Last Rio Stop

Well, here we are in Rio de Janeiro on Easter Weekend. This is the last stop on this cruise around South America. We are staying at a three star hotel in the Catete District of the city. From the rooftop pool deck we have a great view of the surrounding neighborhood and we can see the Monument on Corcovado Mountain. It is a medium size hotel with a restaurant, a roof top bar and exercise room and a business center with Internet availability. A good place to camp out for a few days to see more of the city.

We decided to take a ride on the subway, or Metro. The cost for a one way ride of any distance on any line is only $2.80 Brazilian Real or about $1.50 US. There are a lot of historic buildings in the Centro area and it was fun to walk around and look at the different types of architecture. The European Influence in the art and architecture of Rio is beautiful.

The next day we took went to the Meseu da Republica that is just down the street from our hotel. The building was constructed in the late 1850’s and was the presidential residence from 1897 to 1954. The Palace is beautiful and the rooms and furnishing all very well maintained. The last Brazilian President to use the Palace as a residence was Getuilio Vargas who served as President for 24 years. He committed suicide in his bedroom in August 1954. The bedroom can be visited and the pajamas he wore and the handgun he used to take his own life are on display.

From the Palace we got back on the Metro and headed to the Carioca Station again where we could walk to the Estacao dos Bondes, the station for a very old street car system that has been in use for more than 100 years. We rode the streetcar up the hills toward the Santa Tereza District. The narrow streets and colorful houses made for a fantastic trip. The view of the city and the Favala, the housing for the poor, along the way was terrific. Part of the ride travels over the Aqueduct that was used a long time ago to bring water from the mountains to the city. The cost for the ride is $1.20

We had lunch at the small restaurant at the station and then walked over to the Cathedral Metropolitana. This huge church, shaped like a cone was built in the early 1960’s and is most unusual in design. As many a 5000 can be seated for a service and more than 15,000 for standing room. It is the most unusual church I have ever seen.

This evening is our last night in Rio, and it is raining cats and dogs, or should I say Cats and Agoutis (small animal that looks like a groundhog, but is smaller and has longer legs). A few days in Buenos Aires a 40 day cruise to eight South American Countries and finally a few days in Rio de Janeiro. Can you think of a better way to see the world?