- I'm Lynn Elmhirst.

I'm a travel journalist with a deep passion for sailing the high seas.

My most cherished travel experiences have been by water.

The spectacular scenery, fascinating ships, and maritime traditions you can only experience when you cruise.

When the whole world went into dry dock, I bided my time by diving into my library of footage to relive some of my favorite travel memories, on the World's Greatest Cruises.

Today on World's Greatest Cruises, some travel colleagues and I are sailing on one segment of an extended Silversea Grand Voyage.

Our segment sails up the Atlantic coast of South America between two of its most iconic cities, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

The sea days in between give us lots of time for shipboard life on the Silver Muse.

It's one of the larger ships of this small-ship cruise line.

We're among 600 guests and 400 crew members on board.

The cruise line's Mediterranean heritage, is about more than about seafaring traditions.

On the Silver Muse, the Dolce Vita isn't just a way of life it's the name of the lounge where Italian coffee transitions to prosecco for a whole day of socializing.

Hand-crafted Neapolitan pizza and an actual Italian cobbler also make appearances on the upper decks.

Of course there's also international hospitality in the Silver Muse's dining venues, butler suites, and teak expanses of outdoor decks and verandas.

On this voyage, we're sailing to the rhythms of south America.

From the elegance and mystique of Buenos Aires, and its famous tango, (tango music) to the colorful countryside of coastal Brazil, all the way to the world-famous beaches, landmarks, lifestyle and sultry samba of Rio de Janeiro.

(samba music) And along the way, we're meeting taste makers, with new takes on local culture.

- Carnaval!

(tango music) - Our cruise on board the Silver Muse embarks from Buenos Aires, so naturally, we arrive a couple of days early to explore one of South America's most famous cities.

- [Analia] Buenos Aires is a city with a lot of character.

You know, you can find everything in Buenos Aires.

Every neighborhood is different.

La Boca is colorful, La Boca is tango, La Boca is immigration.

You go to Recoleta and you see that Recoleta is elegance.

It's glamorous.

The cemetery is amazing.

It's like a little city inside an amazing neighborhood.

And where is the whole history of Argentina?

Every important people, president, writers, Nobel prizes.

Everybody want to go to see Eva Peron.

Eva is there.

Everybody have a place in that cemetery.

It's completely unusual and beautiful, unique.

- And the Boulevard with the obelisk is so magnificent.

I've heard it's the biggest Boulevard in the world.

- [Analia] Yes, it's the widest one in the world.

Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America, really.

Very wide Boulevard.

Even the trees, you know, the Sycamores or the plain trees.

The rich people build their mansions in very French style.

All of them were built by European architects.

- [Lynn] What are the foods we must try when we are in Buenos Aires?

- [Analia] Well, of course you are in the country of the beef empanadas.

Empanadas is something you can have a at least once a day with a glass of Malbec wine, the famous red wine of Argentina.

You can finish your day, every day with us and you are going to be so happy.

And you have to try dulce de leche.

- Yeah.

Dulce de leche with brownies, which is my favorite one.

I can say, "okay yes, God, you can take me."

(Lynn laughing) - Okay.

- One thing that everyone comes to Argentina and Buenos Aires for is Tango.

(tango music) I think it might be the sexiest dance in the world.

- Yes.

- Do you agree?

- [Local Guide] Tango is very romantic.

Tango is the reflection of the people and the city, and it talks about the life of the people in the neighborhoods, you know, and mostly talk about love.

- [Lynn] Ah, everyone wants to talk about love.

(laughs) - Yeah.

(tango music) (crowd applauding) The next morning we took to a secluded street in Buenos Aires to meet a maker who's single handedly changing the world of tango one pair of shoes at a time.

- [Alicia] Comme il Faut is title of a famous tango and Comme il Faut is also in French.

How it should be.

I danced tango.

I worn shoes that I didn't like it.

They were ugly materials, but quality.

One morning I told my husband, "I want to make my shoes.

My tango shoes."

I was two years to make my first pair of shoes.

Comme il Faut became so quickly a huge brand.

Not only here, we export our shoes to 35 countries.

We only make shoes with high heels and very thin.

(laughs) I make only 100 pairs for one design.

Every pair is a limited edition.

They are so comfortable.

- [Lynn] And so you can dance better?

- Better.

Yes.

(laughs) - [Lynn] Do you still dance?

- Yes.

I love tango.

If you are not a tango dancer you can wear because it's a night shoes or party shoes or.

- [Lynn] Just sexy shoes.

- Sexy shoes.

Exactly.

- [Lynn] Can you help me find- - Yeah.

Of course, of course.

- Perfect shoes?

(laughing) Do you love like high heels?

- I do.

- Yeah.

Perfect.

What color are you wearing?

- So I wear a lot of black, - Black.

- and I wear dark green, and I wear teal.

- Okay.

Look at this.

- Oh, simple at the front.

Sexy at the back.

That is so sparkly.

Well, I feel like Cinderella.

Oh, look at the silver.

It's going to be a hard decision but I still keep coming back to the black.

- You will wear with many things.

- Everything.

- Yes.

- Well, I think you helped me find perfect pair.

Maybe I will even learn to tango.

That's my goal.

(laughing) Days at sea mean days at leisure.

Sailing up the coast while basking in the south American sun Ideal days and many ways to spend time in one of my favorite places on the Silver Muse, or any ship, on deck.

This is where the Mediterranean heritage of Silversea Cruises really comes to life in authentic Neapolitan pizza, cooked in a real Italian pizza oven and served al fresco on deck.

Even a cobbler, straight from Italy, who handcrafts Italian leather sandals for guests like me, who drop into visit him poolside.

- I have had the shoe factory for 35 years in Naples.

We have produced for 12 years for Christian Dior, for Jimmy Choo, for Christian Louboutin, for Prada, Gucci, Chanel.

- [Lynn] What's it like working on this ship?

Are you on vacation every day?

- Every day.

Yes, because we are on the sea.

Beautiful sky, beautiful ladies.

(laughs) - So you have a good job.

- On board.

Very good.

We use, and firstly the Italian leather is natural, is very flexible.

The Italian leather become the friend of your foot.

- [Lynn] So could you help me choose a good design and make a pair of shoes for me?

- Yes.

No, of course.

- Look at that.

That's beautiful.

Do you have it in the gray tones?

- Samples.

This one, this one.

That's gosh, that's beautiful.

So let's do this, and if you like, do you like that blue with blue?

- Blue or silver or gold?

- Goodness.

Decisions, decisions.

(Gennaro singing in French) - Either the blues or the neutrals.

- Yeah.

- What do you think?

- Blue.

- Blue.

It's blue.

- Like your eyes.

(Lynn laughing) - Oh, he's a charmer.

Okay, blue it is.

- 37.

- So few of us have anything made to measure anymore, and to be on holiday at sea and ending up with vacation sandals custom-made by Gennaro.

So I come back in... - In one hour, if you want.

- Okay, or tomorrow?

- Or tomorrow.

- Okay, perfect.

Tucked in a misty bay between the sea and the Emerald mountains of Brazil's Costa Verde, Paraty is our port of call in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Before we arrive at the city itself, candy-colored, whimsical fishing boats in the port hinted the elaborate architecture of the town's Portuguese colonial district.

That dates from the late 1500s, but it was actually in the late 1800s the area became famous for, actually synonymous with Brazil's homegrown sugar cane spirit, cachaca.

We went into the countryside to award-winning Maria Isabelle Cachaca, founded by a rare woman distiller whose daughter shared the story and a taste with us.

- The cachaca is the fermentation of the sugar cane.

- Right.

And so the sugar cane is from here on your farm?

- Yeah.

It's a silver cachaca.

It's good for making, to make Caipirinha, and the cooking, - Mmm.

- Or para milko cachaca.

- And how do you drink?

Just like this?

- Yeah.

- Straight.

Okay.

Cheers.

Oh, that's beautiful.

That's delicious.

Let's try your favorite.

Can we?

- No!

- All of them?

- All of them?

- [Lynn] It's going to be a long afternoon.

- Ah, different.

- Beautiful.

- Yeah, nice.

- Also I like the most, I like the very dainty pour.

It's gonna be what saves us.

Mmm.

Every time.

- Real sweet.

- Oh, this is in the oak and you can taste- - Yeah you can taste the oak.

- You can taste oak.

- It's a very, very clean cachaca.

- Right.

I like that it's women, that your mom and your mom is teaching you, from a woman to a woman, of maker and distiller and entrepreneur.

- Yeah.

- That's wonderful for a family.

Okay.

Hit me.

Mmm.

Now it's starting to taste a little bit like whiskey.

- Alright.

Last one my dear.

- (indistinct) 4 years.

- It's sweeter too.

- Nice.

Yeah, sweeter.

- Thank you so much.

- That is so wonderful.

- It's awesome.

Thank you.

- Tasty.

Thank you.

- [Lynn] The local cachaca tasted like another, and on board the Silver Muse we knew a bartender who had a few recipes up his sleeve.

- We start with the Caipirinha.

- The classic cachaca.

- The classic.

- I do love a Caipirinha.

- Yes, yes.

The lime that we cut in half and we cut into little pieces.

- [Lynn] Okay.

- Half of the lime.

Put sugar.

- White sugar?

- White sugar.

We muddle the lime to get the juice mixed with the sugar.

- Do you like cachaca better than rum?

What's the difference in taste?

- The difference is taste is more sour than cachasa because the rum comes more sweet, 'cause comes from the malasso.

Cachaca is more strong in alcohol and everything.

We put one ounce of cachaca, and we muddle a little bit more.

More of half of each.

- [Vanessa] Another half?

- Yes, and mix very well with a bar spoon.

That's right.

- Oh.

(women laughing) I'm ready for Carnaval.

- So this is the classic- - The classic.

- Cachaca drink.

- Yes.

But we're going do something with the little twist now?

- Yes, we have- - I see avocados over there.

- We have.

- [Vanessa] In a cocktail?

- We do the same, but we add lime juice.

- [Ryan] Okay.

- And this is a tall glass you're making it in.

- Yes.

- Not a short glass.

- One.

- A quarter?

- A quarter.

Yes.

- Oh, really?

- Alright.

- Okay.

What is this drink called?

- Cachaca avocado.

- [Vanessa] Very simple.

- That's a healthy pour.

- That's two ounces?

- One and a half?

- One and a half.

- One and a half ounces?

- One and a half.

- Shake very well.

(ice shaking) Some more ice.

With a strainer.

- [Lynn] Oh, look at that color.

- It's a smoothie.

- It looks like a smoothie.

- [Lynn] You could totally walk around in the gym with one of those and get away with it.

- Here it is.

- The Avocado Caipirinha.

- Avocado Caipirinha.

- Oh my goodness.

That's delicious.

Hand it over.

Hand it over she says.

Oh my goodness.

That's delicious.

- It is.

I like it better than a standard Caipirinha.

And I did not think that was possible.

- Ryan, you must try it.

- It's smoother.

- [Lynn] Yeah.

So what is this one?

- The Sunset Samba.

- Two ounces, of cachaca.

- Oh, two ounces?

- Also not another weak drink.

- A little Cointreau, a quarter.

The lime juice, a little bit.

Just squeeze.

- That's gonna balance out the citrus.

- Yeah.

The orange.

- [Lynn] Orange juice?

- You going to shake it again to mix.

(ice shaking) Put you to the glass.

Grenadine.

- [Lynn] That's the sunset part.

- The sunset.

- So we have morning cachaca.

- We have afternoon cachaca.

- And, - Goodnight.

(all laughing) - To you.

- Goodnight!

- To you.

- Thank you very much.

- Thank you so much - Cheers, cheers.

(glasses clink) - So we're back, at last.

End of the day, very excited all day to see.

Voila.

Look at that pair of shoes.

They're beautiful, huh?

Should I try them on?

- It's little large.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- One tiny adjustment.

That's what custom's all about.

(singing in Italian) - You have a beautiful singing voice.

(metal clanging) - What do you think?

Are you happy?

- I think, yes, I'm happy.

- You're happy.

- I'm happy.

- Gennaro, grazie.

(speaking Italian) - Wow.

(bell chiming) - After logging over 1300 nautical miles from Buenas Aires, we arrive at our final port of call, Rio de Janeiro.

You say just the city's nickname, Rio, It conjures up a seaside city that's legendary.

But the myth of Rio is real in the dramatic skyline pierced by jagged limestone Hills with evocative names like Sugarloaf Mountain and its famous cable car.

And the long shoreline of continuous beaches like Copa Cabana, and Ipanema that are synonymous with Rio's sultry seaside lifestyle.

While Rio starts at the sea, some of its most famous sites soar high above the city with breathtaking inspiration.

Do you still love coming to Corcovado?

How many times have you been here?

- I think it's Guinness book.

I came here probably more than 140 times a year and every time is always different for me.

95% of the city you can see from the top of the hill.

So that's why I definitely like this place very much.

- [Lynn] Are people here awed in a moment of faith or is it just the spectacle or the view?

- [Fernando] No, I think it's a mix of all the things.

The view is outstanding so people get very excited about that.

But the statue itself is a piece of art.

The perspective is always different.

Faith, beauty, peace.

We love to come here.

- [Lynn] Back at sea level, we're introduced to something else Brazilians love: their meat.

Churrasco celebrates the region's ranching heritage and cowboy appetites.

- I come here since 1960s.

- Oh.

- So the place exists for many, many years.

- This is very famous.

- [Fernando] It's a traditional place in town and they keep the quality of the fresh meat.

It's no frozen meat.

That makes a very big difference.

- [Lynn] How many different types of meat are circulating?

- [Fernando] I would say about minimum of 18 kinds.

- [Lynn] 18 kinds.

- [Fernando] Is the different of the cuts they give nicknames.

- White flag.

Surrender.

So I thought it was just meat but there's fish and there's pork.

There's sausages.

- Everything.

- There's everything.

Even sushi for non meat-eaters.

- Oh.

That's just a tragedy.

(Fernando and Lynn laughing) - [Ryan] Agreed.

- [Lynn] If you're really lucky, you're in Rio on Sunday for the Hippie Fair.

The name's a bit misleading.

This is Rio's famous artisan market, a gold mine of locally made arts and crafts and souvenirs.

It's one of the best markets I've been to anywhere.

(whistle blowing) "The Brazilian ministry of leisure advises you: work may seriously damage your health."

(instrument squeaking) Coral!

I've been looking for coral.

Beautiful.

Perfect shopping bag with the pattern of the boardwalk.

This design is everywhere.

I love it.

Sort of mid-century and very Rio.

These are beautiful and they'll ship home, so you don't to worry about packing in your suitcase.

Beautiful.

Flip-flops Carnaval style.

Woohoo.

(wooden instrument tooting) If there's any city that begs for an overnight port of call, it's Rio.

The Silver Muse was docked two nights in port, but still we were pretty excited to get back to the ship for our reservation at the outdoor grill for our hot rocks dinner.

We're all looking very fancy tonight with our ribs.

(Lynn and Ryan laughing) You know, when you think that being on holiday means somebody else gets to do all the cooking.

I think this is the exception to that rule.

- Well, as long as we don't have to do the dishes, I'm okay.

- I don't think they're going to make us do the dishes.

- Well, I get to cook my steak exactly the way I like it.

- And no excuses.

- No excuses.

(samba music) And we topped the evening off with local performers on board giving electrifying Brazilian samba performance.

In the Silver Muse's Venetian lounge, the perfect celebration of our overnight stay in Rio.

(samba music) (bongos playing) (bell chiming) Guests on Silversea Grand Voyages get treated to some experiences just for them.

And we got to join in a behind the scenes tour of Rio's Samba city, a guarded top secret facility where next year's Carnaval floats and costumes are created.

- First of all, I want to thank you for being here, 'cause being here, you're sponsoring the kids.

Pimpolhos is a Samba school for children.

We created Carnaval experience to help these kids, okay, because Samba was invented to help people, you know to change the society, not just to having fun.

And we create the Pimpolho as the same meaning.

We want kids to parade.

We want them to feel this experience but we want to help them to show them that they can and they don't need to get involved with violence or things like that.

- [Lynn] So the idea is that the guests who take this experience.

- Yes.

- [Lynn] Some of that money goes to support the school for kids.

- Almost all of the money.

- Goes to support the school.

- To support yes.

And we teach them, we teach them arts.

We teach them English like they taught me.

We give them scholarships and a lot of things.

- [Lynn] So you were part of the program?

- Yes.

I'm here since I was eight.

I'm about to complete 21.

And now I'm just giving back.

That we're trying to do here today.

We're trying to give you- - The feeling.

- The feeling.

- The feeling!

- I'm up for that.

Are you up for that?

- Yeah.

Okay.

- But it all starts here at the skeleton.

- [Camila] All starts here.

- [Lynn] This is the skeleton of the float.

- [Ryan] It takes 8 months.

- And yes.

- A whole year, right?

[Camila] It actually takes a year.

When a Carnaval finishes, we are already thinking about next Carnaval.

- [Lynn] It's thrilling to get a sneak peek at the Carnaval in the making, and the creativity and community spirit behind it.

And then we got our own little mini Carnaval.

So you are going to help us get into costumes?

- Yes, of course.

'Cause I cannot wait to see this guy with a bit of glitter.

- I need more glitter.

- Better hat.

- Yeah.

Wow.

- Okay.

What do you think?

Oh, that's a better hat.

Wow.

Now he's like the king of the world.

Now he's the king of the world.

Is this like Scheherazade or something?

Wow.

(Lynn laughing) - Carnaval!

- Canaval!

- Woo!

- Woohoo!

- Salud.

- Salud.

- Salud.

- Or we can say "ashe."

- Ashe.

- Ashe.

- Ashe means "good vibes."

- Oh.

- Good vibes.

I like ashe.

- The costumes go away, but the glitter is forever.

- You can have a seat any place you want.

- Marcello, what are we doing here?

- We're gonna have some little bits on your hat.

- Okay.

Why do we need these?

We already tried on costume.

Is this for us to stand in the street?

- Yes.

- This is to participate, to watch the carnival.

- To watch.

Okay, so first of all, I try this.

Is this good?

It works, there?

(Marcello laughing) Oh, I like that.

Need little stones?

What else do we need?

Are there enough stones and glitter yet?

- No, more.

- No more.

Those are great feathers for my hat.

Thank you.

There we go.

- You're working it.

- Winning!

Yours is also a winning Carnaval look.

Or Halloween whichever comes first.

(samba music) But there's no Carnaval without music and dancing samba of course.

The Carnaval experience gives us a taste of the event that's Rio's biggest party, and in fact is nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Earth."

Where crowds dance along with the Samba school parade, floats, and bands and millions of Rio residents and visitors don costumes for Carnaval balls and just partying in the streets.

The talented members of the Samba school persuaded us to give it a try.

Now, we probably won't make the cut of dancers to join the next Carnaval parade, but I do think we're ready to join the party.

(samba music) As the Silver Muse sailed on towards the Caribbean on her Grand Voyage, we reluctantly disembarked the ship after our overnight stay in Rio, and said goodbye to our South American cruise.

Until next time on World's Greatest Cruises, wishing you fair winds and following seas.

More information about World's Greatest Cruises, and the ship, and ports of call featured in today's program on our website at www.worldsgreatestcruises.com.

(bell chiming) Next time on World's Greatest Cruises, we're on a culinary tour de France, on a river cruise along the Rhone.

Many European river cruises wind through several countries, but a Rhone river cruise is a purely French affair.

- Bonjour!

- Bonjour!

The river banks that nurture some of France's most famous wines are also home to some of its most iconic delicacies.

We meet the makers and learn their secret techniques.

- It's the grass.

It's bitter.

- So fresh.

- So I want to show you my vineyards.

- I would love to see your vineyards.

Mmm.

- Yeah.

- Yummy.

And all of these truffles grow here?

- Yes.

- Oh, don't lick it.