Every photo and movie I’ve seen over the years of this city always seem to include a flyover of Cristo Redentor or Christ the Redeemer statue. Here is a nice Youtube video to give you an idea; moreover, it’s better than my photo skills.
It was only natural that I would want to visit this place located at the top of Corcovado Mountain. In terms of height, it is much taller than Sugarloaf Mountain topping out at about 700M or 2300Ft.
It is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Here is the whole list…I intend to visit all of these:
- Christ Redeemer: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Great Wall of China: China.
- Machu Picchu: Peru.
- Petra: Jordan.
- Pyramid at Chichén Itzá: Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
- Roman Colosseum: Rome, Italy.
- Taj Mahal: Agra, India. Top.
To get to the top, you take an alpine style train upward at a near constant 45 degrees for about 20 minutes.
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As we neared the top, a think blanket of clouds moved in. My same experience with Mt. Rushmore happened here!
None the less, I enjoyed climbing the stairs, people watching, and was still thankful for the experience. What it really means is that I will just have to come back to this city again someday to see this view…
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Side note: That last photo holds a rather deep metaphor for me.
As we took the train back down the mountain we came out of the clouds and got a great view of the city in a cloudy twilight. Not bad at all.
As I was returned to the hotel where the tour started I felt a mix of joy about the day and sadness that it had to end. I spent some time wandering along Praia Leblon, the famous beach of Ipanema. For a moment, buried in my thoughts, I found a brief element of serenity.
Back at my hotel, I celebrated the day with very delicious Mojito. That, my friends, is my Rio adventure. Who wants to go when I go back?
