Imaging Brazil 099: Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

099. Sugarloaf Mountain

DECEMBER 2006: Pão de Açúcar

On a summer Sunday, I was part of a group of students who climbed the partly paved, partly rugged trail from Urca Beach to the top of the Urca Mountain. From the top of the Urca Mountain we could enjoy a beautiful view over a large part of the city of Rio, the Guanabara Bay, and the adjacent Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) Mountain. This impressive rock is one of the principal tourist attractions in Rio. The top of it can be reached by two cable car lines. The first line goes from Urca Beach to the top of the Urca Mountain, from where a second line continues to the top of the Sugarloaf Mountain. On this sunny day in December, large clouds were gradually stacked on top of each other, reaching higher and higher in the blue sky. Compared to the size of these huge cumulus clouds, the city of Rio at the horizon seemed to be very small …

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014

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Imaging Brazil 094: Church Mirror in Belo Horizonte, MG (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

094. Church mirror 

DECEMBER 2006: Church mirror

One of the most remarkable churches you can think of is located in Belo Horizonte, at the margin of Pampulha Lake. A church with a separate tower and cross, a church with an undulating roof, as if they were waves on a stormy lake. It is a masterpiece of architect Oscar Niemeyer. The São Francisco de Assis (St. Francis) Church is open for visitors, but it is not allowed to take photos inside. You will have to try through the windows. I had the misfortune that these windows reflected the light. They reflected the image of Pampulha Lake, and the IATE Clube, also designed by Niemeyer. The church attracts many visitors, and one of them was nice enough to walk through my image.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014

Imaging Brazil 097: Urca Cable Car in Rio de Janeiro, RJ (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

097. Cable car

DECEMBER 2006: Cable car

From Urca, you can take two cable car rides to the top of the Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), from where you can enjoy a magnificent view of a great part of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the beaches. The cable car is not cheap, and many Brazilians won’t do the cable car ride. Instead, foreign tourists eagerly pay for an unforgettable cable car ride. I visited Urca with a group of students, and it was decided to climb the Urca Mountain on foot. We had to follow a paved track, and then an improvised path of large stones, rocks, and several small stairs. From the top of the Urca Mountain we could have a close look at the cable car gondolas, full of mostly foreign tourists. The gondola is covered with large glass windows, from which you are able to have a splendid view around and below you.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014