Buzios was a fishing village (with 26 beautiful beaches) about 2 hours by car north of Rio de Janeiro until 1964 when Brigitte Bardot, tired of the paparazzi in Rio, arrived and immediately turned Buzios into a tourist destination.  Now, I’m told, almost all people who live there are involved in tourist trade.

We were tendered ashore (see tender photo above) and went on a walking tour.  Even along the shore it was hot (90 degrees I think) and many walkers dropped out along the way including Chris.  I’m not sure why we chose a walking tour—we mostly avoided them for the whole trip—since there was a trolley, catamaran, and schooner tour available.  But our guide was a lovely young man who taught Portuguese and English in high school; if I didn’t pay close attention I could even believe he was American since he had little accent.  There’s little to see in Buzios except the beautiful beaches, restaurants, and tourist shops as well as the bronze statues by a local artist dotted around town (two pictured above.) –Cynthia

Viking Speak: “We are not “Tourists”; we are “Travelers”!  Or when tendering folks from ship to shore, travelers are instructed to “disbark” the ship, not, I guess, to be confused with the effect of rubbing vigorously against a tree.  —Chris