Posts tagged sugarloaf
Visiting Iconic Rio de Janeiro
When arriving in Rio, I was determined not to like it.
“This place stole the 2016 Olympics from Chicago, and I am going to find reasons why it doesn’t deserve it,” I thought to myself when we arrived.
In the bus ride to the iconic Christ the Redeemer I looked out the window at all of the passing buildings and people. The Copacabana beach flew past us as our tour guide attempted to explain the significance of the city.
“Chicago’s still better,” I thought to myself as we arrived at the Corcovado mountain.
We took another van to the top of the hill and were allowed to walk the 222 steps to the summit. When I arrived I was dumbfounded. I was in awe. The statue, which had been funded my public donations in the early 1930s, was a masterpiece. Its art deco style made it seem even more powerful atop the mountain.
Our guide told us that the weather had been lousy lately and they had been doing a lot of construction work so we were very fortunate to see it in its full form. I tried to take it all in while simultaneously digesting an incredible panoramic view of the city itself.
“Okay. This place isn’t that bad,” I conceded as we made our way back to the van.
Next we visited the main Catholic cathedral in town which had been built in the style of a Mayan temple. The ceilings rose dramatically and were lined with a variety of stained glass and religious symbols. I snapped about a thousand photos and moved on.
“Well that was…amazing,” I thought to myself while getting back on the bus. The Olympic win seemed more and more plausible with every stop.
We made a few more detours in town before arriving at Sugarloaf Mountain. This was another sight that took me by surprise. We rode in two cable cars between the large landforms before arriving at what had to be the best vantage point for a sunset that I’d ever seen. Natalie and I took pictures and wandered all around the top of the mountain before sitting for a moment to have a hot chocolate to warm up. It was truly stunning.
“Well I suppose the Olympic committee knew what it was doing,” I thought as were dropped off back at our hotel. “I can’t wait to see all of this again in 2016.”
