I am now in Rio and the Carnaval is getting in full swing, with street parties and the like, however I will write about that in my next post as this one will be dedicated to Rio the city.
A little bit of history first of all. Rio (and therefore Brazil) is unique in that it is the only city outside of Europe to have been the seat of governance of a European country, when in the early 19th century the Portuguese monarchy fled Napoleon. It later also became the first post-colonial kingdom in 1822 when Independence from Portugal was declared. It is therefore possible to see a fair number of colonial, architectural gems, although for the most part they have been replaced by modern constructions, such as the horror that is the metropolitan cathedral. For any visitor to Rio a must-see is of course the statue of Christ The Redeemer, an 80m concrete behemoth that dominates the whole city from its lofty perch. This being Carnaval, not only is the statue teeming with tourists, but the taxis have become disgustingly exploitative (I was even quoted a price of 20 pounds per person to be driven to the statue and back down!). Anyway, after an interesting ride up (3 cars abreast on a narrow, sinuous road) we finally got to JC. It definitely is an impressive statue, though I couldn't help but be reminded alternately of a diver about to plunge into the water below and King Kong due to the profusion of helicopters carrying the rich tourists around the statue's head.
Other touristy highlights have included catching a local derby (Flamengo v. Fluminense) at the legendary Maracana stadium, which has the world's biggest capacity (150,000). Funnily enough it didn't look that big from the inside, and the game was no great shakes either (from what I understood it was more of an exhibition match for tourists, even though there were a good few locals present as well). Then there are the world-famous beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, where all the beautiful people hang out and show off their latest cosmetic surgery. And then, but certainly no means least, is the famous Paõ de Azucar, or Sugarloaf Mountain, site of James Bond's cablecar duel with Jaws in Moonraker, which I hope to ascend this evening to see the lights go on in Rio.
A little bit of history first of all. Rio (and therefore Brazil) is unique in that it is the only city outside of Europe to have been the seat of governance of a European country, when in the early 19th century the Portuguese monarchy fled Napoleon. It later also became the first post-colonial kingdom in 1822 when Independence from Portugal was declared. It is therefore possible to see a fair number of colonial, architectural gems, although for the most part they have been replaced by modern constructions, such as the horror that is the metropolitan cathedral. For any visitor to Rio a must-see is of course the statue of Christ The Redeemer, an 80m concrete behemoth that dominates the whole city from its lofty perch. This being Carnaval, not only is the statue teeming with tourists, but the taxis have become disgustingly exploitative (I was even quoted a price of 20 pounds per person to be driven to the statue and back down!). Anyway, after an interesting ride up (3 cars abreast on a narrow, sinuous road) we finally got to JC. It definitely is an impressive statue, though I couldn't help but be reminded alternately of a diver about to plunge into the water below and King Kong due to the profusion of helicopters carrying the rich tourists around the statue's head.
Other touristy highlights have included catching a local derby (Flamengo v. Fluminense) at the legendary Maracana stadium, which has the world's biggest capacity (150,000). Funnily enough it didn't look that big from the inside, and the game was no great shakes either (from what I understood it was more of an exhibition match for tourists, even though there were a good few locals present as well). Then there are the world-famous beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, where all the beautiful people hang out and show off their latest cosmetic surgery. And then, but certainly no means least, is the famous Paõ de Azucar, or Sugarloaf Mountain, site of James Bond's cablecar duel with Jaws in Moonraker, which I hope to ascend this evening to see the lights go on in Rio.
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