Day 1
We arrived in Rio de Janeiro after an overnight flight. Started off with a walking tour which pointed out some landmarks, and gave a good historic background of the city.
We then visited the ugliest cathedral in the world. The design idea is actually quite nifty, it’s meant to be based on a Mayan Pyramid. We just didn’t think the multi-storey-carpark concrete looked good close up. It was pretty cool inside, just didn’t feel particularly holy.
After checking into the hotel and doing a now routine sink wash of some clothes, we headed out to explore Copacabana.
We listened to some Samba on the beach, grabbed some authentic local cuisine (Lebanese), then went to Beco das Garrafas, the home of Bossa Nova.
Bossa Nova (or Sim music as we like to call it) mixes Samba rhythms with Jazz, and emerged in Rio in the 50s. It was wonderful to enjoy with some Caipirinhas (Brazilian lime and cachaça cocktail).
Day 2
Today was all about football, with a visit to Maracana Stadium to see Flamengo Vs Corinthians. One of Brazil’s fiercest rivalries in its most famous stadium ⚽
Flamengo are the most popular team in Brazil and Corinthians.are second, so it was a big match!
The atmosphere was wild, Flamengo (who we were supporting as we’re currently in Rio) won, and the stadium experience was great- especially the abundance of popcorn sellers and vendors with beer dispensing backpacks selling in the stands.🍺
We can’t understand how fans managed to smuggle flares into the stadium considering how thoroughly we were patted down on the way in 👀
Day 3
After football, beers and popcorn the day before, we opted for a different type of cultural experience yesterday- churches, markets, monasteries, museums and galleries.
We spent the day wandering around the city centre- nipping between sites we’d saved and dipping into various other churches and buildings that caught our eye as we passed.
📚Real Gabinete Português de Leitura
The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading. A vast library, spread across 5 storeys, with over 400,000 books. It was absolutely breathtaking.
⛪Convento de Santo Antônio
A 17th century Franciscan monastery, one of the oldest buildings in the city. The peaceful chapels had beautiful ornate gilding and wood carvings.
🏰Palácio Tiradentes
The Tiradentes Palace was a government building until Brazil’s capital moved to Brasilia in 1960. We took a free guided tour (Google Translate in action again, as it was in Portuguese). The palace is named after Tiradentes, a national hero who fought for independence and was imprisoned on the site when it used to be a jail.
Day 4
Today as filled with nature, wildlife, waterfalls and caves. We started early in the morning with a hike and a bit of climbing though Tijuca National Park, which is not far out of the city centre.
It was really impressive to be able to escape into nature so close to the bustling city. We saw a sodden baby sloth high in a tree and some monkeys, enjoyed some beautiful views and were met by a Coati just before our departure.
Next we got the Metro to the last stop and it felt like we’d entered another world, things were very different here.
Ilha da Gigóia is an island within a lake, with narrow waterways and colourful houses tucked into the mangroves, only accessible by boat. We got a good view of a couple of caymens, and some birds including Heron and Magnificent Frigatebirds, which look remarkably like pterodactyls.
Unfortunately we didn’t spot any Capybara, but we did find a cute little Agouti (we hadn’t heard of them either) sniffing around the streets. This was a unique place, but it was a shame there was so much rubbish within the mangroves and lake.
Day 5 & 6
We spent our last few days in Rio de Janeiro visiting some of the city’s most famous attractions- Christ the Redeemer & Sugarloaf Mountain. Seeing the city from above was quite baffling- it has an insane layout spread amongst and around the sheer granite peaks.
We also visited Rocinha Favela; an eye-opening experience. It was very hilly, which I suppose should be expected, as the favelas are crammed into the crevices of hills. The multilayered maze of buildings on top of buildings, nooks, crannies and walkways was spectacular. It was a self-contained little world, bustling and noisy. It almost felt like a giant ants nest- interlinked and filled with a 200,000 people.
Other highlights included finding an Indian restaurant (they don’t seem to enjoy spice here, so it was nice to find some), monkeying around in the Botanic Gardens, visiting Escadaria Selarón (mosaic steps) and getting a good load of washing done!
