Today’s post is 1500 words, 52 photos, a 8 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
This week I’ll take you on a tour of Rio de Janeiro led by guide Marcia. We’ll travel to the mountain top to see Christ the Redeemer that overlooks the city, stop at a couple of churches, a stadium, and steps in a favela.
If you missed the first two posts in this series, click here and here.
On Tour with Marcia and Celso
It was a cloudy, overcast morning in Rio de Janeiro when we arose and readied for the day. We were going on a full-day city tour so our fingers were crossed that the rain would stay away. It did. The clouds and threatening rain didn’t keep the early morning visitors away from Copacabana Beach.
Marcia (pronounced mar-see-ah) our English speaking tour guide for the day met our group at the hotel. After quick introductions, she led us out to the minibus that would be our transport for the day. The bus was ably driven by Celso.
As we drove to our first stop on the tour, Marcia provided a little history of Rio. The city was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese. Prior to their arrival, for thousands of years the Tupi people inhabited the Brazilian coast subsisting on fishing, hunting, and agriculture. They resisted the Portuguese but were decimated by warfare, disease, and enslavement. In the 1700s, Rio was designated the capital of Brazil and held that distinction until the mid-1960s when the seat of government was transferred to Brasilia. Today Rio is the second largest city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth most populous city in the Americas. Rio is one of the most visited cities in South America with over 1.5 million international and 5 million domestic travelers per year. They come for the famous beaches, the largest pre-lenten Carnival in the world, the natural beauty, and iconic sites.
Christ the Redeemer
Overlooking Rio at the summit of Mount Corcovado stands the statue of Cristo Redentor or Christ the Redeemer, another iconic site affiliated with the city and the country. It is a symbol of Christianity with Christ’s outstretched arms as a gesture of welcome and peace. Millions of people visit this site every year. The nearly 100 foot (30 meter) statue with a wingspan of 92 feet (28 meters) sits on a pedestal 26 feet tall (8 meters).
Even though we left the hotel shortly after 8:00 AM, Marcia and Celso were rightly concerned there would be lots of people at the site. It was a Saturday when many workers are off and out of town visitors come to the city for renewal. Celso dropped us off at the tram station that takes visitors the 2300 feet (700 meter) to the top of Mount Corcovado. Upon entry, Marcia directed us through a long line of people waiting to have their photos taken in front of the scene in the photo below. We were skipping that portion of the experience to get in line to ride the tram. It also saved us from the high pressure sellers when returning from the top.
The cars were packed, the ride was comfortable. Marcia explained the history of how this came to be. In the mid-1850s, a priest suggested a Christian monument be placed on Mount Corcovado. The idea was dropped for the lack of funds. In the 1920s, a local Catholic group proposed placing a statue on the mountain. Money was raised from the community for a statue of Jesus. It took nine years to build the art-deco concrete statue with a soapstone exterior at the cost equivalent to $250,000 USD. I should note that Mount Corcovado is situated in the ecological diverse Tijuca National Park.
After debarking the tram, we rode a short escalator to the base of the statue.
As with any tourist site, there were concession and souvenir stands that sold religious oriented objects. The viewing platform was very crowded. People were taking photos so we joined in.
This family was trying to take a group photo after the baptism of a baby. There is a chapel located in the pedestal where priests perform weddings, baptisms, and bless anniversaries.
The views of the surrounding area from this height were spectacular. This is a view of Copacabana from Christ the Redeemer.
This is a large cemetery near one of the many favelas in Rio. Favelas are usually unplanned housing that develop along hillsides. The residents live there due to the shortage of affordable housing. Some of the houses lack sanitation, drinkable water, electricity, and plumbing. Crime and drugs are often a problem. It’s estimated that over one million people live in Rio’s favelas. Despite the many challenges, some of the favelas have developed rich cultural scenes, local businesses, and groups working to improve the neighborhood.
We did see a little wildlife near the viewing platform. There were several monkeys looking for food and unfortunately people were providing it to the critter’s detriment.
The visit to Christ the Redeemer took a few hours. Before boarding the bus, we popped into the church across the street from the tram entrance. This the Parish São Judas Tadeu or in English, Parish of Saint Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of desperate causes. Just the place for a confirmed skeptic! It was quite beautiful inside. There was a baptism taking place in the small side chapel.
Mario Filho Stadium
We made a quick stop at the famous football (soccer) stadium named for a well regarded deceased sports journalist. It’s also known as Maracana Stadium for the surrounding neighborhood. The stadium opened in 1950 and could hold nearly 200,000 fans. Due to safety concerns and need for seating, the current capacity is around 75,000. This stadium has hosted two FIFA world cups (1950 and 2014) as well as the 2016 Olympics. In addition, Frank Sinatra, KISS, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Rolling Stones, and many others have held concerts at the stadium.
This photo is of Hilderaldo Bellini, captain of Brazil’s first World Cup winning team in 1958. Even though we were only at this stop for 10 minutes, several groups of fans stopped by for photos of the statue and stadium.
I was fascinated by these two fellows. One was working power washing the steps while the other one recorded him. I wonder why.
Lapa Steps
The next stop on our tour was at what is known locally as the “Lapa Steps” or formally as “Escaderia Selarón” or “Selaron Steps.” Chilean born artist Jorge Selarón made art in many places in the world before settling in Rio. To beautify the neighborhood, he began decorating the 215 steps that went past his house with colorful tiles. Soon word was out and people began to bring or send him tiles from around the world. Today more than 2000 colorful tiles grace these steps. As a result this has become must see tourist attraction.
Celso did his best to maneuver through the narrow streets and heavy traffic near the steps. Marcia led us down a long, narrow alley with souvenir vendors lining the sidewalks. As we walked along, murals on the walls appeared, they were works of art too.
I particularly liked this mural with all the names imbedded in the artwork.
The next several photos show the Lapa/Selaron Steps. It is quite the site. Even the crowd helped to make the scene even more interesting.
These kids were have fun sliding down part of the installment.
As we were leaving the steps, I noticed this sign. It showed me where we were in the city.
About 20% of the residents of Rio live below the poverty level and some of those live on the street. 
Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro
When we disembarked from the bus at the Cathedral, Marcia made one of the funniest statements of the day. It went something like this: “In Rio we have this saying when we come to this area, this is where all our money goes. The church, the housing authority, the gas company, and many of the big banks are located in this district.” This is where all our money goes, it should be in a song! It probably is.
The Cathedral of St. Sebastian (also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral) is the cathedral church and the seat of the archdiocese of Rio. St. Sebastian, an early Christian and martyr, is the patron saint of the city. The Cathedral is built in the style of the Mayan pyramids. It is nearly 250 feet (75 meters) tall with a diameter of 315 feet (96 meters). While it’s quite impressive, the concrete exterior was showing its wear in this climate.
However, the interior is quite impressive with the stained glass windows extending 210 feet (64 meters) from the floor to the ceiling. It can hold about 5000 people seated and 20,000 standing. 
I believe this figure in this silhouette is St. Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis visited this church fin July 2013, his first trip to Brazil as Pope.
I’ll end this blog with the five senses plus one.
See – monkeys, lots of people everywhere, beautiful views, interesting art at Lapa
Hear – traffic, people talking, gears clanking on the tram, wind in our ears
Smell – a monkey, exhaust fumes
Touch – bark of a tree, the pews in two churches
Tasted – a good breakfast at the hotel, snacks on the road, coffee candy from Marcia
Learned – Rio is a busy, popular place to visit, the history of Rio, the steps, a little about favelas.
Join me next week when I’ll continue the tour with Marcia.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM