Hi Everyone,
Happy Easter!
I had a 5night vacation to Rio in February. Every year on my birthday, I usually wake up in a city or country I have never visited. It's been my ritual for the past several years. One of the main reasons why I do that, is because I am thankful for another year in my life and most importantly because when I was 25, I had a benign tumor that my doctors thought was cancerous, and I was scared I might not be alive on my 26th birthday. I am eternally thankful to God it was benign. If I had a thousand tongues, I would not praise Him enough. Since then, I have always viewed my life as a gift and I am here only by the grace of God. So, I pay myself every year. Thats a story for another blog.
Anyway, so it was carnival season, and EVERYTHING shuts down during carnival. I paid in advance for an all-day tour of Rio and the driver just did not show up because he was at the carnival.
I had a long list of all of the places I wanted to see, but I couldn't see all of them because of the carnival.
This blog will show a glimpse of trip and my fashion enthusiast self.
Me at Copacabana beach! This is the most famous beach in the area. It has some great restaurants. The titles are like that in Europe. I had some of the best mojitos on the beach, made with Brazilian rum. Well, I'm not much of a 'drinker' but, I had mojito twice. They were amazing.
I visited other beaches such as Impanema beach and Botafogo beach.
Me on the famous Escadaria Selaron which means 'Lapa Steps' (Escadaria da Lapa). They are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed it as "my tribute to the Brazilian people". There are 215 steps measuring 125 meters (135 yards) long, which are covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries around the world.
In the same neighborhood was the Lapa Wall, so I had to stop for pictures.
I wanted to go to Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião, but we couldn't as it was closed for the carnival. I was able to take a picture of it from outside.
I wore this comfortable outfit the day I was supposed to have a full-day tour of Rio, but the driver did not show up. I woke up at 6am, just to be stood up.
This was a night out. I was supposed to go to a party, but it wasn't the safest area, so I decided to go out to dinner. I love this dress.
Finally, my favorite - Christ the Redeemer. It is one of the seven wonders of the world. Constructed between 1922 and 1931. It is 98 ft (30 meters), 125 ft (38 meters) tall with its pedestal, and 92 ft (28 meters) wide. It overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro. In my opinion it was a sight to behold.
What it really looks like (see below) and you get breathtaking views of the city.
There are a few cool places I missed out on because my tour was canceled - one was the Sugar Loaf Mountain. Regardless of it, I had a great time.
One last thing, they have pink sunrises. The most beautiful I have ever seen.
I leave you with this quote - “To travel is to live.” - Hans Christian Andersen
