We had a nice day in Rio de Janiero commemorating Valentine's day. Ken was up at the crack of dawn for a scenic view of Rio as we entered the harbor. Rio has a population of 10 million and it is a beautiful cosmopolitan city. Indeed, I find that Rio de Janeiro has a spirit similar to that which I feel when I visit San Francisco, London, Chicago and New York. Perhaps I shall never know whether that "spirit" which I find so unique is a reflection of my attitude with the air or whether the air shares its attitude with me. Nevertheless, I feel a kinship with these cities and as I leave each of them I quietly vow to return if permitted. Our visit to this lovely city was just one week prior to their very special celebration of Carnaval. Signs of their "state of readiness" were apparent everywhere and the city seemed to be bubbling with the enthusiasm of celebration. A down side to a visit in Rio is the crime that seems to be rampant and uncontrolled. If I were to be so rude as to dare make a suggestion to its politicos, I would suggest that they devote much time and effort into that single problem. Crime is a major problem in Brazil and it is a great deterrent to its desirability as a tourist destination. We had selected a visit to the H Stern factory and labs so off we went for our day of excursion. Inasmuch as it was Valentines Day perhaps I should inform our family that we did not buy them jewelry as a substitute for the valentines we did not give. In fact – we hope you all had a wonderful valentines day and that each of you extended wonderful loving thoughts to your loved ones as a reminder of how special they are. After our visit to the Stern labs, we had lunch downtown at a restaurant recommended by our guide and then did a drive past the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana and up to a hilltop that provides a wonderful overview of the city and its signature sights. On a clear day the view is awesome and provides a spectacular photo op for the Christ the Redeemer Statute and Sugarloaf. Alas, the weather was rainy and cloudy all day so all views of the marvels of Rio were "cloud covered" but still striking. We returned to the ship for what was billed as a 6PM departure but several of our tour buses ran into unexpected delays and our departure was similarly delayed. Nevertheless, it was another good day and a suiting finale to our shore experiences for this leg of our South America excursion. We have two days at sea and are scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires Tuesday morning. Our next leg commences Wednesday at 5PM and our first stop on that leg will be Montevideo on Thursday. This is the leg which features the "real beauty" of this trip and the most varied of weather. Until meaningful eventsagain cross our paths, we send our love and best wishes from beautiful South America where the ocean is calm and the weather beautiful. Wish you were here!!!
 Ken and Pat Burns from the road and/or the sea
just as happy as can be 
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