Teaching My Way Through Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Exploration- Beaches, Municipal Cathedral, Santa Teresa, Forts, and more

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Rio de Janeiro Exploration- Beaches, Municipal Cathedral, Santa Teresa, Forts, and more

June 2nd morning we had a later start, a lazy breakfast, and took a walk along Ipanema beach to Aporador Rock, which is famous for its sunset view. It was a beautiful and sunny day and it had a great view of Ipanema and Copacabana beach down each side. We next took the Metro to Carioca and wandered to the Municipal Cathedral, which is shaped like a Mayan temple. The inside had beautiful stained glass along the four sloping walls, and the center podium had seating around three directions. Next, we walked past the aqueduct to the Lavradio Fair in Santa Teresa. The fair only happens the first Saturday of every month and draws in over 300 vendors. On a side street we saw a live Capoeira performance with music and a crowd gathered to watch the fluid movements of the dance fight.

On our way up the Seleran Stairs we bumped into some Fulbrighters from Gioana in town for the Rio de Janeiro marathon. The stairs were more crowded than I expected, but the tile work was colorful and beautiful. Evidently, the tiles are swapped out with next artwork every so often. Houses lined the infamous step staircase with residents trying to sell pictures imprinted on al materials. We continued on through the hilly Santa Teresa neighborhoods to the Parque das Ruinas. The old refurbished building was a lot more impressive than I expected, and the top of the third floor provided an amazing 360 degree panoramic view.

By one in the evening we headed back towards Copacabana beach, hoping to get in some sunny beach time, but the sun was setting in two-three hours. The water this day was even colder than the first, and I honestly enjoyed Ipanema Beach better than Copacabana- but both were breathtaking with the meeting of city, ocean, and mountains. We relaxed on the beach for an hour and then decided to walk to the end of the beach to the Duque das Caixas (a fort on the hillside). The fort closed at 4:30, and we went up at 4, so we only had a bit of time to admire the view looking down on the city, the Christ Redeemer in the distance, and Pao de Acucar. We walked back to the metro along Copacabana beach. The cobble stone roads, crashing waves, and hazy mountains around sunset were amazing.

That night for dinner, Jake picked a Portuguese restaurant. It looked like a market store out front, but then as you walked in it had bottles of wine lining the walls and about 12 tables arranged. We had bacalao fish, and a famous tradition sandwich with calabresa, filet mignon, eggs, and poutine fries. We looked around markets for cheap wine and chocolate, and Jake snuck my wine into the hostel for me.

To see my adventures, click here to watch this video: