http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31216 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31216 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26525
Brasilia was built to be capital of Brazil. The city is lined with monuments, both political and civic:
Presidential Palace, Congress, Courts, Statues, large National buildings (Theatre, Museum, Cathedral), all are open to the public.

Most buildings were designed by the same architect, Oscar Niemeyer, and while each is distinct, all seem to match in perfect harmony.
Thanks to the planning, driving around is easy, by car or by bus and you can find good restaurants and shopping options all around the city. Anyone visiting Brazil should consider visiting Brasilia.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26525 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23761 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23761 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23759 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23759 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21216 The pousada is one of the cheapest options in that area so you shouldn’t expect much. For me, what’s important was to have a clean room in a good location (therefore security). But for instance, there’s no shampoo, the shower doesn’t always have hot water and the bed was quite hard.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21216 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18679 www.canuckspub.com).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18679 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17466 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17466 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15539 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15539 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12455
The selection of greens alone is massive: mustard, many types of lettuce, chicory, fennel, rocket, bok choy, fresh melokias (not many places outside of the Middle East where you can get it), spinach, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, watercress...stalls and stalls of massive bunches of fresh herbs: dill, mint, basil (several types), lemon grass, rosemary, oregano, coriander, parsley, sage - basically everything you can think of.

As for the fruit, it ranges from Amazonian looking stuff, to tropical: pineapples, papayas, mangoes (palmer, Tommy Atkins, small green citrus-flavoured ones, and more) and jackfruit. A good pérola pineapple when in season will impregnate the flat and your hands with its aroma for the whole day. It will be very sweet, not sharp and not fibrous. It literally melts in your mouth. Similarly a perfect mango.

There is also plenty of fruit more associated with temperate weather: apples, pears, strawberries, blackberries, plums, as well as Mediterranean-climate fruit such as watermelons, grapes and so forth.

Also at the markets: fish stalls, meat stalls, spice stalls (you can find most of the basics you'll need for curries, for example), hardware, cheap toys.

The tradition is to drink a cane-juice (with lime juice) and eat a fried "pastel" (minced meat or palm heart are my favourites).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12455 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12437 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12437 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12436
Lebanese ingredients, plus olives, dried fruit, hams, cheeses...

Good spirits on special offer. Arak, vodkas, slivovitz.

Lots of one-off promotions (the only place I've ever seen Stilton in São Paulo, but it didn't last) such as sudden gluts of Hungarian gherkins or cranberry juices.

Jewish food counter with Kreplach, stuffed chicken neck and so on.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12436 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11374 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11374 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11372 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11372 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9202
Corinthians, nicknamed 'Timao' were actually given to me by someone I chatted to about which team I was going to support. The conversation I had on arrival in Brazil for the first time in 1995 ran roughly as follows: "What's your team over here then?" "I don't know, not decided yet" "What do you mean?" "My team in England is Manchester City, and we only really have extreme success or failure - we won 4 major cups in 3 seasons in the late 60s/70s but we've been relegated loads of time and we know how to screw up a game we should have tied up - and the fans are 'muito fiel' (very loyal) I want to support a team like that here." The upshot was that the man basically told me that only Corinthians could fit the bill becuase their support is known as 'O Fiel' and because they too regularly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I asked who their famous players were and he said Socrates, Rivelino and Casagrande. My dad used to gush about Socrates and that nailed it for me. As an English lad doing a year of his degree in Brazil it further enthused me that the club's home ground is the Parque Sao Jorge (Saint George Park). However, the club mainly plays home games at the Morumbi Stadium, home of one of their hated rivals, São Paulo (the other rival being Palmeiras, the former team of Roberto Carlos and, later, Luis Felipe Scolari).

It's said of Corinthians that where most football clubs are followed by their fans, Corinthians is a set of fans who happen to drag a football club in their wake. Their most controversial group of supporters, the organised supporters network 'Gavioes da Fiel' (Hawks of the Faithful) organise a massive carnival parade and if football were banned, then as long as there was anyone left in Brazil in the first place, the Gavioes would celebrate Corintianidade ('Corinthian-ness') with drums and dancing anyway. They also famously invade other clubs' grounds and make away games feel like home matches, as they did in the 70s with a legendary clash with Flamengo at the Maracana in the Rio-Sao Paulo Cup.

Brazilian club football has taken many batterings over the years with corruption and low attendances, but if you want a team that will never provide a dull moment, this is it. And their kit looks cool.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9202 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7044 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7044 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7043 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7043 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5850 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5850 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5786 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5786 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5783
One tip: do not order anything else as the salads are huge, even the small one - they come in small, medium and large - and are expensive considering local prices. On the other hand, I don't think anyone would wish they'd had pasta or meat instead. It really is that good. Unless you're a party of four plus, order the small one. Afterwards, a nice walk in the Jardins district and perhaps some shopping can be a nice way to end a lazy Sunday afternoon.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5783 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5424 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5424