The Tour

Up, up, up!

On Friday, we took our first official (partial) tour of Rio. I say partial because we really covered little of the city and left out some important locations/neighborhoods. We began by taking a cable car up the infamous Sugar Loaf, a mountain at the mouth of the bay. This was the first place where the Portuguese settled in Rio, and because it reminded them of a loaf of sugar, they aptly named it Pao de Acucar (read, Sugar Loaf). The Portuguese initially thought they would establish the center of the city here, but after discovering how little land there was in the immediate vicinity and how much more there was on other sides of the bay, they moved inland. They still maintained settlements here in order to protect the bay from intruders, and to this day, the military is still located here. Riding up in the cable cars and progressively seeing all of Rio was pretty stinking sweet. Although it was a bit hazy, we were lucky because it was raining early in the morning but it cleared by the time we got to the top.

Rio de Janeiro

After the Loaf, we headed to lunch in Ipanema, which was the second time I got to enjoy Brazilian BBQ (HOL-Y-COW). We then jetted under Christ the Redeemer and went to the National Stadium and, effectively, the National Shrine to Brazilian soccer.

My older brother was a Brazilian soccer player?

I'm no soccer guru or fanatic, but it was still impressive to see the footprints of some great athletes--legends, really. I think one of our program directors put it best: like the best dancers are born with uncanny sense of rhythm and movement, these people were just born with a gift and greater natural propensity to play soccer; Brazilians, and the rest of the world, are the lucky ones to watch the results of those gifts.

Didn't you know? Brazil can also be spelled: F-U-T-B-O-L.

Following the stadium, we concluded our tour at the Botanic Gardens. I figured that the Gardens would be a nice, intentionally planted area, much like what you would see in Denver, Chicago, or any other city. And while there was certainly some consciously planned areas, it might as well have been a fenced off portion of the adjacent Tijuca National Forest. It was a beautiful place, and I could spend much more time there.

No, the tree is not bleeding. It's the Pau-Brasil,

the tree from which Brazil gets its name. Its bark
is a deep red and has been used to make inks and
dyes, among other things.

Returning to soccer, yesterday night we went to a local restaurant to watch Brazil play Argentina in a World Cup qualifying match. The game meant nothing to Brazil (save for national pride and face), but Argentina apparently was/now is on the bubble for not qualifying (crazy). Still though, Brazilians packed the house...and went wild when Brazil scored...three times. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be in the stadium watching. Experiencing Brazilian soccer first-hand is certainly on my to-do list.

I hope everyone is enjoying the long, Labor Day weekend!