Day 2 - up on mountains

We were so lucky. The sun stayed out most of the day and the rain stayed away! 

Our first visit of the day was to Pao de Acucar - Sugarloaf Mountain.  It was named by the first settlers who saw it and thought that it resembled a lump of raw sugar. During the seventeenth century sugar cane was the primary export of Brazil and upon completion of the processing the finished product was packed into bread like loaves for shipment. Hence the name Sugar Loaf. It is said to have the best 360 degree view of Rio from one place.  When we arrived, Licia (our guide) showed us a 300 year old mango tree growing in the middle of the building that houses the tram which takes you to the top of the mountain.  It was an amazing tree and was still bearing fruit that we could see.  The lines for the tram were VERY long because of the upcoming Brazilian national holiday and because the Christ the Redeemer statue was shrouded in fog.  The statue is another place to get wonderful views of Rio. 

The line moved quickly and we soon got on an efficient tram which took us to the midway point where we saw wonderful views of the 8-mile long bridge, Copacabana beach, and many other parts of Rio.  There was still a bit of fog, but we could still see a lot.  We then took the second tram all the way up to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain and lo and behold, the clouds parted and we got a GREAT view of the city.

Our next stop was the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (Catedral de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro). It is dedicated to Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro. The current church was built between 1964 and 1979 and replaced a series of old churches that had served as cathedrals since 1676. It is located in the center of the city. Conical in form and with a 96 metres (315 ft) internal diameter and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft), it has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people. The cathedral's four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling.

Although it was optional, and because the weather was clearing up, most of the

 group then decided to continue on to the Tijuca National Park on Corcovado Mountain where the Chriso Redempto statue is.  It was two very long van rides up to the top.  The private van company can take you about 80% of the way up and then you have to take a government van the rest of the way up.  The ride was full of switchbacks which the expert drivers maneuvered easily.  I am constantly amazed at the skill of the bus drivers and these van drivers. 

Once we got to the top, we were not quite at the top.  There were still several flights of steep stairs to climb to truly get to the statue.  Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: Cristo Redentor) is considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It weighs 635 tons. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931. It is an icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is also now considered one of the wonders of the modern world.   

It is truly, truly amazing and a sight not to be missed.  We were thrilled that the sun came out just at that time.  It is hard to believe how big it really is and the peaceful feeling you get in its presence.  As you would expect, there were many, many people taking pictures not only of the statue, but of themselves in Jesus' pose and to get an idea of the huge scale of this work of art.

The midpoint down had a nice little area for lunch where we ate.  Apparently the not dogs were not very tasty but my chicken and cheese empanada had a flaky crust and was yummy.  I also had more of the acai frozen concoction and introduced to a few more of us in the group :)  See the picture to the right.

Many of us wanted to hurry down so we could go to the "Hippie" market in town.  It is a craft fair that is held only on Sundays and was only a few short blocks from our hotel.  There was an amazing selection of leather goods, toys, and other handicrafts.  Since we all knew where we were, we all went our separate ways and met back up at the hotel.