After
such an amazing sail into Rio it was time to begin our Rio adventure… Ann, Cathy and I connected with our guide
Tatiane and headed across the city to the airport for our helicopter ride over
the city. Carnival is in full swing...the traffic was bumper to bumper...we
were skeptical about making it to the airport on time.... We made it! Today, we
were blessed by the weather gods. The best way to see Rio is from the sky...the
city is simply sublime, with its green cliffs and islands against the blue of
the Ocean. The city sprawls for miles with many distinct neighborhoods each
individually unique and beaches that stretch forever. Probably the most iconic
site is the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the New Seven Wonders
of the World. We circled Corcovado Mountain with the iconic Christ the Redeemer
twice before seeing Sugar Loaf, Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Favelas, Copacabana
and Ipanema beaches...the flight was really really good. After the flight we
went to Christ the Redeemer, we took the train to the top of Corcovado Mountain
for amazing views of the city and beaches below. For another scenic perspective
of Rio de Janeiro, we took the cable cars to the nearly 1,300-foot summit of
Sugarloaf Mountain...by the time we got to the top of Sugarloaf the clouds had
rolled in and we were not able to see anything, thankful that we saw it from
the air. Due to carnival traffic congestion and street closures we were limited
as to where we could go but did get to see the Selaron staircase... Chilean
artist Jorge Selaron landed in Rio de Janeiro's Lapa neighborhood in the 1980s.
For fun, he started decorating the gritty staircase outside of his home with
tiles and pieces of porcelain he found in the trash. Within 10 years, the 215
steps were covered with more than 2,000 tiles...Carnival was being celebrated
on the staircase and the rain did not hamper the revelry...this area had great
wall art and photo opportunities. Because of street closures we were not able to
be dropped at the cruise terminal but this was worth the walk among the
carnival partiers. It was a great day in Rio with more to come tomorrow.
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