Summer's here!
Sun, Sea, Sand and Brazillians (no, not that kind...)
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| The Panorama from Christ the Redeemer |
As I write this, it is raining... but at least the rain is warm! For the last month or so we have been in winter, which has seemed at polar opposites with the sweltering weather that the UK has been experiencing. But since arriving in Rio it has truly become more summer like. To be completely transparent it is winter here, but at roughly twenty seven degrees each day it is a very poor excuse for winter...
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| The sandy Copacabana |
We have situated ourselves in a lovely apartment about two blocks from the world famous Copacabana. We have walked along this beach a few times having a look at the sea and walking on it's wavy black and white sidewalk. I have to say it's been a little scary though as whenever I enter the beach there is this impending sense of doom, probably because whenever an action film wants to prove it's a global crisis something terrible always happens here...
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| The Copacabana's Walkway |
But the beach itself is not as busy due to the winter state, there are fantastic views of nearby mountains including the sugar loaf mountain. There is still a great buzz around the place though, particularly on a Saturday when local music is blaring from beach side bars and there is a cacophony of color from all the colorful street vendors selling their wares.
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| The Beach |
Our second day in we decided that we would embark on the Corcovado, or as it's more commonly known, the mountain that the Christ the Redeemer statue calls its home. We decided that we would make more of a day of the experience and climb up the mountain, we'd read that it was an easy enough climb up the mountain that would take about two hours through the Tijuca forest. The Tijuca forest is home to various birds and monkeys that we say on the way up.
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| Christ the Redeemer |
When we were partway up we realized that the 'easy' climb was a lie. For a small section we had to climb up on hands and feet using giant staples to pull our way up, it was hard work and even scarier on the way back down. Upon reaching the top however you are greeted with a massive statue of Jesus with arms outstretched, a rather scary sight. You see, when you're climbing up some rocks and feel scared, oddly the last thing you want to see is an effigy of Jesus seemingly greeting you in heaven... We were concerned that we were only seeing Jesus in the Metaphysical sense rather than his Art Deco representation.
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| The 'easy' path up the Corcovado |
The Christ the Redeemer statue is found on the modern day, Wonder of the World list, alongside some other sights that we have seen/will see (Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza). It does seem somewhat odd that this statue made it to the list that seemingly represents the seven best places in the world. I will admit it is worth seeing, but most of the appeal in the place is the amazing views that the statue's elevated height allows you to see. Regardless the statue itself is fairly impressive, it was built in the 1930s in an Art Deco style. Originally it was conceived by Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss in the 1850s, ironically, in a bid to honor Princess Isabel. It seems a statue of Princess Isabel might have been a better choice. It wasn't until the 1920s that the plans caught traction and donations were received to build the monument in a bid to combat the godlessness in society.
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| Jesus and I |
The statue itself casts an impressive shape across the whole of Rio, its location on the pinacle of Corcovado gives it an excellent vantage point and it can be seen from most places in Rio. A true symbol of the city. Upon reaching the top of the hill Jesus stands high above the city with arms outstretched, tourists mill around with arms outstretched to mimic the statue, or alternatively lie on the floor to get all of Jesus in with their selfie. The views from the top are amazing and pretty much the entirety of Rio can be seen, from the Sugarloaf mountain and the Copacabana to the Rio harbour and the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon.
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| Jesus is the white speck at the top, that's how far we climbed |
On our way down and the next day we had a walk around the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. A lagoon with a diameter of seven kilometres, the track around the lagoon serving as home to runners, cyclist and general exercise enthusiasts. If ever you needed a city to make you feel bad about your lack of exercise Rio is the one to pick. From exercise stations featured every 200m along the beach, to muscly men and women walking around showing off their perfectly chiseled selves, you almost feel bad tucking into the Carne de Asada steak sandwich. I should point out that I said almost feel bad, the steak here is really good!
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| The Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon at night |
We had originally planned to climb the Sugarloaf mountain as well, however we didn't get around to it and then it rained. This would be a shame however we have a few days after our trip to Teresopolis where we return to Rio de Janeiro, I am sure that the Sugarloaf mountain will feature as part of those days.
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| Sugarloaf Mountain as viewed from the Corcovado |
We leave tomorrow for Teresopolis, a city nestled in the mountains, just an hour away from Rio.
Until next time
Andrew and Olivia
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| The Copacabana at sunset with Sugarloaf mountain in the background |
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