Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second largest city, is a place of contrasts, spectacular vistas, dazzling beaches, and the persistent beat of Samba drums. Florianopolis is a thriving Brazilian provincial capital, filled with vividly colored colonial buildings, among them one of the strangest palaces I've ever visited. Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, has its own proud history and bittersweet memories, as well as what has to be one of the most energetic gathering places in Latin America. Just across the muddy Rio de la Plata from ... (more)