I participated in a tour called “the best of Rio.” The first stop was the Corcovado to see the
famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue. As
the train moved up the mountain, the clouds moved in around the statue. The clouds parted and I got one good shot of
the statue.
The next stop was to travel to several beaches. The bus stopped for photos at Cucumber Beach
(a very small beach) and the famous Copacabana Beach. The drive also was along Ipanema Beach, but
it was not possible to stop for any photos due to traffic.
Lunch was at a Brazilian Steak Restaurant. It’s the type where they bring skewers of
every type of meat imaginable to you and carve it for you to eat. I was stuffed.
The final stop was to ascend Sugar Loaf Mountain in two
stages for a view of the city.
The day started off with poor weather, but by the time the
day and tour ended it was beautiful.
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I believe this is the “Museum of the Future” that was added
before the Olympics. It is right in
front of the docked ship.
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The port area was renovated prior to the Olympics. A street was filled in and a new light rail
system was installed.
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The first stop on the excursion this morning was the
Corcovado which is the location for the Christ the Redeemer.
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Once up the mountain by train, the clouds were heavy at the
top of the mountain. Here’s the line to
the elevators and escalators to the top.
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The fog/clouds opened up for me to get this one clear shot
of the statue through the mist.
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It was time to head back down the mountain to tour the city.
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The slums, the favelas, cling to the sides of the
mountains.
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Christ the Redeemer is visible from most places in the
city. One cloud wanted to hang over the
statue, and I got this shot from the restaurant where the group had lunch when
the cloud moved away for a few minutes.
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After lunch, it was time to tour the beaches. This is “Cucumber Beach” which is an area
where there was a cucumber farm long ago.
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The surf was rough at this beach, and the guard is putting
out a warning wind sock.
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The bus went by Ipanema Beach (but couldn’t stop), and the
bus moved on to Copacabana Beach. Here’s
the oldest hotel on this famous beach.
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The sky cleared, and, on this holiday day (Ash Wednesday)
and day after Carnival, folks were making the way to the beaches. This is Copacabana.
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You can see the Portuguese influence in the black and white
stone sidewalks. That's Linda, the Cruise Director, talking on the cell phone.
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I got this shot of the marina from the Brazilian steak house
where the excursion group had lunch.
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I looked up from another site, and it looked like Christ was
floating in the clouds.
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The group ascended Sugar Loaf Mountain in two stages by
cable car.
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The group ascended the 2400 feet in two stages.
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Planes were taking off from the airport. What happens if you overshoot the runway
during landing?
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A view of Copacabana Beach from the top of Sugar Loaf
Mountain.
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Here I am on top of Sugar Loaf Mountain. That’s Copacabana Beach (left) and you can
see Christ the Redeemer to the right (near my hat).
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One final glimpse at the beach before heading back down the
mountain.
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A shot of the cable car in front of me on the descent. Back to the ship for dinner and a show by a Brazilian troop.
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