Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The charming Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Resident call their city simply O Rio. But Cariocas, as the locals are called sometimes call their home cidade maravilhosa. The marvelous city.
Rio de Janeiro’s powerful magnetism has drawn settlers and visitors for centuries. Rio is without doubt in of the world’s most photographed , and photogenic, places. Who has not seen a picture of Sugar Loaf, Guanabara Bay, and the magnificent urban beaches? Or heard about the teensy bikinis, firm bodies and the annual bacchanal of the carnaval, where a party-till-your-sequins-drop-off attitude reigns? All over the world, the words Copacabana and Ipanema roll the tongue and tumble from the radio like universal shorthand for exotica.
Rio de Janeiro’s natural beauty is so exalted that the presence of a towering statue of Christ the Redeemer, high on Corcovado mountain overlooking the city does not seem the least surprising. Arms outstretched, O Cristo Redentor blesses the city on a daily basis. But abundantly blessed it already is. The City of 10 million is sprinkled delicately among curves of gorgeous bays, sweeping white-sand beaches coastal mountains swathed in the tropical rain forest, and island the ripple out of the sea.