Copacabana is also a famous
neighbourhood located in the south zone of
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. It used to be called 'Princesinha do Mar' (
Little Princess of the Sea) during the
30's,
40's and
50's, when it was the
fanciest place to live in the city. There was even a song praising the place.
With a stunning
beach and lovely houses,
everybody who was anybody lived and visited Copacabana. There were magnificent
theaters,
movie theaters, street
carnival and
joie de vivre.
In recent years, however, all this popularity
backfired: *everybody* wanted to live in Copacabana and this lead to the construction of tall apartment buildings of doubtfull
architectural taste and general
decay of
living standards. But it still holds much of it's former
beauty and glamour, being a major destination for
tourists.
Some say Copacabana is a world of it's own and you can find absolutely everything there -
good or
bad. I'm quite conviced of this, having lived here for the last 12 years. It's a strange, wild place, but it's home.
Here follows the song mentioned on the begining of the node:
'Copacabana'
by
Alberto Ribeiro and
Braguinha
Existem praias tão lindas
Cheias de luz
Nenhuma tem o encanto
Que tu possuis
Tuas areias
Teu céu tão lindo
Tuas sereias
Sempre sorrindo
Copacabana princesinha do mar
Pelas manhãs tu és a vida a cantar
E à tardinha o sol poente
Deixa sempre uma saudade na gente
Copacabana o mar eterno cantor
Ao te beijar ficou perdido de amor
E hoje vivo a murmurar
Só a ti Copacabana eu hei de amar
Translation:
There are beaches so beautiful
Full of light
None has the enchantment
That you possess
Your sand
Your sky, so lovely
Your mermaids
Always smiling
Copacabana, little princess of the sea
In the mornings, you are life that sings
And by late afternoon, the setting sun
Leaves us feeling it's absence
Copacabana, the eternal singing sea
Was lost in love when he kissed you
And today i hum all day long
That i'll love only you, Copacabana