Saturday, June 30, 2012

Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) Rio de Janeiro



"People don't take trips . . . trips take people."
John Steinbeck



Today was a beautiful sunny day (almost 80 degrees in winter!) so I decided to take a trip up the Corcovado mountain to see the world famous "Cristo Redentor" (Christ the Redeemer) statue. This statue is the image most associated with Rio de Janeiro. When the Portuguese colonized Brazil they originally called the mountain "the Pinnacle of Temptation" but later changed it to "Corcovado"  (the hunchback). The statue is enormous with Jesus' arms stretched out waiting to greet you. Besides the statue, the view of Rio from Corcovado is incredible! And on the way down from the mountain, we had two detours. The first was a "mirador" (look-out point) which had a great view of the Christ the Redeemer Statue. The second was on the road down, where we stopped to watch and feed the indigenous monkeys of the Tijuca forest (where the Corcovado is located).




Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)




















The Chapel of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is inside the base of the statue

The inside of the chapel




The view of the statue from the mirador

The statue of Jesus which stands over Rio welcomes and protects the city

The fabulous view of Rio from Corcovado (on the far upper left is the Pao de Açucar  "Sugar Loaf" mountain)




The indigenous monkeys waiting on top of a snack shop waiting for their next meal







The Tijuca forest is full of monkeys





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