Though Jim and I spent six days in Rio in 2007, we didn't partake in much of the abundant beach culture there. Perhaps we were shy of displaying our whitish Canadian bodies, perhaps it was the generally overcast weather. At any rate, by the time we did spend much time at the beach, only a few blocks from our hotel in Copacabana, it was cool and overcast. Nonetheless, there was much to amuse us in this tightly packed city. Rio made me think of a city dropped into an upside down egg crate, with the urban bits sinking to the cracks in between the mountains. Certainly, I've never seen a city in a lovelier location.
Photo List (Total 473 Photos)
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
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Centro (159 photos) - Because of our wandering ways, these were rather hard to put into a natural order, but they consist of churches, palaces, tall buildings, little shopping streets, museums, and other sights in the central part of Rio, starting at Carioca and moving down to Castelo and ending by leaving on a ferry for Niteroi.
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Cinelandia (46 photos) - This is an area surrounding a square with lots of cultural buildings, built to beautify the city. Includes lots of photos of the buildings in this area, including the Teatro de Rio de Janeiro and the modern art museum.
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Niterói (42 photos) - This is Rio's sister city across the harbour. Mostly unpleasant, it nonetheless has two buildings by Oscar Niemeyer that we wanted to see. This section includes these two buildings, our ferry ride across the harbour, and a few other shots of the town.
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Sugarloaf (42 photos) - Sugarloaf is a mountain near the harbour of Rio that offers stunning views of the city. There is a two step rise to the top, first up the Morro da Urca, with a second gondola ride to the peak of Sugarloaf. This section is mostly views of Rio, but also includes a few shots of the Urca neighbourhood at the base of Sugarloaf.
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Botanical Garden (61 photos) - We had a beautiful morning for our visit to this huge garden, with many photos of odd and majestic plants.
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Copacabana (55 photos) - This beach neighbourhood where we stayed was intensely developed and urban, and far less touristy than we thought. These photos show the beach, a marathon, the Forte de Copacabana and urban scenes from around the hood.
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Ipanema (27 photos) - Shots of this exclusive neighbourhood, including parks around the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.
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Favela Tour (34 photos) - Shots of the favela (sort of a slum, but more like an improvised neighbourhood) that we visited during our tour.
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Transit photos (7 photos) - Subway shots.
