Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
"About 10 million Brazilians call Rio home. They describe their city which is sunny year-round and boasts 75 miles of coastline as "Cidade Maravilhosa," the Marvelous City.
Rio de Janeiro was established on the Bay of Guanabara in 1560 by the Portuguese but was a backwater town until the early 1800s when the Portuguese royal family set up court in Rio after being driven from Europe by Napoleon.
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Since then Rio has been known for its cafe society and subtropical climate.
Though the country's most powerful and largest city is Sao Paolo Brazilians
often boast that God made the world in six days and spent the seventh
creating Rio.
Every year tourists from around the world flock to the city for Carnaval the
pre-Lenten ritual of parades and partying that goes on around the clock for a
week." |
Photo from ArtToday click for larger image |
Photo from ArtToday click for larger image |
"He fades in and out of the mists welcoming arms outstretched with a halo of
birds circling overhead. Standing 120 feet tall the famous statute of Christ the
Redeemer serenely presides over the sun worshipers of Copacabana the din
of traffic and the eternal beat of samba music that is the city of Rio de Janeiro.
The statue perched 2,400 feet above sea level on the summit of Corcovado Peak (also known as Hunchback Mountain) has dominated Rio's skyline since it was completed in 1931.
From the observation deck on which the statue stands visitors can take in a
spectacular view of Rio -- from Ipanema Beach and Sugarloaf Mountain on
the edge of the Atlantic to the dense tropical rain forest that creeps to the
edge of the city on the west."
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The beaches of Rio, Ipanema, Leblon, Botafogo, Flamengo, Vidigal, Pepino, Barra de
Tijuca Leme, Arpoadorm and the most famous Copacabana, are a way of life for the carioca, the
resident of Rio. There's always something happening at the beach.
The beaches are known for the scantily clothed beach goers, and swimming is not always the main attraction. Rio has a few Nude Beaches. The beaches are an extended party venue for New Year's Eve celebrations, and for the annual Festa de Iemanjá which celebrates the Goddess of the Sea and Mother of the Waters on New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro and on August 15 in Salvador. Carnaval brings hundreds of thousands of people to Rio for week long festivities, parades, balls, and Samba! You can arrive early and learn the dance in a samba escola, or dance along in the streets, all day, all night.
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Photo from ArtToday click for larger image
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