Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 29 February 2024 We start the day with a half day tour of Rio de Janeiro. First stop of the tour is the famous Chirst the Redeemer statue. The statue sits atop the Corcovado (meaning “hunchback” in Portuguese) mountain.
It is a 710-metre granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park. Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ. The statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 30 metres high, not including its 8-metre pedestal.
The arms stretch 28 metres wide. It was created by French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida sculpted the face.
As the Corcovado peak is so high, it is often covered in clouds. So we didn’t get the best views of the city from the top. At least we were lucky enough to see the statue in its full glory when we arrived – 30 minutes later it was completely covered in fog.
Next was a stop at the Santa Teresa neighbourhood. It is located on top of the Santa Teresa hill, in the centre of Rio, and is famous for its winding, narrow streets which are a favourite spot for artists and tourists. The houses are colonial and has a bohemian vibe.
We stopped here to try some locally made “Pão de queijo” – a Brazilian cheese bun made of tapioca flour and cheese. Our next stop is the Selarón Steps (“Escadaria Selarón”). The steps straddle the Lapa .