A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2014.
Part 156:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Corcovado Mountain at sunset
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2014, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2014.
Part 156:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Corcovado Mountain at sunset
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2014, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
381: Guanabara Bay
When Portuguese explorers arrived in Guanabara Bay on the first day of 1502, they initially were thinking that they had arrived at the mouth of a big river, as the story goes. But another plausible explanation for the name Rio de Janeiro is gaining support: the word for ‘sound’ and ‘bay’ at the time of the discovery was ‘ria’. January Sound, or January Bay. Soon Ria de Janeiro became Rio de Janeiro, in order to avoid confusion between the words ‘Ria’ and ‘Rio’. The bay itself gained the name Guanabara, after the indigenous Tupi word ‘goanã-pará’, which means ‘bosom of the sea’. In the photograph, the skyline of the districts Flamengo and Botafogo is visible, as well as the mountains in the Tijuca Forest and the Corcovado peak, with the statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) on the top. At the time of the photography, an airplane flew over; most probably, it had taken off only moments earlier from Santos Dumont Airport, which is located on an artificial island in Guanabara Bay.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2012.
Part 12:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Christ the Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Sugarloaf Mountain
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Christ the Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Sugarloaf Mountain
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2012, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.
Part 53:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Corcovado train
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Christ the Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Lagoa
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Blue, gold and white lily
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Corcovado train
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Christ the Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Lagoa
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Blue, gold, and white lily
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
MARCH 2008: Big leaf
One of my favorite locations in Rio is the Botanical Garden. This city garden, located between Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and Tijuca Forest , houses a vast collection of tropical flowers, plants, herbs, shrubs, and trees. Typical for this botanical garden are the imperial palms in a long, double row that were originally planted along the way from the garden to the Guanabara Bay. Today, only the palm trees in the garden, and along an avenue in Botafogo still remain. From the botanical garden, the Corcovado Peak – with the statue of Christ the Redeemer on top – is clearly visible. From the neighboring Lages Park, a trail can be followed, to the Corcovado Peak. The botanical garden is a perfect site for taking amazing pictures. Not only of entire trees and plants, but also close ups. Like I took this photo of a leaf from a Philodendron species. The recently raked reddish brown earth under this leaf reminds me of a big nut.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016
Praça XV de Novembro hosts various monuments and memorials. The name (15th of November) refers to the declaration of the Brazilian Republic, and therefore the end of the Brazilian Empire. Curiously enough, one imperial palace is located on this square: Paço Imperial, where the Portuguese crown prince and later king Dom João VI, and the Brazilian emperors Dom Pedro I and Dom Pedro II had their offices. Ironically, the square also served as location of departure of the imperial family in 1889, when they were sent into exile. A statue of Dom João VI is located on this square. Another statue is of a Brazilian war hero, General Osório. Manuel Luís Osório (1808-1879), who became baron of Erval, and later was promoted via viscount to marquis of Erval. Osório participated in important battles during the Paraguayan War (1864-1870). He later was appointed as minister of War, until his death. The pantheon was constructed in 1894, with a bronze statue that was made of two cannons that were captured in Paraguay. In 1993, his mortal remains were transferred to his native state: Rio Grande do Sul. He is the patron of the cavalry of the Brazilian army.
The original picture was taken in December 2006.
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General Osório
Return of the statue after restoration
Not far from Lapa, a huge conic building is located near the headquarters of multinational company Petrobrás. It is a cathedral, the Catedral São Sebastião, or also known as Catedral Metropolitana. The cathedral is 75 meters high, with an internal diameter of 96 meters. The cathedral, inaugurated in 1979, is able to host twenty thousand people. Four enormous windows of stained glass, from floor to ceiling, represent four characteristics of the Church: Una, Santa, Católica, and Apostólica. São Sebastião is the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro, the cathedral is dedicated to this saint. A statue of another saint, São Francisco is located near one of the entrance doors. He is holding a bird on his right hand. The saint is facing the mirror view of his House.
The original picture was taken in October 2007.
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including history, touristic information and informative videos.
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It is hard to miss the shape of the Corcovado (‘Hunchback’) Peak in Rio de Janeiro. This peak is 710 meters high, with the famous statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) built on it. More than one million tourists visit the Modern World Wonder annually. Thus far, I have visited this World Wonder three times. My first encounter with the enormous statue was in January 2007. I joined a group to climb the slopes of the Corcovado Hill. I was amazed by the breathtaking views, but I had the bad luck that my camera broke one day before our visit.
The second visit occurred in October 2007. This time, I joined some friends who took a van. The fastest way, but also expensive. And your time is restricted, 90 minutes at most. And I had back luck again, I had forgotten my camera. That day, it was very cloudy, and the statue was really invisible.
My third visit was only one day later. I joined another group, who followed the track of the railroad that is heading for the peak. And finally, I had my camera with me. When I was in front of the statue, I took many shots. Of the breathtaking view of the city of Rio, under sunny circumstances. And I made a number of shots of the statue. Details of the statue. When I aimed on one of the hands of the statue, I clicked. And when I clicked, a dove was on its way. A lucky shot.
The original picture was taken in October 2007.
Click HERE for the accompanying story about the first travel to Rio de Janeiro.
(Click HERE for the Dutch version)
ClickHEREfor general information about RIO DE JANEIRO,
including history, touristic information and informative videos.
Click HERE for overview of Carnaval 2012 in Rio de Janeiro
It is hard to miss the shape of the Corcovado (‘Hunchback’) Peak in Rio de Janeiro. This peak is 710 meters high, with the famous statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) built on it. More than one million tourists visit the Modern World Wonder annually. There are various ways to climb the Corcovado Peak. The fastest – and most expensive – way is to hire a van or taxi. Another comfortable way is to take the small train at the basis of the peak. It is also possible to WALK the slopes of the Corcovado peak. The walk will take about two hours on sometimes steep slopes. When walking the entire track, it is safer to walk group-wise. One time, I joined friends to walk along the train track, and continued following the slopes halfway the peak. A somewhat safer way, you only need to be careful when the trains are passing, slowly. The best and cheapest way is to take a regular bus service at Lapa, that brings you halfway the peak. At that location, the entrance is guarded by the police, and from there, it is about two kilometers to the statue of Cristo Redentor. And don’t forget to visit the Mirante (vista) of Dona Marta, from where one may have another interesting view of the statue and the city of Rio.
I encountered this beautiful wild orchid on the slope, very close to the statue of Cristo Redentor.
The original picture was taken in October 2007.
Click HERE for the accompanying story about the first travel to Rio de Janeiro.
(Click HERE for the Dutch version)
ClickHEREfor general information about RIO DE JANEIRO,
including history, touristic information and informative videos.
Click HERE for overview of Carnaval 2012 in Rio de Janeiro