Day 6 -Rio de Janeiro the city of Carnivale (Mar 16)

Today as we pulled into Rio, we had some spectacular views of the port and some of the buildings, both new and old.

We were told that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is the peak of Brazilian culture. The local Cariocas call their city Cidade Maravilhosa (“Marvelous City”), and it is easy to understand why: The rhythm of the samba, born in these lively streets, fills the air and the stately colonial architecture rubs shoulders with gleaming skyscrapers. Legendary beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema, stretch for miles along Guanabara Bay, luring sun worshippers, swimmers, joggers and volleyball enthusiasts. The Christ the Redeemer statue seems to offer a gentle embrace to it all from high atop Corcovado mountain.

My shore excursion took me to Sugarloaf and the beach of Copacabana. Our tour guide was funny and informative and I came away with understanding of the people and how resilient they are and how beautiful and green their city was. As you can see below, Sugarloaf was quite spectacular. I had views of all of the great areas of Rio and was able to have one of their favorite drinks…the Caipirinha! As you can see, I went to a bar on the top of Sugarloaf and ordered that specific drink!

At the top of Sugarloaf, I was able to see the phenomenal statue that Rio is so famous for…the Christ the Redeemer statue. It is very large, but fairly small from Sugarloaf, but even there we could still see it in the distance standing above Rio as a protector of the city.

From the 1,200 foot summit of the granite monolith, Sugarloaf, we were able to see Guanabara Bay and the famous beach of…Copacabana, known as the “Princesinha do Mar” for its famous lively atmosphere and wave-patterned promenade! This was the nexus of Brazilian life…from which many people in the heyday of Copacabana, the 20’s – 40’s visited and partied a lot. We saw the historic Copacabana Palace, a luxurious hotel that has hosted celebrities and dignitaries since 1923, symbolizing elegance and timeless charm in the heart of Rio.

Mom and I, for the first time, separated and went on two different tours. In the end, we missed each other and realized we like doing things together.

Mom had switched her walking tour to a tour of the city by Coach because she was concerned the walking tour was too difficult. She saw a lot of Rio de Janeiro while I saw a lot of the same sights exploring Rio’s panoramic downtown district passing an eclectic mix of towering high-rises and colonial architecture. Then she was taken to see the Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro and view its colorful stained glass windows. It was breathtaking. Although the highlights of the city were beautiful, Mom came away with a negative feeling about the state of Rio. There was lots of tagging of buildings and a sense of poverty that seemed to cover the city. She did enjoy our entrance into the bay of Rio and said the Cathedral she went to was great! For now, mixed feelings between Mom and me about our visit to this historic city!

You can see the dichotomy between the magnificence of the Cathedral and the small school building and church.