Rain and fog but we still saw the best views
We had 3 days to explore Rio. There are many options that involve walking, jeeps or a variety of other forms of transport, but we also wanted to enjoy the beach life while we were there.
We considered the Flavella walking tour, but after some thought it didn’t seem right to be paying to stare at how poor people live, so we settled on a tour that did the major sites in one day.
We chose a tour with a company called City Rio Turismo via Tripadvisor as it had all the main sites included, but it wasn’t cheap, costing £80 each. It should be noted that the entry fees to Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf cable car, and a very large BBQ lunch were included in that price, so it was pretty good value.
One of the benefits of visiting the tourist hotspots in the rain is nobody else is there, so the legendary queues were missing, getting wet has its benefits. It was a long day, leaving at 8am and arriving back late in the afternoon, but we saw a lot of the city, despite the rain and fog, so here are the highlights.
This is a really imaginative attraction and a complex engineering feat. The original cable car went to the first of the outcrops at 220m above the sea, it was built by Swiss climbers back in 1912 as the rock is almost sheer so very difficult to climb. The second cable car extended up to 400m but crosses over the city to give a great view of the harbour and beaches. Obviously, the views from the top are much better so the middle level is now basically a transfer area with a café and a Heineken bar!
When you get to the top there are walks around the ridge, but the scale of the concrete structure perched on the pinnacle is really amazing. The view across to Christ the Redeemer would have been spectacular but all we could see was thick cloud.
The main benefit of doing the cable car it to get a view of the vast Rio harbour which stretches into the distance inland. In many ways it is similar to Sydney and its spectacular harbour.
We were being thankful that we could see Copacabana when the rain and thick clouds arrived and we got soaked, so time to head down.
Christ the Redeemer
Because of the weather, our courier Lauren decided we would have an early lunch to see if it improved, however as we passed through the city suddenly the clouds parted, and we saw the statue for the first time. All the images are of a beautiful statue on a clear blue sky day, but not us, just a distant grey finger poking through grey clouds.
A sudden change of plan and we headed up the mountain towards the stature for the break in the weather. The logistics of building it must have been incredible, the minibus took us up the steep winding road to the reception area, where we swapped buses and headed for the summit excited at the prospect of visiting one of the most famous attractions in the world.
We climbed the stairs to the statue reception area and walked around it. It was a totally awe inspiring sight, the statue is as big as I expected. The face is amazingly tranquil as it stares north, presumably towards Rome or Europe.
It wasn’t long before the rain came back big time and the clouds closed in and visibility disappeared again. However, we did get a glimpse of Ipanema beach through the clouds. The next day when the sun came out, we were able to see the stature from Ipanema beach as well, this was a great moment.
One regret from this trip was not riding the train up to the statue. The route looked spectacular through the jungle and with gradients steeper than I have seen anywhere else, so if I come back that will be on my list.
Maracana stadium
We had a long drive through the traffic to the stadium and a drive around the perimeter. As a football fan I was excited to see this legendary stadium, but it was disappointing. A massive sprawling concrete structure with walkways heading in various direction so there was very little to see. I am sure it is wonderful inside but as a visitor drive past it was a bit of a waste of time, they didn’t even have a stature of Pele!!
Catholic cathedral
Next stop was the catholic cathedral, which I have to say was a real eyesore. One of the pug ugliest churches I have ever seen, it looked like a concrete wigwam stuck in the middle of the city. To be honest it improved when you stepped inside and the effect of the glass walls took effect but from the outside it was just plain ugly. It wasn’t clear whether it was a design flaw or intended, but it does not have bells or bell tower, maybe the concrete wasn’t strong enough to hold them. So, the ingenious builders built a separate bell tower for one bell, not surprised it hasn’t caught on as a design concept!
Selaron Steps
Last stop of the day was the famous Selaron Steps. Apparently, some chap decided to collect tiles from around Brazil and decorate the steps with them, which was a nice idea and has built a handy little tourist attraction.
Where there are tourists there are markets, so you have to battle your way through Brazil football shirts to get to the steps and then you have to take on the Instagramers doing their photo thing and wanting to take over the steps. There are 250 steps, they start steep and get steeper, so we battled our way to the top to get the tick in the box.
On the way up there are little bars and sound systems to keep you going, there is also a selection of art around the streets that makes for a colourful experience to end the day.
The trip ended up back at Copacabana Beach, and I headed straight to a bar for a recovery drink. Apart from the specific stop offs, we really got a feel for Rio, with its busy traffic and endless concrete high rise blocks, 17 million people have to live somewhere and get themselves around at the end of the day, but it’s not pretty.
So, thanks to Lauren for navigating the weather effectively, and at the end of it, I feel like I’ve seen the best of Rio.
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