After another enjoyable breakfast, we joined several other active people walking the canal path. Since we had already covered the small historic district several times, we decided to walk a little further today. We headed to Praia do Jabaquara to see another long stretch of beach and a different neighbourhood. |
We then walked up the hill to Morro do Forte. The Old Town is the tourist draw for a reason, so we returned yet again.
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Paraty's touristy Old Town is really small - approximately four square blocks, so it doesn't take long to see all of it. The most photographed buildings are its four churches. Igreja de Santa Rita Igreja N. Sra. das Dores Igreja N. Sra. do Rosario Igreja Matriz N. Sra. dos Remedios Every turn down every cobblestone street affords picturesque views and colourful photo opportunities. An afternoon of chillin' it. We checked out Praia do Pontal, but the city beach wasn't very nice. We also went for yet another stroll through the Old Town so that I could see it lit up at night and capture a couple more photographs.
We took the boat back to the mainland and caught a transfer van to Paraty, where we checked into the canal-side Pousada Corsario. From there, it's just a short walk to the historic old town. We ate an early dinner just outside the old town. After dinner, we walked back through the old town, then returned to our pousada by walking along the canal, completing a full circuit.
Right Outside our Room Julia Beach Abraao Village Beaches Praia Preta (including some black sand) We walked more than expected to access the various 'nearby' beaches. Crena Beach Abraazinho Beach We walked back at dusk and had cake and coffee back at our pousada.
Beach #4: Das Palmas Cove Along the way... (It's approximately a 2.5 hour hike.) Beach #5: Mangues Pouso Beach #6: Lopes Mendes
We transferred to Ilha Grande (via van and boat), checked into the Pousada Ancoradouro (located right on the beach), and explored the small village of Abraao (where I enjoyed the caipirinha special).
Lisa and I took a surprisingly clean, simple, and empty subway to Rio de Janeiro's "Centro" to check out more of its architecture. It was Sunday, but we were still shocked that the entire downtown core was deserted. We began our self-guided "tour" at the Municipal Theatre and walked past the Museu Belas Artes to the St. Jose Church. Next door is the Palacio Tiradentes. We continued on to Paco Imperial, and then Carmo Church. After seeing the Santa Cruz Church of the Military, we reached Rua do Ouvidor too early for lunch, so we continued past the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil to the Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Candelaria, "the city's most striking church." We admired both the exterior and interior before moving on to the Praca Mana and the structurally notable Museum of Tomorrow. We wandered the surrounding area and unexpectedly found ourselves back at the former Olympic Boulevard near the port, so we admired the murals all over again. We stopped at the St. Bento Monastery on our way back to Rua do Ouvidor for a meal. Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Candelaria Museum of Tomorrow Mosteiro de Sao Bento With our sightseeing complete, we took the metro back to Praca General Osorio and checked out the Sunday afternoon Feira Hippie Market before returning exhausted to our room. After a rest, we ventured out once more for an evening stroll along Copacabana Beach.
The above photo perfectly shows the area we covered today, and the various beaches we explored. The top arc is Copacabana Beach, running from Sugarloaf Mountain down to Copacabana Fort on the first point. Between the two points on the right side are the smaller beaches of Arpoador and Diablo. The long stretch of beach in the foreground is Ipanema, with the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon behind it. We continued our coastal walk to the point at Arpoador, where we could look down upon Praia do Diablo and Praia do Arpoador in one direction, and watch the surfers enjoy the waves of Ipanema. We continued our walk along the sands of trendy Ipanema Beach. As we joined the famous beach, I was surprised to discover that it too has graffiti and street art along the retaining wall at this far end. We ended up walking to the heart of Ipanema Beach where it was the most crowded, but decided to leave the more upscale end that becomes Leblon Beach for our return at the end of our vacation. Today was originally intended to be all about Copacabana, so we turned around and headed back to sample the caipirhina and relax on Copacabana Beach.
While we were there, a couple were wed inside the 30m statue of Christ. After admiring the city from above, we visited many of its notable buildings and sites. The Rio de Janeiro Cathedral is built to resemble a Mayan pyramid, while the nearby former aqueduct, Arcos da Lapa, now serves as a bridge for the public trolley. We visited the Sambadrome, custom built to host the Carnaval parade. The Maracanã Stadium has hosted two World Cups and the Olympics! The Gaudi-like mosaic inlaid Selaron Steps are indeed "beautiful", and were made even more famous by the video collaboration of Pharrell Williams and Snoop Dogg. Many of Rio's residents live in one of several favelas or giant ghettos. From a distance, these neighborhoods look colourful and picturesque with their homes stacked upon each other, so they are featured on all types of souvenirs as symbols of the city. We went to see the largest street art mural in the world; Eduardo Kobra’s 32,300-square-foot graffiti wall was designed for the Olympic Boulevard. To read and see more: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/largest-street-art-mural-in-the-world The area near the giant mural featured several other impressive pieces of art. (I ended up photographing street art throughout Brazil.) Our final stop was the other famous peak in Rio - Sugarloaf Mountain. We took the gondola to watch the setting sun from the summit.
I watched "All the Money in the World" and "Father Figures" while enjoying Shiner Bock as we flew to Rio via Houston. Upon arrival, we grabbed a cab to the Hotel Copa Sul in Copacabana and then exchanged currencies. We explored the Copacabana area, walked along its world famous beach, and found pizza and roast chicken for dinner.
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