Rio Carnival!

Everywhere there are block parties, with live music, lots of drums, dancing, performers, street sellers and everyone having a good time. They can be either static taking up a street with both ends blocked off or are mobile and follow a route around the local neighbourhood. I was at one last night just around the corner from the hotel and it doesn't matter who you are but everyone is invited. They start at different times and end after a few hours so for the party goers you can go to one at 8am and continue throughout the night moving from one to the next. One went past the hotel and it was a complete contrast the next morning with no one around, a couple of views out of the front window of the hotel

                                      

The big day arrived an that evening I had tickets to the Sambadrome where all the different samba schools compete for the title of the best school. They would have spent months designing their costumes, rehearsing and tonight was the big play off.

I went for a walk to the Parque des Ruinas, a now ruined former mansion whose owner was a patron of the arts. Today it hosts art displays but because of the carnival it was shut.

I missed taking photos of the tram tracks so took a few on the way, such as this look at the tracks across the aqueduct.

Some of the interesting architecture and an opportunity for some one to do a bit of restoration work.

And everywhere there were people in fancy dress, either left over form the night before or on their way to a morning block party.

The arches of the aqueduct.

Some of the remnants of a street party. The council is excellent at clearing up. They follow the mobile block parties as the promenade and clear up as they go so there is no evidence after the party has passed that it was ever there. These are piles that had been swept up right after the finish of the party and I passed half an hour later and all these lies had gone.

A few views of the St Teresa neighbourhood.

A tram station.

I never did see a tram but this mural was the nearest that I got.

An old monastery in the centre of the city.

I came across the gathering point for the floats where thy are assembled ready for the evening parade. They are all huge constructions and impressive but without the performers, music or the atmosphere.

The start was twelve hours away but people were going to their start points at the 'Gathering of the Blocks'.

Another bit of a float being manhandled into position.

The plastic sheeting is protection against rain.

I had an idea to visit the Museum of Tomorrow withers fanciful modern a=design, but as with many things, it was shut for the duration of the carnival.

A selfie of me and the museum in the background.

As evening approached people began making their way to the Sambadrome, and the processions would last all night with the last ones not getting through until 8am. And most people were in fancy dress...you stood out if you were in normal clothes without any glitter or makeup.

Unfortunately I have no photos of the processions in the sambadrome as I didn't want it to get broken or stolen and besides I had no pockets to put it in as I was in fancy dress myself.

And it would only be in Rio that a major four lane highway could be shut for the duration of the carnival. But the city does a great job at hosting the five day event.

My hotel was a beautiful traditional building and converted to a hotel in recent years but it has kept many period features. It is in an ideal position for carnival as several block or block parties pass by infant, sometimes several in one day.

 An ordinary street scene to left.

 And a small flat party in the distance outside the large white building to the right.

 And then just a little later the street was full of people, dancers, musicians, drummers and followers as a street party went past with the PA on the truck and dancers on the roof.

 And the only photo that exists of me just before setting out to the sambadrome last night and I am still hoping for anonymity  because all of our faces are in shadow.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

After several months on the road I have finally arrived at Rio in time for the carnival. Carnival starts on the Friday evening so we had time to spare to go sight seeing...and of course number one thing to do i.e. is visit Christ the Redeemer.
A view from the distance

 and a view from right underneath.

 The views were great but could have been better on a clear day. It was early in the morning but there was still a haze.

 Sugar Loaf mountain towards the right of the picture.

 One of the several lagos that divide up the city.

 and an atmospheric photo with the sun shining across one arm.

 On the journey around the city there are plenty of favelas, over 1,000 but not all of them are as big as this one overlooking St Teresa neighbourhood.

 St Teresa was one of the first neighbourhoods to be developed and it is famous for its architecture nd its trams. There were plenty of tracks but the trams only run intermittently and I saw none.

 The cathedral is a large concrete built cone, an interesting piece of architecture, rather too brutalist for my liking and as an ecclesiastical building it is also far too modern as I like my cathedrals built of stone, dark and cool

 The bell tower set to one side of the main entrance.

 An an inside photo of one of the four floor to ceiling stained glass windows It too was in a modern style and depicted a scene from the bible but in such a modernist style that although I know the story, I wouldn't have been able to tell which story from the bible it was depicting unless I had been told...and even then I had trouble working the picture and the story together.

The Escadaria Selaron or Selaron Steps. Selaron was an artist who started to decorate the steps outside his house in the 1990's. He continued with his mosaics until he completed the whole set of steps which gives the colourful staircase seen today. There are many countries represented here and it is always a challenge to fin depictions of your own country somewhere up the steps.

                                       
A few more photos of the steps.

On a vist to the largest favela in Latin America, Rochinha where 200,000 people live. It is a cramped sprawling mass of concrete one of two room houses up to six stories high climbing up the steep mountain behind the small flat strip of land between the mountains and the beach. We were taken on a tour but one of the locals.

There was a little danger as the drug gangs are still dealing here but after a long struggle between the police and the gangs, there is a sort of calm. The police patrol the outside and the gangs still deal but without the inter gang warfare so that the area is safer than it used to be. This is a reasonable conclusion for the politicians as it is compulsory to vote in Brazil and there are a lot of voters in the favelas.

A view looking across the favela towards the beach.

 The top of the favela where the mountain side gets too steep even to extend the favela.

 A detail of the main thoroughfare through the area.

 A steep side street off the main track.

Another photo not for the people but to show the mass of telephone and power cables above your head. Some people steal the electricity but others pay for it partly as it gives them an address and therefore access to post, residency, land claim etc. The ground underfoot was similarly covered with water pipes and below them sewage pipes. So you always had to watch your head and where you put your feet not only for the pipes but also for the dogs hit that is everywhere until it is washed away by the rain. I was only wearing flip-flops and no one had mentioned the dog shit was I was very careful where I put my feet. 

Some areas have been frightened up by sponsored graffiti to add colour.

 No trip to Rio is complete without a trip up to the top of Sugar Loaf mountain so it was time to find the two stage cable car to get to the top.
                                      

 The views are great and after a bit of wind there was less haze.

 A view of the legendary Cococabana Beach from Sugar Loaf Mountain.

 A less popular beach, it is very sheltered and there is an almost  imperceptible film of oil on the water from the many boats moored just off shore. With so many excellent beaches to chose from, this one s often empty.

 The helicopter landing pad on the first of the two sugar loaf mountain hilltops for those that don't want the full experience but want a short cut to the top.

 One of the two forts that protect the harbour across the strait.

 A picture of myself with Ipanema Beach over my left shoulder which some people claim is better than Cococabana Breach...I disagree as the beach shelves steeply with some strong waves but Coco is a more gentle slope and better for families and weak swimmers.

 Between Coco and Ipanema beaches is a rocky headland where the military built a fort that has undergone several refurbishments and although still a military post, it is now a museum.

 Some of the heavy calibre naval guns deployed at the start of the twentieth century.

 The entrance to the underground complex.

 And some of the tunnel, armouries, power plants and barracks all built underground for protection.

 And one last shot of Sugar Loaf Mountain from Gloria Beach. I was reluctant to take shots of the other beaches as there were so many thongs, strings and very skimpy bikinis on display that I didn't want to appear to be too interested in them which was hard. So my advice to female visitors that before they visit if they want to fit in tis o save the money on designer wear and get two pieces of coloured string,  go on a two week diet and make the effort to get an ALL over fake tan. Otherwise stay off the beach.