Day 3 - Tour of Rio de Janeiro

Bom dia a todos! As we pull our groggy, jet lagged bodies down 10 flights of stairs – we emerge into the noisy, hot streets of Rio. What guidebooks – and people – never told us, is that Rio is in a constant state of repair. The buildings, the roads, the sidewalks, random blocks of concrete – all broken and being mended in a continuous cycle of noise. Needless to say, wherever we went in Rio, there was always noise. Beach noise, construction noise, people shouting (Agua de doiche! Agua de doiche! or something to that effect), and cars honking. Be prepared. 

We exited our apartment and picked up some local baked goods that were ubiquitous in all the shops – cheesy, breaded meats and seafood. Cheap, satisfying, and salty. We hop on the metro – which consists of 2 lines – and head North to Carioca station. There, I grab a coffee (very nice – strong), and meet up with other travelers going on the Rio free walking tour (Rio - Free walker tours) [Which we highly recommend!]

Our tour was led by a well spoken Carioca (Rio local), who guided us along many of Rio’s most famous locations. The walk was a gentle 3 hours and was very informative. We walked through old cobbled streets, observing historical buildings – each told with their unique histories. One building was a restaurant for the aristocracy and presidents. Another, the palace of the first King of Brazil. Next, the home of famous entertainer Carmen Miranda. The House of Justice, the Municipal building for politicians, and the National Theatre. The aqueduct – now tourist train – and the Principal Cathedral. Finally, we finish on Rio’s famous steps – created from tiles donated from over 60 countries.

The group – consisting of German, Swiss, Austrian, Canadian, and British tourists, all stop for lunch together after the tour – dining in a local restaurant, eating typical meat and bean dishes. The group says their goodbyes and we stick with a Swiss couple, and a German tourist, all of whom have been touring South America for the past few months. We visit the large Cathedral – which was very pretty inside in a stark, unusual way. The building was designed in a way as to draw everyone together – looking up to the heavens.

We jump on to the little tourist train and ride up into Santa Theresa – which supposedly boasts a stunning 360° view. We couldn’t find this place. We did however, find a lookout point which proffered a beautiful view over the surrounding bay.

After a trek down from Santa Theresa (the train stops at 4pm) – we decided to watch the famous sunset of Ipanema and Leblon beaches at Arpoador. A gentle climb atop some well-worn rocks, on a small peninsula off Ipanema, we relax and watch as the sun strikingly sets before us.

We say Goodbye to our German traveler friend (his 2^nd last day of travels) and grab some nightcaps on Copacabana. The famous Rio drink – Caipirinha (lime, cachaça [sugar cane liquor], ice, and sugar) soothes our weary feet and we say goodnight to Rio once more.