Lunch at Copacabana Beach. We went to a "local" restaurant to see how they do lunch. Oh my!! La Fiorentina. An Italian style restaurant that has been in business since the early 1950's. There were pictures on the walls autographed by celebrities that have been there. Just like at the Stage Deli in NYC, for those that know that place. Rita Hayworth and Brigot Bardot were two stand out names we saw. They had a big interview there about the Bossa Nova music and dance for those of you that like the Dancing with the Stars show, you know what this is! Very interesting. They give you WAY too much food. We all tried different things and Nicholas ordered a pizza. It came with loads of cheese and very little yellow sauce. Unusual but he ate it.The guy with Nicholas in the blue blazer is Eduardo. He works for a jeweler in Rio, Amsterdam Sauer. He befriended Nicholas at the many "games" they play everyday on the ship. Top toss, Baggo, Bocce, darts, bingo, trivia...lots to do. Anyway, he was tall and very good at Top Toss. Nicholas liked having him for a partner. He went to school at San Diego State and his English was perfect. He taught the kids how to say, How's it going in Portuguese. I can't spell it right but it goes like this. You say "Tudo bay" and the other person is to say "Tudo bam" all while using a thumbs up motion. Eduardo, if you see this, Thank you for all your kindness to our family. You made Rio fun for us and thank you again for the guides. Speaking of guides. Look at the next picture. This is our guide, Bianca. She was adorable. Nicholas wanted to bring her home. She was great. She is in law school and works summers there as a guide. The next picture is of Jamie Logan and Nicholas. Jamie is the Cruise Director of this ship. He does a fabulous job keeping everyone busy and happy. The games he plays daily have made time pass quickly for the children. He was the one that arranged for us to tour the Bridge with the Captain on Nicky's birthday. He also made it possible for us to have a Top Toss party and Nicky was able to invite 20 of his new friends to play with him that day. Thanks to Jamie. He is from Michigan. When we play some of his made up games you have to "think" like a Yankee, that is tough for us! Then the picture of Kathleen in her Carnival mask! A lovely choice, don't you think! She is ready for the ball when they have the celebration next month on the ship!!
The clouds were so thick that it made it hard to get a clear picture. The second picture of the Christ statute, Corcovado(which is 120 plus feet high) gives you a prespective of size when you look at the people at the base of the statute. The third picture gives a view from up there. It took ten years to make the statue. It was made by a team of Frenchmen and the leading scultor was Paul Landowski. It weighs 700 tons! It is well lighted at night and is a dramatic icon to the city. Corcovado means hunchback and refers to the shape of the mountain it sits on. A local belief the statue is of Christ getting ready to clamp for his favorite Samba dance! Actually, was designed so that Christ looks like He is embracing the city. The view from the top is amazing. Too bad it was not a more clear day. The pictures don't do it justice. You will have to make a trip to Rio to see it yourself!!
The clouds were so thick that it made it hard to get a clear picture. The second picture of the Christ statute, Corcovado(which is 120 plus feet high) gives you a prespective of size when you look at the people at the base of the statute. The third picture gives a view from up there. It took ten years to make the statue. It was made by a team of Frenchmen and the leading scultor was Paul Landowski. It weighs 700 tons! It is well lighted at night and is a dramatic icon to the city. Corcovado means hunchback and refers to the shape of the mountain it sits on. A local belief the statue is of Christ getting ready to clamp for his favorite Samba dance! Actually, was designed so that Christ looks like He is embracing the city. The view from the top is amazing. Too bad it was not a more clear day. The pictures don't do it justice. You will have to make a trip to Rio to see it yourself!!You are impressed by the size of the statute and the feeling here that Christ looks after them from his spot on top of the mountain.
Below is Sugarloaf mountain. It looks like Stone Mountain in Atlanta. The cable car goes from one mountain top to the next. The first picture shows the two mountains that the cable car runs between. There are cable cars going in both directions but I am sure they are hard to see in the compressed picture for the web site. Do they replace those cables every 4 years or every 40 years?? We never got a straight answer. Glad we made it to the bottom safely to tell you about it!
This last picture is of the kids and I having PE on the ship as we sailed out of the harbor in Rio! They have a walking track on the top level of the ship. If you go around 7 times t is a mile. Kathleen and I outlasted the guys that day. We did 4 miles and they only did 2. It was long enough to get sunburned and admire the silouette of Rio as we left. Sad day for me. For some reason, leaving our friends like Eduardo was like closing a chapter of our trip. However, I'm sure new friends await us in Africa and beyond! Here's to our next stop, St. Helena. More on that tomorrow. We have a formal night tonight so that means tuxedos and fancy dresses!! Fun night ahead.
Below is Sugarloaf mountain. It looks like Stone Mountain in Atlanta. The cable car goes from one mountain top to the next. The first picture shows the two mountains that the cable car runs between. There are cable cars going in both directions but I am sure they are hard to see in the compressed picture for the web site. Do they replace those cables every 4 years or every 40 years?? We never got a straight answer. Glad we made it to the bottom safely to tell you about it!
The third picture is looking out the back of the cable car.
Rio is a vibrant city of over 6,000,000 people. It was the capital of Brazil before the capital was moved to the interior to Brasillia . They speak Portuguese here as this was a Portugese colony. At one time the Pope divided the new world between the Spanish and the Portuguese. Brazil was given to Portugal because it was on the Portugal side of the line the Pope had drawn. Everything west of that line went to the Spanish. That is why Brasil is the only country in South America that speaks Portugese instead of Spanish.
Rio is a vibrant city of over 6,000,000 people. It was the capital of Brazil before the capital was moved to the interior to Brasillia . They speak Portuguese here as this was a Portugese colony. At one time the Pope divided the new world between the Spanish and the Portuguese. Brazil was given to Portugal because it was on the Portugal side of the line the Pope had drawn. Everything west of that line went to the Spanish. That is why Brasil is the only country in South America that speaks Portugese instead of Spanish.
This last picture is of the kids and I having PE on the ship as we sailed out of the harbor in Rio! They have a walking track on the top level of the ship. If you go around 7 times t is a mile. Kathleen and I outlasted the guys that day. We did 4 miles and they only did 2. It was long enough to get sunburned and admire the silouette of Rio as we left. Sad day for me. For some reason, leaving our friends like Eduardo was like closing a chapter of our trip. However, I'm sure new friends await us in Africa and beyond! Here's to our next stop, St. Helena. More on that tomorrow. We have a formal night tonight so that means tuxedos and fancy dresses!! Fun night ahead.
2 comments:
Mary you are doing a great job with this blog. The pictures are wonderful and your commentary about each is fun to read and helps us to keep up with your travels. We miss you guys. Have fun and be safe. Love to all, Aunt Kathy
Hi, I love looking at your blog when I have time. I went to Brazil in high school and it was so much fun! We spent two days in Rio, it was amazing. I saw my first monkey in the wild there! I hope y'all are all doing well, we look forward to seeing more each day in the classroom!
Miss Glenn
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