Our Brazilian adventure is slowly coming to an end, so I decided to make one last post from this beautiful country. Isa and I have been in Rio de Janeiro for a few days now and it is to this city that I will dedicate a few words today. The more so because this most famous city of Brazil is full of contrasts. Phenomenal wealth borders on unbelievable poverty, and modernity on the past.
A few words on the city’s history
The name of the city in English means ‘January River’. The author of the name is Gaspar de Lemos, the first European to arrive in this area, who thus described the bay on which Rio lies. At the beginning of the 16th century there was no city here yet, only trading factories. The urban history of the place begins in the second half of the 16th century, when the Portuguese began to build São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro, or St. Sebastian of the River of January. Over time, the patron saint’s name disappeared and the Rio de Janeiro we know today remained.
The city developed like most cities on the colonised continent and the subsequent wars left their mark on it. I mean, for example, the War of the Spanish Succession, or the Napoleonic Wars. Interestingly, during the latter, Rio became the de facto capital of Portugal – it was here that King John VI and his family took refuge.
It’s safe to say that Rio de Janeiro grew on two raw materials: gold and sugar. And although it hasn’t been the country’s capital for over 60 years (it’s Brasilia, built from scratch), it is here that you will find many magnificent buildings and monuments worth visiting.
Two places I recommend
Although Rio can be explored over several weeks, I decided to see and describe for you two places that have always fired my imagination.
Corcovado
There is probably no place more associated with Rio than Corcovado. The huge statue of Christ the Redeemer not only towers over the city, but is also probably the most filmed place in the world. Can you imagine any film set in Rio without the obligatory aerial shots of this statue? I cannot.
The statue was unveiled in 1931 and continues to attract crowds of tourists. It made a huge impression on me, although I liked the hill itself even more, which is reached by a railway. And this despite the fact that the sculpture has been recognised by UNESCO as one of the seven new wonders of the world.
Copacabana
At the very sound of the word “Copacabana”, Barry Manilow’s song of the same title fires up in my mind. And it doesn’t matter that it’s not about the beach, but about a club in New York. Anyway, Copacabana is beautiful and definitely worth spending at least a whole day here to see how the light changes, swim in the ocean and, of course, observe the locals.
What do you think?