Rio De Janeiro, Brasil – 2.-8. December 2017
If the satisfaction for the first stop set the standard for the other ones in a long travel, we may have a problem. Honestly I booked my stay in Rio mainly because it was the ticket to South America with the lower cost. Since I don’t speak a single word of Portuguese, initially I wasn’t even considering Brazil as a main destination for this trip. Well, I am incredibly grateful to KLM for offering that price, when in that sad afternoon of the last June I suddenly decided to book the flight.
My visit in Rio was based in Ipanema, one of the most touristic and cool city’s neighborhood. I booked my preferred solution: a room in a flat through Airbnb. As usual I was not disappointed. Vitor & Carlos hosted me in their cosy flat, being always available for any question, but also leaving me all the space I was looking for.
Ipanema is a cool place to be, with its long white beach full of any kind of people. It is known that Rio may be a dangerous place, but I think that with some caution there is nothing for being really worried – until one stays around the main touristic hot spots. So I enjoyed my afternoons on Ipanemas’ sand, even if the weather wasn’t that super sunny as expected. At the very end of Ipanema there is the Pedra do Arpoador. From there it is possible to see stunning sunsets. I went there two times, unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the sunset till the end because of some clouds. Still it was stunning – I can only imagine what would have been with a clear sky!
Next to Ipanema is the very famous Copacabana. I went a couple of time for a stroll along Copacabana, and even if its curved layout make it super scenographic, I still prefere the energy from Ipanema.
The second day I decided to go for a guided tour around the city. We went to the Tijuana Forest, the biggest urban forest in the world, to have also a look to the city from the Chinese View. It is a bit strange to find this Chinese building in the middle of a Brazilian forest. The history behind is that Chinese farmer were working in that area, and that’s the reason for the name of this sightseeing spot.
After the Forest it was time to visit Santa Teresa, a neighborhood that looks completely different from any other. Small streets, trams still running, nice murals, altogether gives a more relaxed and somehow retro atmosphere. Between Santa Teresa and Lapa we can find the Escadria Selarón (Selarón Steps). Jorge Selarón covered these steps with small coloured tiles from allover the world. I was even able to find tiles from different tuscan cities (but not Arezzo)!
In that day we went also to visit the Christ the Redeemer, but unfortunately the statue was almost completely covered by the fog. I have been able to see the Christ later, but of course from greater distance.
The next two days I had a more deep and relaxed tour around some other parts of the city. Vic brought me to some places that I guess aren’t the main destination for the mass tourism.
Initially Downtown Rio left me lost. One block after the other, you feel sometimes in Paris, sometimes in New York, because of the mix of styles adopted by the city in different periods.
From there we went along the sea from the Praça Quinze de Novembro, till the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), where thanks to several multimedia installation we are told how our planet is a living entity, and how we are jeopardizing its (and our) existence. I already saw these concept being expressed in a similar way at the Expo in Milan, particularly at the O.N.U. Pavillon. What impressed me in this case is the space given to the reasons for which we should fight to save the planet (and ourselves). There is a room full of pictures depicting everything make us human at the museum, and again what stay in the bright spot are emotions and feelings.
After a stroll behind the seaport’s warehouses and their murales it was time to come back to Lapa and having lunch in one of its characteristic restaurants. It is again a different neighborhood, where small street and old buildings give you a completely different atmosphere from the one you can breath around the modern building of the Museum of Tomorrow.
In the afternoon a nice and relaxing visit to the Parque Lage. In my eyes the variety of plants and the quantity of vegetation make it looks more like a botanic garden than a park itself! And after some rest in the park, the day found its ideal ending at the Pedra do Arpoador, to admire the sunset on Ipanema.
The next day was in Botafogo, reached after a long nice walk along the bay. From Botafogo you can have a wonderful view on the Pão de Açúcar, one of the symbols of this city. And after lunch I spent the afternoon to the beach in Ipanema. Since the day before the sunset was disturbed by the clouds I tried to give it another shot, but unfortunately I was even less lucky – but still great view!
My week in Rio ends with a glidering over São Conrado and the visit to the cableway to the Pão de Açúcar. These are probably the two most spectacular things to do in Rio.
Glidering is that kind of thing that you always say “sooner or later I will do it“. Since I am in the mood of doing such things more sooner than later, it was quite automatical to decide to give it a try. Even if as usual I was pretty scared, now I don’t have the words to describe it. So if you want take a look to the video published on youtube, just to see how easily Dan turns back being a 10 years old kid.
My final visit at the top of the Pão de Açúcar was the appropriate end to my stay in Rio. The amazing view over Botafogo and the surrounding neighborhoods, the lights from the favelas and the Christ on the top of the Corcovado are the perfect postcard for these days.
While I write these words I am already arrived to the next stop, that is São Paolo. Stay tuned, and come away with Dan!
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Song of the post: Antonio Carlos Jobin – Garota de Ipanema (Girl from Ipanema)