Over the weekend, Alex and I traveled to Rio de Janeiro. We were struck by its natural beauty and decided to dedicate this post to the city through the use of photos.

An aerial view of Rio during the climb up to Christ the Redeemer. The combination of the mountains adjacent to the city is an unbelievable view. Exploring around, Alex felt like he was in a city within a forest.

The view from Alex’s apartment. He stayed in Ipanema and right in front was an open space where people would walk, jog, or ride their bicycle along the lagoon.

Completed in 1931, the Christ the Redeemer statue is a symbol of Brazil recognized across the world. It is located at the peak of Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park. Arriving at the top and seeing the statue was one of Eli’s favorite moments in Rio!

The view from Urca Mountain. To arrive, Eli took a three minute cable car ride, which gave her a 360-degree view of the city. When she arrived at the top, she stopped to take in her surroundings, as well as a spontaneous samba performance.

Overlooking the city at night from the vantage point of Sugarloaf Mountain. From Urca, Eli took a second cable car to Sugarloaf. Seeing the city at night made her think about the stark differences between São Paulo and Rio. One is a concrete jungle while the other is a natural wonder. Yet both have that spark that make you fall in love with them, especially when enjoyed at night.

The politics of the World Cup did not bring new opportunities for poor communities. Artists were angered and created murals about the World Cup to express those emotions.  

The world-famous Selaron steps. Created as a “tribute to the Brazilian people,” artist Selarón took twenty years to decorate the steps’ 215 stairs leading up to the Convent of Santa Teresa.

Os Arcos da Lapa, Rio de Janeiro’s famous Roman-style aqueduct, stands as one of the city’s most impressive examples of colonial architecture and engineering. Today, the aqueduct is used as a “road” for the city tram (seen in the right-hand side corner).