This is the direct translation for Rio de Janeiro, yet there is no river of note to be seen in Rio. However there is so much more sights and sounds to embrace in Rio. Our pick-up was waiting for us at the airport when we arrived at Rio and brought us straight to our hostel. While travelling in the car we saw at a glance the diverse metropolis that is Rio. We noticed the poverty in the Favelas, where shacks are built on top of each other, rubbish on the streets thronged with people in rags. It is impossible to ignore the magic of the Christ the Redeemer statue even on the car ride to the hostel. It stands above everything else in the city, up in the clouds beside God, overlooking and casting a watchful eye on events down below. The Sugar Loaf is another major landmark which we were impressed with during our car ride.
The hostel was basic but nice. Good crowd of young people and surprisingly a lot of Irish!! It felt like student accommodation in Ireland again! Having endured a gruelling 14hr flight bed was the only destination for us. After a 4hr nap we headed to the Copacabana, which is a beautiful white sand beach and the atmosphere and relaxed feeling in the area is calming. The weather was good today which made the experience even better. Lifestyle in general here seems to be relaxed, calm, stress free and everyone moves at a pace that is comfortable for them. Of course the Brazilians passion for football is evident everywhere you go from the numerous Flamengo jerseys strolling the streets to the kids playing keepy uppy on the beach. That evening we returned to the Copacabana to find a beach football league occurring to our delight. This was serious stuff and could be seen in that each team had kits, fans and the game had kitted out linesmen and refs. Football is everywhere to be seen but we really are looking forward to soaking up all the attractions this city has to offer, a lot more attractions than just a river!!
The hostel was basic but nice. Good crowd of young people and surprisingly a lot of Irish!! It felt like student accommodation in Ireland again! Having endured a gruelling 14hr flight bed was the only destination for us. After a 4hr nap we headed to the Copacabana, which is a beautiful white sand beach and the atmosphere and relaxed feeling in the area is calming. The weather was good today which made the experience even better. Lifestyle in general here seems to be relaxed, calm, stress free and everyone moves at a pace that is comfortable for them. Of course the Brazilians passion for football is evident everywhere you go from the numerous Flamengo jerseys strolling the streets to the kids playing keepy uppy on the beach. That evening we returned to the Copacabana to find a beach football league occurring to our delight. This was serious stuff and could be seen in that each team had kits, fans and the game had kitted out linesmen and refs. Football is everywhere to be seen but we really are looking forward to soaking up all the attractions this city has to offer, a lot more attractions than just a river!!
Tom
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