The sixth most
populous city in the Americas with close to 7 million, Rio de Janeiro “Rio” is most
notably known as the home to Carnival, Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain. It is also a city with some popular myths.
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| Photo: Public Domain |
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| Photo: Public Domain |
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| Photo: Public Domain |
Myth #1: Rio is NOT the capital of Brazil. That honor is held by Brasilia. Rio held the title for centuries but that distinction was
transferred to Brasilia on April 21, 1960.
Brasilia was a planned community built in 41 months and houses all three
branches of government along with 120 foreign embassies.
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| Photo: Public Domain |
Myth #2: The national
language of Brazil is NOT Spanish.
Only a tiny percentage of the locals speak Spanish. The official language is Portuguese.
Facts: The Royal Princess docked in Rio at 9am
on Sunday, February 17, 2019. I had pre-arranged a shore excursion for our group through
City Rio. Our day in Rio was to include Christ The Redeemer Statue, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Escadaria Stairs aka “Selaron Stairs”, San Sebastian Cathedral, and Maracana Stadium, as well as lunch at an iconic restaurant on Copacabana Beach.
Our small group disembarked the Royal Princess at 9am and
made our way through the cruise terminal and onto the main street. Here we were met by colorful murals and
numerous merchants all contending for our business.
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| Wall murals outside cruise port |
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| Wall murals outside cruise port |
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Wall mural outside the cruise terminal
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| Street vendors outside cruise terminal | |
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| Royal Princess docked in Rio |
After a short 10-15 minute wait we connected with Casio, our tour
guide for the day.
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| Casio, our tour guide |
We followed Casio to our awaiting van, boarded and were off to explore all that Rio had to offer.
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| Group boarding our van |
Our first stop would be the Escadaria Stairs aka “Selaron
Stairs”. The stairs are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed them as "my tribute to the Brazilian people".
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| Selaron Stairs Photo: Public Domain |
Consisting of 215 colorful steps measuring 410 feet long,
the steps are covered in over 2,000 tiles collected from over 60 countries
around the world. More than 300 of the tiles are
hand painted.
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| Standing at the base of the steps |
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| At the top looking down the steps |
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| Example of the tile work |
Before you leave the steps you will want to grab a Caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil. Our price was $5 BRL or the equivalent of
$1.34 USD.
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| Caipirinha Cocktail Photo: Public Domain |
The drink is made with sugar, lime and cachaça, a sugarcane hard liquor. Cachaca is Brazil's most common distilled alcoholic beverage. The drink is prepared by mixing the lime and sugar
together, then adding ice, finally filling to the brim with the liquor.
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| Mike enjoying a refreshing Caipirinha at the Selaron Steps |
After downing our refreshing Caipirinha, we boarded our
van and headed to the San Sebastian Cathedral. Designed after the Mayan Pyramids, the Cathedral was built
between 1974 and 1979. With an overall
height of 246 feet, the cathedral has a seating capacity for 5,000 and
standing-room for 20,000.
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| Entrance to the Cathedral |
As you enter
the cathedral your eyes are immediately drawn to the four stained glass windows
which rise 210 feet from floor to ceiling.
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| Stained Glass Windows inside the Cathedral Photo: Public Domain |
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| Group photo for a friend Anne Kirkby |
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| On display inside the Cathedral |
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| Mother Theresa statue outside the Cathedral |
I would suggest a 20 minute stop at the Cathedral.
Next we would head to the Sambadrome, a purpose built parade area. Built in 1984 for Rio Carnival, this is the
place where samba schools parade competitively each year during Carnival.
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| Entrance to Sambadrome |
The Sambadrome is a 2,300 feet stretch of
Marques de Sapucai Street and is a permanent parade ground complete with
bleachers and grandstands rising on both sides to accommodate its capacity
audience of 90,000.
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| Aerial of Sabadome Photo: Public Domain |
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| Crowds in Sambadome Photo: Public Domain |
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| Parade inside Sambadome Photo: Public Domain |
When not in use for Carnival artists perform in Apotheosis
Square of the Sambadrome. Notables have included Eric Clapton, Black Eyed Peas, Pearl Jam, Elton John, Coldplay, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Iron Maiden, Jonas Brothers, Nirvana, Janet Jackson, Bon Jovi, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones.
Leading up to Carnival the samba schools begin holding technical rehearsals at the Sambadrome each December.
Rio Carnival holds the distinction of being the largest
carnival in the world according to Guinness World Records, recorded in 2004 by hosting over 400,000.
Next we were off to Maracana Stadium. The stadium was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup which was played July 16, 1950 in front of 199,854
spectators.
On 284 different occasions the Maracana Stadium has hosted crowds of
more than 100,000. After the renovation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, its original capacity was reduced to the current 78,838, allowing it to still remain as the largest stadium in Brazil.
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| Aerial view of Maracana Stadium Photo: Public Domain |
Sugar Loaf Mountain was next on our radar.
Located at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts into the Atlantic Ocean, Sugar Loaf
rises 1,299 feet above the harbor.
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| Aerial of Sugar Loaf Mountain Photo: Public Domain |
Ascent to Sugar Loaf Mountain is accomplished in two stages.
The first stage is to the top of Urca Hill, the shorter hill
right before Sugar Loaf Mountain.
Urca Hill is 726 feet above sea level while Sugar Loaf is 1,306
feet high. The one kilometer ride gives you the first aerial view of Copacabana Beach, Christ the Redeemer
statute, Niteroi Bridge and
Guanabara Bay. Here you will be able to find some
gift shops, restaurants and a small theater with informational videos.
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| Walking up to the first cable car entrance | | |
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| Exit from the cable car at level 1 |
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| Walking over to take level 2 cable car |
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| Ready to board second cable car |
The second cable car takes you from Urca to the top of Sugar Loaf with an
amazing 360-degree view of the region. You will want to sit down and enjoy the
view from one of the fast-food shops. The
overlooks will provide you some jaw-dropping views of the ocean and the city. I am quite sensitive to heights and had to be
coaxed a bit but it was so worth the visit. Tickets are sold at the station located at Praia Vermelha and the cable car
service runs between 8:00am and 9:00pm.
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| Can't believe I am up this high |
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| View from the top |
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| Can't believe I actually walked on that |
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| The group |
After returning to sea level we headed toward Christ the Redeemer statue. Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 98 feet
high excluding the 26 foot pedestal, with arms extending 92 feet wide. It is located at the peak of the 2,300 foot
Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park and overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro.
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| Photo: Public Doma |
A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural
icon of both Rio and Brazil and is listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Made of reinforced concrete and soapstone,
construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931, opening on October 12, 1931. Construction cost was $250,000 USD – the equivalent
to $3,500,000 in 2018. Allow yourself 40
minutes here.
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| Shops and restaurant area before heading up to the statue |
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| Ready to take the escalator up |
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| Here we are |
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| Looking down from the base of the statue |
After a very, very late lunch we began making our way back
to the cruise port. As we drove slowly
down Copacabana Beach our driver pulled over to allow us time to experience the sights and sounds of Carnival
practice on the beach. It was thrilling and I would have loved to join the fun.
It was simply a perfect way to end the day. Rio has so much to offer. I can’t wait to
return.
I want to go with you next time!
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