A few blocks from our hotel, we caught an early shuttle through what was left of the Atlantic rainforest that once surrounded Rio de Janeiro to Cristo Redentor or the Christ the Redeemer statue.
As the bus wove its way through the beautiful trees, creeks and past waterfalls, we caught a peek at the mammoth statue in the distance.
The statue lay within the Parque Nacional de Tijuca, an oasis high above the concrete jungle that was Rio below.
The views of the bay were stupendous, especially since there was hardly a cloud in the sky.
The glorious statue rose atop Corcovado, the mountain that translates to 'hunchback,' at a height of 710 meters above Rio.
We had read that the crowds would be untenable if we weren't there first thing in the morning so were so relieved that we had ample room to marvel at the almost 100-foot tall statue of Jesus Christ that was designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa. I read the design drew inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's famous study of the human body. The structure was hauled up the mountain in pieces and took years to assemble.
Seeing the birds soar so close to us just added to the experience.
A view of Pão de Açúcar or Sugarloaf, our next destination!
Underneath the base of the statue was a small chapel where Mass is held daily. It was a peaceful refuge away from the hubbub.
In 2007 Rio's Cristo Redentor was declared one of the winners in a worldwide poll to find the 'New Seven Wonders of the World,' a modern version of Greek historian Herodotus' list from the 5th century BC. The New Open World Corporation poll is thought to have been the largest ever, with 100 million voters!
In 1912, the launch of an aerial tramway system in Rio de Janeiro added to the Brazilian tourist map an enterprise that would become famous worldwide: the Sugarloaf Cable Car. I read the view of the constant come and go of the cable cars has become a part of the city’s landscape. Because of its shape, its privileged location, its presence in the history of the city, and the original way to access its summit, the Sugarloaf is a natural, historic and tourist landmark in Rio.
After taking an Uber to the base of the mountain, we had planned to walk up Morro da Urca and then take the cable car the remaining distance to Sugarloaf. But, because of the high heat even at 9 in the morning, we chose to take the cable car from the base all the way to the top of both. The beach views from the first cable car ride were stellar!
The name of Sugarloaf, adopted in the 19th century, came from the rock's shape which resembled the conical clay molds once used to refine sugar.
From the Cristo statue, we had a picturesque view of Sugarloaf; here we were ascending Morro da Urca where, in turn, we had a view of Cristo just an hour or so later!
After we got off the initial cable car ride, we noticed this Purple Ipe tree which had been planted by local elementary school students in celebration of Arbor Day in 2007. I wonder how many of the students had ever returned to see how tall it had grown.
The gift shop had lots of adorable havaianas sandals for sale. I had heard of them before but had never realized they were a Brazilian fashion statement until seeing them halfway up the mountain! I texted and spoke to our daughters back in the States to see if they wanted them but they were ho hum about them.
Having only reached Morro da Urca, we still needed to get the final cable car to reach the top of Sugarloaf. Steven and I remarked how this was the 'trip of the cable car' as we'd taken so many of them throughout our South American adventure. We both wondered where and when we would take our next one!
The German-made machine-powered cable car was in use from the first cable trip between Morro da Urca and Sugarloaf in 1912 through 1972.
A guide suggested we go up to Sugarloaf right away because of likely heavy crowds soon. We decided to heed his advice as the clouds also began rolling in so our views would not be the best shortly from the top of Sugarloaf.
A few stats for you: The cable cars had a capacity of 65 passengers and an operator; they left every 3 minutes or when they were full; the trip from Morro da Urca to Sugarloaf, a distance of 735 meters, only lasted 3 minutes; and the cable car traveled at a maximum speed of 35 kph.
The tree for which the country was named and also Brazil's national tree was the Pau-Brazil which can reach heights up to 30 meters. If we had been there from September to December, we would have enjoyed smelling its perfumed yellow flowers. We read the reddish-brown tree was part of the history of the country's colonization as the tree, which was abundant particularly along the coasts, was of great commercial interest. Used in civil and naval construction, the need for the tree caused intense competition and even fighting among explorers in Brazil. The tree, now used for violin bows and coloring in paint, is now almost extinct in the wild.
With Brazil only having less than two percent of the country's territory as nature preserves, botanists believe that is far too little to ensure the preservation of many vulnerable natural habitats.
If you click on the photo below to make it larger, you'll be able to catch a glimpse of the Cristo Redentor statue visible through the trees. Thank goodness we'd gone there first thing this morning as the views now would have been so poor due to the cloudy skies.
The Garden had a wonderful stand of bamboo trees which we'd enjoyed seeing elsewhere immensely.
The Karl Glasl Grotto was named for the Viennese-native Director of the Botanical Garden who created an appropriate climate for plants that required a humid and rocky environment.
It was mind boggling to read the Giant Amazon Water Lily could reach a diameter of two meters and the adult leaves are able to support up to an astonishing 45 kilos in the water due to the veins filled with air and gases! Each of the short-lived summer blooms float alone and has approximately 100 petals that are white on the edges and purple or dark pink in the center. The blooms open at sunset, remain open all night and die the next morning. After their death, if they are not eaten by fish, they fall to the mud at the water's bottom where their seeds will sprout. I hadn't realized before coming to the Rio Botanical Garden that the lily was named for the British monarch Queen Victoria.
We were intrigued to see these trees came from Madagascar, a country we'd love to visit some day.
I wish I had seen some information about this unusual sculpture!
The bust honored Frei Leandro, the first Director of Botany of the Garden from 1824-29, who initiated the landscaping and the location of planted trees and oversaw the creation of the artificial lake and hill.
The two-meter high, cast iron sculpture, represented the Greco-Roman mythological god, Thetis, which symbolized the feminine soul of the sea.
I heard, and Steven spotted, a toucan in the palm trees but the telephoto lens in my phone camera couldn't pick it up unfortunately. My 'real' camera had given up the ghost, appropriately enough, while we were in the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, a while back.
I wished there were signs indicating what these stunted tree-like growths were that bordered the lake.
A sign said this (these?) was a Traveler's Tree but offered no explanation.
The simple, whitewashed cottage was once the center for grinding saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur into gunpowder for the Royal Gunpowder Factory, a manufacturing complex created by the Prince Regent and later king, Joao VI, in 1808. In 1984, the building was identified through archaeological research and restoration was begun.The millstones were used to grind the coal and sulfur in one of the stages of the gunpowder manufacturing process.
The Meliponary was a collection of colonies of native Brazilian stingless bees. There are more than 300 species of the bees in Brazil.
Several years ago, we were fortunate to spend several hours at Singapore's National Orchid Garden, surely our best experience at any botanical garden anywhere yet. But even there, I don't recall learning that the vanilla plant was an orchid and is the only one to have a significant use in cooking and perfumes. Its active ingredient was already known by the Mayans and Aztecs who used vanilla as a spice, flavoring and medicine. Fifty years after the 'discovery' of South America, vanilla was used in European salons.
It was interesting seeing the Garden's Micro Orchids which were attractively displayed on different levels and to learn they originate from tropical areas in South America. The small flowers stood out for their delicate shapes, color and often by their number.
Besides orchids' attraction for their beauty, the flowers were believed for many centuries to be love potions! They were thought to awaken and stimulate sexual desire, virility and fertility. In the Middle Ages, they were widely used in teas, magic and aphrodisiacs and medicines for various ailments.
Until the 17th century, there was a belief that diseases should be used by plants that had some resemblance to the affected organ. As ground tubers, orchids have the same shape as testicles and thus were used in the treatment of sexual disorders.
For over 100 years, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden has amassed more than 10,000 samples of bromeliads in its Bromelarium that were displayed in two large greenhouses. The plants, some from the Garden's own collection and others that were donated or developed as part of scientific projects, came from the Amazon, Central and South America, salt marshes and the Atlantic Forest.
While the entire Botanical Garden was very beautiful, the chief claim to glory was the majestic Avenue of Royal Palms with its dizzying length. The stately path, located in the center of the Garden, was lined with 40-ft. tall palms which were planted at the time the gardens were established.
For me, the garden's water features were a particular highlight in addition to the Avenue of Palms.
The Widgeon Fountain was surrounded by two sculptures that depicted Echo and Narcissus.
Gloria: Whenever I spot calla lilies, I always think of you!
The Japanese Garden was especially beautiful and serene.
After spending several hours in the park, we could agree why the park was proclaimed one of the top ten botanical gardens in the world!
The scenery was stunning everywhere we looked.
There were so many boats in the harbors but we were surprised at how few were in use. Possibly due to the early hour?
As you can see from the smiles on our faces, we had a ball riding the cable cars and loved the amazing views from both cable car stations.
We headed next to the city's Botanical Gardens but the horrific traffic meant we didn't arrive until almost 2, well over an hour after leaving Sugarloaf. We could see why the walking tour guide yesterday had recommended we take the metro any chance we could rather than any surface transportation in Rio as the congestion was among the worst we've ever experienced.
The Gardens were founded by Portuguese Prince Regent Joao in 1808 as a repository for imported plants to become acclimatized to the tropics. They were opened to the public after the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889.
I sure hoped the bees were indeed stingless as I got close to the hive! They were called stingless bees because their stingers are atrophied and therefore harmless. They are also known as 'Indian bees' because their products - honey and wax - have been used by native tribes for centuries.
The Orquidarium looked appealing at first glance but it was a disappointing stop. We must have been there at the wrong season because few orchids were blooming and the exhibits looked rather sad. It was a shame as this part of the Garden was home to some of the world's rarest orchids and 1,000 tropical orchids were cultivated and preserved there.
Back outside the greenhouses, we just wandered through more of the Garden, enjoying the peacefulness and the absence of crowds of people.
At the exit was a remarkable sculpture unlike the more traditional ones showcased in the other areas of the Garden. The sculpture, called Adamah which meant red earth and also Adam, symbolized the origin of life. Through its height of 365 cm which represented the number of days in an year, the clay piece also contained symbolic visual references to Brazilian flora and fauna in danger of extinction. Time, erosion and pollution have made their mark since the artist, David Farias, gifted his piece in 1992.
Next post: An engrossing, and scary, walking tour of one of Rio's favelas or shantytowns.
Posted on June 6th, 2018, from Columbus, Georgia.
They are cypress knees. Roots for cypress trees. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Annie!!!
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