Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2020

Christ the Redeemer

I’ve spent a lot of time over the years in Rio. It all started in November of 2004. I always, will remember that fact because, I was in Rio the first time President Obama was elected. I woke up the day after the election and ran outside to a newsstand, were, I saw a group of Brazilians all reading the same article. As I made my way to the front I saw tha tObama had won the election. To this day I will always be amazed how elated the Brazilians were at the election of an American President. It has stayed with me all of these years later. It was fascinating. I never imagined how entrenched and invested other countries are in American Election until that moment. Beside that, I would spend most of my time on that first trip partying with Brazilians. Brazilians know how to have fun. There wasn’t much site seeing on that first trip but I did see the world famous Cocopacbano Beach. This crescent shaped beach gives you spectacular views from one end to the other. In the subsequent years I would also become familiar with another renowned beach in Rio, Ipanema and the celebrated Bossa Nova song “The Girl from Ipanema”. For years Rio was my spot, I even learned Portuguese. I got into the habit of celebrating my birthday abroad, and it all started here. I was present when Prince Harry and President Obama visited the city. While relaxing on Cocopacbano Beach with a delicious Caipirinha (Brazil’s national drink) in my hand I watched the Brazilians run to the street in little G-String Bikinis and super tight Speedo waving frantically at Obama and his family as their motorcade drove by. In February 2020 Carnival fell on my birthday and we were going, for the first time. I know what you are thinking, you have been traveling to Rio for over 10 years, by now and now you're just going to carnival. I was living my best life every other time it visited. It just wasn’t a priority at the time. I got tickets to the Sambadrome. (The Sambadrome is the stadium that host all of, Rio’s samba schools, they parade down the stadium during the 4 days of carnival) and we were going to see it live. The Sambadrome is massive. There were thousands of people there. The costumes, amazing floats, the beat of the drums that you can feel in your chest, the floats are so impressive in there details and size and movements. The first moving float that I saw had to be over 20 feet tall and was an articulated Pinocchio.

The parade starts around 6 or 7, at night and doesn’t stop till 5 or 6 in the morning. There are around 5 different samba schools presented each night. The only break from the festivities is when one samba school ends and the next one starts. By morning I was completely spent. Even if you can’t make it to the Sambadrome there is plenty to see and do during carnival. There are pop-up parties everywhere in Rio. For tourist it’s best to stay in the neighborhoods of Cocopacbano or Ipanema. I returned to Rio de Janiero in 2024 for the first time in 4 years and like aways, had a great time. First stop up was Samba City. It is a backstage carnival experience. They show all of that years floats and costumes (we missed carnival by a week). We were allowed to try on the costumes and learned to dance the samba. I clearly have 2 left feet. On my birthday we went to a Brazilian steakhouse (Corretaø), this place is a must. I waited all day for this. It’s all you can eat for an hour and a half (I lasted only 15 minutes). The sides are buffet style but all of the meats are brought to your table. The waiters give everyone their own individual stopper, (One side is green and the other side is red). As long as the stopper is green, the waiters will continue to bring meat to your table. The food was absolutely delicious, and it’s a must stop from now on. A few days later we went on a tour of the neighborhood of St. Terra with its famous trolley and hills. Along with the Selaron Staircase. The tile staircase that divides the neighborhoods of St. Terra and Lapa. (Lapa is the place to visit for the night life in Rio).

Art is in every corner in St Tersa. A stroll down the street you can see an artist hard at work painting or sculpting. After a short 10 minute walk we were at the Selaron Stairs.

Unlike most people we started from the top and made our way toward the bottom and, wouldn’t have had it, any other way. It’s easier to go down than go up. While making our way down we grabbed a couple of refreshing Caipirinha to cool off as we made our descent. The tiles come from all over the world and, it’s just breathtaking to see. They depict everything from Popes, Countries, to icons of Pop Culture. I was astounded to see the Simpsons smiling and waving at me. After a break of a day or two we traveled to Buzios a charming seaside town 2 hours from Rio. We had a pleasantly relaxing day on the water. All too soon the trip was over and we were heading back home. Rio de Janeiro is were my soul resides. I will always come back. Till next time, but it’s on to the next adventure.