Running is a novel that draws on the true events surrounding the Great Train Robbery. It gives a dramatic account of what may have happened to the three men at the track who were never caught or charged. It covers their lives before, during and in the years immediately after the robbery in August 1963. It also features the shadowy character known to people on both sides of the law as the Ulsterman, and provides a dramatic solution to the puzzle as to whether or not there was a shipment of jewels on board the train and, if there was, why the owner never came forward.

The book is Biggs’ only novel, although he was very active in writing both poetry and lyrics, most famously for the Sex Pistols and Die Toten Hosen. He had also been involved in writing the screenplay for the film Prisoner of Rio.

The Kindle version of Keep on Running: A Story from the Great Train Robbery  is available globally direct from your local Amazon or Kindle store.

Australia
Brazil
Canada
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Spain
United Kingdom
USA

Biggs covers 2

Rio de Janeiro unveils the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic look

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rio2016_cenario_marcasWith now less than two years until the start of the Rio Olympics on 5 August 2016, the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games has launched and unveiled the new “look” for the Games.

The look will become familiar over the coming years and at the games itself as it will be used to decorate and enhance the sports facilities and the city, in addition to appearing on tickets, uniforms, credentials, licensed products, stores and more.

People that know Rio well will recognise many of the city’s famous landmarks that have been woven into the colourful design.

The new image, the organisers say, was inspired by Brazil, Brazilians and Rio de Janeiro:  “The look is multicoloured and vibrant as the harmonic diversity of our people. The look is organic and engaging like an embrace, inspired by our lush nature and human warmth. It brings fluid and energetic features, like our art, our identity.”

The games has also unveiled the logos to be used by the cities hosting the Olympic football tournament. As well as Rio they include the World Cup host cities and stadiums of Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador and São Paulo.

rio2016_cid_futebol_01_3Rio2016_1501Rio2016_1500Rio2016_1499

Streets

Brazilian mobile operators offer special packages for visitors

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Screen Shot 2014-07-31 at 12.35.41Thanks to the number of visitors who came to Brazil for the World Cup, a number of the local mobile operators now offer very straight forward packages for international visitors.

The big mobile operators in Brazil offering special packages for visitors are:

Rio and Brazil has a good telephone network and it is possible to direct dial to just about anywhere in Brazil or internationally.The country code for Brazil is +55 and Rio is +21.

The country has one of the world’s largest mobile phone networks (225 million subscribers and counting) and non-Brazilian mobile phones will work if they are tri or quad-band and that includes iPhones and BlackBerrys.

They think it is all over… It isn’t yet for football in Brazil

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ball in netIf you are sorry you missed out on the 2014 World Cup and watching international football in Brazil, you still have another chance in the shape of the Olympic football tournament that takes place 3 to 19 August 2016.

16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams will play in the tournament with Brazil qualifying for both as host. Brazil will be hoping to finally win Olympic football gold, the only major football title missing from the country’s CV.

During the Rio Olympic Games the matches will be played at the Maracanã Stadium, but there will also be games to see in four other World Cup stadiums in Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador (below) and São Paulo.

Salvador

First trailer for “Rio, Eu Te Amo”

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The first trailer for “Rio, Eu Te Amo“, which is part of the Cities of Love series, has been released. Produced by Conspiração Filmes, Empyrean Pictures and BossaNovaFilms, the film is set for an 11 September release in Brazil.

Among the directors involved in the project are Paolo Sorrentino, Vicente Amorim, John Turturro, Guillermo Arriaga, Stephan Elliott, Sang-soo Im, Nadine Labaki, Fernando Meirelles, José Padilha, Carlos Saldanha and Andrucha Waddington. Actors include Fernanda Montenegro, Rodrigo Santoro, Vincent Cassel, Jason Isaacs, Cláudia Abreu, John Turturro, Emily Mortimer, Marcelo Serrado, Harvey Keitel and Vanessa Paradis.

Rio’s carnival parade order for 2015

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Carnival 2014On Monday, 9 June,  on the eve of the World Cup, he League of Samba Schools (LIESA) made the draw to decide the date and order that the top samba schools in Rio de Janeiro will parade in 2015.

Sunday, 15 February 2015

  • Viradouro
  • Mangueira
  • Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel
  • Unidos de Vila Isabel
  • Salgueiro
  • Grande Rio

Monday, 16 February 2015

  • São Clemente
  • Portela
  • Beija-Flor
  • União da Ilha do Governador
  • Imperatriz Leopoldinense
  • Unidos da Tijuca

The winner in 2014, Unidos da Tijuca, has again chosen to go out last on the final night.