~Sugar Loaf Mountain & Christ the Redeemer~
It’s a gloomy day in Rio. Probably not the ideal day to visit the heights of the city, but it’s booked and I’m going. I head down to the lobby and am greeted by the extremely enthusiastic Warley, my tour guide, and taken to the little shuttle where I meet my new tour friends from Russia, South Africa and Argentina. I’ll stay away from the politico dialog between my new Russian friends and I but suffice it to say, don’t judge a people group by its leadership! I know, enough already Kim!
Our day starts with the first stop to Sugar Loaf Mountain. It’s called this because it is shaped like a type of a Brazilian sweet bread, which I’ve had, and it’s good! As where the two different cable car rides it takes to get to the top. If you have an issue with heights, the second ride might do you in. It reminded me of taking the cable up the Zugspitze Mountain in the German Alps. Despite the gloomy day, we still had a decent view of the whole of Rio including the Christ statue. My pictures might not do a great job of capturing this…but it really was lovely.
Next stop, the Brazilian steakhouse for lunch. I certainly enjoy a bit of meat from time to time but this was just crazy! For those who’ve never experienced Fogo de Ciao in the United States, it’s a non-stop parade of meat on a stick that the waiter cuts on to your plate with a saber. Here in Rio it comes with a bit more “color” than the sterilized US version, with dancing and flirtation.
Before heading up to see Jesus face to face, we stopped at the site of the Carnival Parade. We’ve all seen this on TV so it might surprise you to know that it’s not a parade that goes through the streets of the city. It’s a one-meter strip with bleachers on both sides that seats 100,000 + with standing areas. We build stadiums for all sorts of things but I’ve yet to hear of a “stadium” for a parade…that’s effectively what this is. Brazilians are serious about their parties!
After which, we head up to see just how much Jesus loves us. Seems he loves us by about 28 meters! 98 feet for the Americans. Meet the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. The span of his arms from fingertip to fingertip is 28 meters and he stands only a little taller at 30 meters high. It’s truly beautiful and the view is amazing…or so I’ve been told. By the time we arrived I had to perfectly time my photos as the clouds continued to roll in and the statue was right in the middle of them. I’ll spare you my selfie stick diatribe but I will say, this was the very worst self-stick sword fight I’ve ever experienced in all of my travels…ever! And I do mean, EVER!
All and all…both of these visits delivered a “I must go back” response during ideal weather conditions because they really are amazing and deserve way better visuals than I was able to create.
Next up…two of my favorite spots, the Metropolitan Cathedral and Escadaria Selaron….