Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil... Day 2

A very early morning today, out touring before 7am to avoid the crowds. Our first stop was Christ the Redeemer in time for opening and got the first train up the mountain. Albeit a hot day, the weather was clear nothing, but blue skies. Standing atop Mount Corcovado (which means ‘hunchback’), Christ the Redeemer gazes out over Rio. The mountain rises straight up from the city to 2329 feet. The statue weighs 1145 tons and the 98-foot-tall figure is visible from nearly every part of the city. Standing at the base of this concrete monster, it is hard to know what to look at first; the feat of engineering by French sculptor Paul Landowski and Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa or the bird’s eye view of the city sprawling below. The focus today was to avoid the massive crowds in Rio so our guide took us next to the Selaron Steps, one of Rio's best-loved attractions. Jorge Selarón, a Chilean-born Brazilian artist, created these world-famous steps to add colors to the city’s gray and dull area. Originally, the tiles were green, yellow, and blue because of Brazil’s flag…being a Chilean at heart, Jorge made sure to add lots of red tiles in tribute to his country’s flag. People from around the world, have sent or brought tiles to have Selaron to add to the staircase. Currently, there are more than 2000 tiles from around 60 countries. Usually, the stairs are pretty crowded with tourists, we lucked out and arrived before the crowds and we were able to get a clear photo on the staircase. The stairs are located in the Lapa area of Rio and the streets have some colorful murals decorating old buildings. Next, we headed to Sugarloaf Mountain…parking was at a premium so Tatiane dropped us at the entrance a she went off searching for a parking spot. Tatiane had purchased skip and the line tickets which got us to the head of the line. Sugarloaf is a tree-covered natural dome rising 1,299 feet above the harbor is one of Rio’s most recognizable symbols.  The ascent by the gondola is one of the best and goes in two stages; first to neighboring Urca Hill, then another steep journey up to Sugarloaf while the jaw dropping panoramas of beaches, skyscrapers and hills unfold beneath you. On the recommendation of our guide, our last stop was the Royal Portuguese Reading Room. This little-known library in Rio’s city center is a bookworm’s paradise, home to a vast array of Portuguese literature. The collection is the biggest outside Portugal; the sight of three levels of rare manuscripts and leather-bound novels lining ornately carved shelves is pretty spectacular. Another great day in Rio de Janeiro. I even got some time in the sun.