I was all set today to visit the infamous Sugarloaf. It is a mountain that is reached via a two-step cable car system. Hopefully when I get there the view will be better than yesterday's overcast skies. But the rain still comes and goes...just a little sprinkle now and then...but no sunshine.
On the way to Sugarloaf I traveled via downtown Rio....modern buildings mixed with those that have been here for over 100 years....as these examples will illustrate..
The trip via downtown included this stop at the Metropolitan Cathedral. It is a pyramid form...and the interior is about 300 ft wide and 275 ft high.....beautiful stained glass cross....
Pope John Paul visited Rio and the Cathedral and this is commemorated with this statue in front of the Cathedral...
The National Library.....
Okay...now to the excitement of the day....the cable car rides....the first was somewhat mild...even though is seemed that the car was packed to capacity...it made it to the top of the the first level...or Urca Hill up some 700 feet.
These flowers (as do most) caught my eye...they were stunning on this dull dreary day....
It has begun to clear...somewhat....as this picture from the 1st level indictes....this is the Copacabana area....and Guanabara Bay...
This is a view from cable car #2 which is taking me another 1,300 feet up to Sugarloaf...
Now the view of the beach from the other side....
..and down there is where I just came from in cable car #2.....
How about this beauty from the top......
I will have to say one thing....it was very windy...very!! In fact one woman was injured pretty bad when a table upended and she was struck in the head. Some stitches were in order I am sure. I was no looking forward to the ride down in that cable car as the winds seem to increase....and it did not look like they had sufficient accommodations for several hundred people who would be trapped up here!!!
I made it down to the 1st level...and the winds died down...as shown in this peaceful scene of this RTW traveler with the Bay to his back....
One more shot of the view from the 1st level....
....and looking down from inside the cable car to the launching level of the cable car below....
Well....that was quite the ride....one thing I should have included before....this whole process of going up 2 levels and down 2 levels took about 3 hours with all the people....and for the photo of the day....one last look at these cable cars....this is one going up as I am in one going down....they seem to zoom past!!
No comments:
Post a Comment