For The Love of Travel

Just arrived at the splendid Belmond Hotel Das Cataratas, located in Brazil’s Iguassu National Park.  Here’s (not my) aerial photo of the hotel and proximity to falls!   300m to one lookout and entrance to many walks around the area. Woo hoo! And my best sunset photo tonight…

Started this morning by visiting the Arcos da Lapa – an aqueduct built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca river to the population of the city. It is an impressive example of colonial architecture and engineering.

Since the end of the 19thC, the aqueduct has served as a bridge for a popular tram that connects the city centre with the hillside community of Santa Teresa and it’s an awesome way to travel to see a struggling but proud bohemian and artistic community parading its wares…was briefly tempted by some brightly painted bolsa wood parakeets…..but didn’t give in!

Some restoration of buildings happening.  Locals are trying to attract hospitality custom from other areas in Rio and I was very glad I found Aprazivel, a gorgeously positioned hillside restaurant, across tiered tree houses with views to Rio. Yummy food as well.

Next, back down to central Rio to see the Selaron stairs, the 1990 work of Chilean- born artist Jorge Selaron, who claimed it as his tribute to the Brazilian people. 215 steps covered in over 2000 tiles collected from over 60 countries. Amazing.

Municipal Theatre, on a square called Cinelandia, this eclectic style building opened its doors in 1909 clearly inspired by Paris’ Opera Garnier. Loved the rooftop garnishes especially. 

Taking the train up the Corcovado mountain is fantastic, you go through forest, see capuchin monkeys and then you get to the top for 360 degree views over Rio…well almost…lots of cloud action happening when I arrived at 16.30. But the sun was shining over Rio’s buildings, which was good. Stunning scene!! 

Thank you for bearing with my blogs during the Olympics phase! You must be totally volleyballed out! Now for more standard touristy fare…

Today, I’m visiting a couple of museums in the Port area. Firstly the Museum of Tomorrow.  Built next to the waterfront at Pier Maua, it presents the findings of contemporary sciences in real time about our eg. energy consumption, climate conditions, forest degradation, population patterns, species extinction ….to open up discussion on the many different future scenarios that may result in the next 50 years from the choices we now make each day. The museum was designed by Spanish neofuturistic architect Santiago Calatrava, it’s solar spines and fan-like skylight allowing the building to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Fabulously interactive museum that wows kids and adults alike. A must if you are visiting Rio.

I walked a couple of kms to see Brazil’s graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra’s creation…a larger-than-life work for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The 3,000-square-metre mural titled Etnias (Ethnicities), depicts Indigenous faces from the five continents, and was created at Porto Maravilha in Rio. An image from the wall…..Next to the Museum of the Art of Rio (MAR), I went to specifically see the most expensive Brazilian art work, ‘Abaporu’, which is now displayed at this museum but came across the ‘Body Discourses’ exhibition as well, which takes as its starting point the body of the people who live in the city in order to bring into discussion social identity. I loved this image – beach, sea and kids having fun, very Cariocaresque!

On 11 January 1928 the Brazilian artist Tarsila do Amaral presented a painting to her husband, the writer and intellectual Oswald de Andrade, for his birthday. Amaral described the painting, which Andrade would later entitle ‘Abaporu’, or ‘person who eats,’ as: ‘a monstrous figure, with enormous feet planted on the Brazilian earth next to a cactus.’ The composition: one man, the sun and a cactus – inspired Oswald de Andrade to write the Anthropophagite Manifesto and consequently create Anthropophagic Movement, intended to “swallow” European culture and turn it into something culturally very Brazilian. Scholars have long acknowledged Abaporu as a crucial work in Amaral’s career.