Road Trippin' to Rio

  This past weekend we loaded up and headed south to Rio to celebrate Jason's birthday and escape the Macae monotony.  With Graham in tow, we managed to take in a few sights; stroll the beach; eats lots; and sip a few native spirits too! Oh Rio, you sure do know how to spoil us!


Christ the Redeemer Statue, Corcovado Mountain


One can't have too many pictures of this World Wonder, can they? Jason laughs at me each time we drive around Rio, because he says I am like the paparazzi with my camera and zoom lens ready to snap photos of the statue upon each passing glimpse.

  Copacabana Beach

  The Copacabana Palace Hotel, seen in the photo above, is the "Grande Dame" of hotels perched along Copacabana.  This hotel, which was built in 1923, has been the favored hotel for heads of states, royalty, musicians, and actors including: Teddy Roosevelt, Princess Diana, and the Rolling Stones.  It was here that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were first paired in the movie, "Flying Down to Rio".  A night's stay at this luxurious hotel is said to set you back a hefty R$1500 (There better be a tub for that price--ha, ha!).

Famous Portuguese Wave Pavement



Famous wave-patterned Portuguese pavement along Copacabana Beach

 

Sugar Loaf Mountain



Sugar Loaf Mountain is a mountain made of granite and quartz, which jets some 1,300 feet above the mouth of the Guanabara Bay in Rio.  According to historian Vieira Fazenda, the term "sugar loaf" originated during the 16th century heyday of sugar cane commerce in Brazil.  Blocks of sugar were placed in conical molds made of clay to be transported on ships. The shape given by these molds was similar to the peak, hence the name.

 

Spectacular views

 

  Thankfully, we had booked our excursion to Sugar Loaf Mountain through a tour guide; otherwise, our day wouldn't have been so pleasant. While others were stuck in longs lines to purchase tickets and baking in the sun waiting to board the cable car, our wait was minimal and cut even shorter thanks to Graham (the Brazilians are really accommodating when it comes to families with small children).

  I realize I am beginning to sound like a broken record, but the views of Rio were breathtaking! Sadly, this camera operator wasn't on her 'A' game and the quality of my photos don't quite do justice to the beautiful horizons and oceans.

(Note: if any of you plan to vacation in Rio, I highly recommend booking these English speaking tours through the website, viator.com)

 

Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

  As part of our tour we had a brief stop off at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro or sometimes called the Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro, the patron saint of Rio.  Built between 1964-1979, this church is a baby compared to some of its' sister churches which pre-date the 1800's.  Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to say Mass for World Youth Day next year at the Cathedral, which has a capacity for nearly 20,000 people.  Something tells me capacity may be exceeded for that Papal Mass! 

Sambadrome 

Our tour guide said this strip is home to "the greatest show on Earth".  Hopefully we can witness it!

 

  So you may be thinking, what is so special about this strip??  This is the setting for "the greatest show on earth".  Sambadrome is the stage everyone around the world has seen in pictures of Brazilian Carnival.  This is the parade area in downtown Rio, where samba schools parade competitively each year during Carnival.

 

This is the scene during Carnival!  Can you imagine???  Help me to convince Jason that we must experience this!  You can purchase and reserve grandstand seats ahead of time.
photo source: photocommunity.com

 

Graham-Graham

Jason was so proud to "wear" Graham on his chest in the BabyBjorn.  I think that was the highlight of his birthday.  He is such a natural at being a dad and Graham is one lucky little boy!



One little boy was wiped out after all that sightseeing and just ready to get back on the big bus...

 When we first arrived in Brazil last year, Jason soon learned of a Brazilian rum called, cachaça and a Brazilian cocktail called, caipirinha from his Brazilian co-workers. (Cachaça is made from fermented and distilled sugarcane juice and a caipirinha is made with cachaça, sugar, and limes.) So this weekend we thought, why not give it a try? Saturday afternoon we ordered caipirinhas with our lunch and and it hit the spot!  I think I enjoyed mine more so than Jason.  Jason says he will stick to beer.  Anyways, at least we can now say that we have induldged in the national cocktail of Brazil.   I will bring a bottle or two of cachaça home for those that care to try it.
 

Happy Birthday Jason!


Saturday we topped the evening off with a great dinner along Copacabna Beach before retiring to our hotel to catch the LSU game on SlingBox.  We did manage to run into some fellow Tiger fans in Rio!

 
  It was another great weekend nonetheless!  Although, Jason insists that the only reason I like going to Rio is because the Marriott has a bath tub. (You may recall that our place in Macae and most places in Brazil do not.) While he may have a point there and that may have been the case when I was 6 1/2 months pregnant, rest assured that my growing affinity for Rio goes beyond a relaxing bath at a hotel--maybe its the European influence or white sandy beaches or urban charm. Maybe it is all of those things previously mentioned.   One thing is for sure though--reality surely bites us hard when we arrive back in Macae!  I am sure we will be seeing you again real soon, Rio.

Chow!