Rio - Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana and Ipanema

An early start next morning (Saturday 28th September) but from our hotel window, ‘it’ is under cloud.

Nevertheless, given the changeable weather at this time of year, the Tour Guide decided to chance it. Access to the statue of Christ the Redeemer is via a cog-wheel train. There are normal train tracks on the outside but a very substantial cog track up the middle, so the sprockets on the train can lock in.

Sadly, it was misty at the top, so substandard photos of one of the world’s iconic places would have to do.

But I guess it still gets a tick on the bucket list!

There is a chapel at the base of the statue for weddings etc but these are ‘after-hours’ events, so 'nothing to see here'.

We were about to start the descent when the mist cleared.

... so we did it all again!

Will try to add some typical streetscape photos occasionally. 

Despite the misty, cloudy day, the beach at Copacabana was busy with walkers, joggers, runners, volleyball players, wannabe Instagram Influencers and assorted others.

More of the same as we drove past Ipanema Beach also. We decided to return tomorrow on a free day to explore these areas.

We have driven past and seen a few favelas, which are low standard housing areas. There were several favelas en route from the airport, and the high fences and screens put in place for the Olympics in 2016 to block the vision have started to deteriorate so the favelas are now obvious.

Another was evident from our hotel room window.

The afternoon began with a trip to San Sebastian Cathedral. Rather unusual architecture. It is shaped like an inverted cone.

So the interior is huge with 4 stained glass windows, presumably at the 4 points of the compass but I didn’t check.

We then drove past many central Rio landmarks but didn’t stop because of rain and other priorities. Some might be worth checking on a free day.

Then onwards to the cable-car up to Sugarloaf.  Again, with the rain and mist, it was always going to be problematic whether or not the view from up there would be available. 

  

The cable-car has 2 stages; firstly up to Morro da Urca, an intermediate hill or mountain ...

... then walk through some rainforest (with huge ‘jack-fruit’) to change cable-cars to go to the summit of Sugarloaf. Visibility was restricted but the ride was very stable.

Again, there were brief periods of fairly clear outlook when the mist broke up.

The hotel in which we stayed, the Mirador Hotel, was not far from the tunnel separating the southern and northern parts of the city and just behind Copacabana Beach. So, the next morning, we set off to explore the area.

An active market nearby was selling mainly fruit and vegetables. 

Then we strolled along the promenade of Copacabana Beach. The promenade is wide and well-paved with bars and restaurants established along the length.

The beach is very wide and the locals are busily engaged in sports and activities. Volleyball and soccer are prominent but there are racquet sports as well. 

One complete ‘direction’ (ie 2 lanes) of the highway is blocked off on Sundays (so traffic is one way only on the other side) and the roadway, along with the designated bike lanes are covered with walkers, runners, cyclists and people of all ages on rented electric scooters.

Of course, the promenade also has numerous street traders but they do take ‘no’ for an answer and are not as persistent and ‘in your face’ as traders we have experienced elsewhere.

The lifeguard towers along the beach are numbered prominently so locals and tourists use these as designated meeting points.

Only a short walk away was Ipanema Beach.

It was a bit more exposed to the weather so not as many people ...

... although the surfers didn’t mind.

There was a strong police presence along both beaches and beyond. Not sure if this was usual for any day, or special for the weekend. It may have been due to the big ‘Rock in Rio’ concert, which was on the weekend we were there, featuring Bon Jovi and Drake. The batons the police carry are big, obvious and serious.

Along the side streets, basically all buildings, which are not shop fronts, have high and substantial fences. This includes apartments, offices and even churches.