The weather was considerably nicer so I started work a bit earlier to be able to take advantage of it later in the day. But first, I made the quick walk over to an Ipanema seafood institution – Satyricon – for a late lunch.

Nestled in the middle of a nice residential street, the restaurant had all of the trapping of an old school high-end seafood spot in the best possible sense.

The servers were dressed in suits, and the elegant main dining room was lined with classic touches, including the buffet of raw seafood representing their offerings of the day. There was even the standard grand dame who had probably been going there for decades being catered to by the maitre d.

While several things on the (decidedly not cheap) menu that interested me, the skewered of grilled fresh seafood seemed to be the best way to get a variety of things on a single plate. Served with the standard broccoli rice, it was a bountiful catch of shrimp, squid and snapper that was absolutely delicious.

To walk off my meal, I turned back to towards the promenade and strolled alongside the beach. While not as crowded due it being a Wednesday, it was still pretty lively. Plus the weather was now pretty much perfect so after checking back on a couple of items at work, I grabbed one of beach chairs in my apartment and soon my feet were on the cool sand.

This also seemed like a good time to actually get in the water for at least a bit. It was indeed as cold as locals had warned me so my time in it was brief but relaxing as there were some nice sized waves crashing around me.

It was probably a good thing this perfect day was on my last full day in Rio because had it been this way my entire away, it would be much tougher to leave. I sat in my beach chair watching the sun quickly sink behind Sugar Loaf Mountain and let it all just sink in, pure bliss.

Because of my heavy lunch, I opted for something both hyper local and simple. I had passed by multiple time this bakery/sandwich shop a couple of blocks from me that also had pizzas at night. A simple margherita sounded perfect to me so I grabbed one of the small outside tables.

Unfortunately, it turned out that pizza was only at their other location in Copacabana – d’oh. Still, I took that as a sign it was supposed to eat healthier so instead I selected the panzanela salad with smoked salmon.

This turned out to be a great alternative as it was a very good salad. The salmon was buttery smooth and the fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes were covered in a bright honey sesame sauce.

I had also picked this place because I could order a sandwich for my trip to São Paulo the next day but as I went inside to do that I was stopped in my tracks by a truly scrumptious looking giant brownie. I was even more pleased when they asked if I wanted heated and then put a caramel sauce on top. So much for eating healthier but oh so worth it.

Next door was the microbrewery I had visited previously so I opted for one final Rio nightcap of their new strong ale I had sampled last time.

I chatted a bit with the same server from the other day and the manager who was from Buenos Aires. She was pleased I spoke her native tongue, and I shared some of my experiences from my temporary stay, agreeing January is the worst there.

I said my goodbyes and walked back to my place. It had been a very fun, eventful stay in Ipanema but I was glad to end it on a more relaxing note. I’d be off to the final mini leg of my trip tomorrow so it was time for a last night’s sleep in this tropical urban paradise.