A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2008.
Part 53:
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Flying seagulls at sunset
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Itaipu Beach sunset
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Flying seagulls at sunset
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Itaipu Beach sunset
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2008.
Part 52:
Niterói (RJ) – Boat on the shoreline
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Hills and seagulls
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Boat on the shoreline
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
Niterói (RJ) – Hills and seagulls
Niterói (RJ) – Penguin
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.
Part 52:
Niterói (RJ) – Sunset seen from a watch tower
Niterói (RJ) – Owl
Niterói (RJ) – Guanabara Bay Sunset
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Two old ladies chatting
Niterói (RJ) – Sunset seen from a watch tower
Niterói (RJ) – Owl
Niterói (RJ) – Guanabara Bay Sunset
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Two old ladies chatting
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2007.
Part 51:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Ipanema sunset
Niterói (RJ) – Contemporary Arts Museum
Niterói (RJ) – Contemporary Arts Museum
Niterói (RJ) – Beach
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Ipanema sunset
Niterói (RJ) – Contemporary Arts Museum
Niterói (RJ) – Contemporary Arts Museum
Niterói (RJ) – Beach
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2007, 2017
A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2006.
Part 25:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Surfboard on a motorcycle
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Vermelha Beach
São Paulo (SP) – Rain shower
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Surfboard on a motorcycle
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Vermelha Beach
São Paulo (SP) – Rain shower
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2016
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
162. Penguin
AUGUST 2008: Penguin
Even in winter, you can visit the beaches in the state of Rio de Janeiro. During the long weekend in August 2008, I stayed in a hostel in Copacabana, with a dozen of friends from the university. One day, we planned to visit Itaipu Beach, within the Oceanic Region of Niterói. From Copacabana, we had to take the bus to downtown, and from there we went to the Hidroviária to take the ferry across the Guanabara Bay, to Niterói. We then had to take another bus until the final bus stop at a few hundred meters from the beach. The entrance road to the beach was guarded by the police, but they allowed us to walk to the beach. When we were enjoying some cold beers and several seafood snacks, we suddenly heard someone shouting. ‘A penguin! There! near the shoreline!’ Some people immediately run towards the poor creature and put it on a beach table. It soon was covered by a beach towel, to keep it warm. The emergency number was called, but it took more than an hour before a member of the fire brigade (completely in uniform despite the heat) arrived and carried the penguin away. That winter, more than four hundred penguins were rescued at Niterói. Some months later, they were transported back to South Brazil, where they regained their freedom.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2016
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
153. Seagulls at sunset
AUGUST 2008: Seagulls at sunset
Not only the city of Rio de Janeiro, but also the city of neighboring Niterói hosts some beautiful beaches. Like the more distant and more discrete beaches of Itacoatiara and Itaipu. From Rio, Niterói – across the Guanabara Bay – can be reached either by bus or car via the bridge, or by ferry. There is a bus service from the ferry station to the beaches of Itacoatiara and Itaipu. However, the bus doesn’t stop in front of the beaches, but at some distance. After having passed the guarded entrances, you can reach the beaches on foot. In August 2008, I joined a small group of students for a day at Itaipu Beach. We stayed there until the evening, and witnessed a beautiful and colorful sunset. Many seabirds were circling around in their search for food. Seagulls crossed in front of my camera lens, thereby creating a sharp contrast with the sunset pastels, and providing some dynamics in this picture.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2008, 2015
From Praça XV de Novembro, not far from the center, one may take the ferry boat to the other side of the Guanabara Bay, to Niterói. From the ferry boat station, the bus station is at walking distance. There are regular bus services to two beautiful beaches in Niterói: Itacoatiara and Itaipu. Itaipu Beach is a small beach, that is surrounded by hills. There are number of small restaurants specialized in seafood. When I was there with friends in August 2008, suddenly one of the locals was shouting that there was a penguin at the shoreline. Two people went immediately to the poor, weak and hungry penguin and took it out of the water. Despite the temperature of almost thirty degrees, the poor creature was covered by a beach towel. The sea bird was skinny and appeared exhausted. One restaurant owner already had alarmed the local fire brigade. It took several more calls and little more than one hour before three firemen in uniforms arrived. One of them wore gloves and took the penguin at the base of his wings. The animal got scared and had its excrement dropped, thereby nearly hitting the fireman. During the Brazilian winter of 2007, more than four hundred lost penguins had to be rescued in Niterói alone. Lost penguins were also located at other Brazilian beaches, even in the northeastern state of Pernambuco. The penguins were collected and returned to South Brazil, by airplane, where they were released.
The original picture was taken in August 2008.
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
A swimming penguin at Itaipu Beach
From a distance, it appears that a flying saucer had landed at the margin of the Guanabara Bay, in Niterói. According to some – unverified – sources, it was indeed the sight of a UFO, which inspired Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer to design this particular shape of the Museum of Contemporary Arts (Museu de Arte Contemporânea) in Niterói. He later explained that it was just easy to design this project, when he was overseeing the Guanabara Bay with the mountains at the background. With the round-shaped museum, he tried to preserve the uniqueness of the landscape. The construction started in 1991, and was inaugurated in 1996. The structure of the museum, which has a diameter of 50 meters, is supported by a column with a diameter of 9 meters. The complex is 16 meters high. The museum is reflected in a pool that surrounds the cylindrical base. A meandering access slope of almost 100 meters leads to the entrance of the exposition hall. The museum is now a landmark in Niterói, and is considered as one of the masterpieces of Oscar Niemeyer, who is 104 now (in 2012), and still active.
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
Oscar Niemeyer in his ‘disco voador’
From the center to Rio it is easy to take the ferry to cross the Guanabara Bay and visit Niterói.
Near the Ferry Station, one may get a bus to the beaches of Itacoatiara and Itaipu.
Small beaches, flanked by huge rocks. There are some bars and restaurants offering drinks and home-made food.
That day in August, a lost penguin appeared in the waves. Quickly the poor bird was drawn from the water by helping hands.
The fire brigade was alarmed, they arrived one hour later to rescue the penguin. That winter, about 400 lost penguins arrived in Niterói only. They later were transferred to the south of Brazil to be released.
That afternoon, we witnessed one of the most beautiful and colorful sunsets, that I have experienced in Brazil.
Gulls were flying low over the water, in the search of their daily meal.
The final minutes of daylight provided a colorful scene, from yellow turning into red.
No wonder that sunsets receive applause at Ipanema Beach, in Rio de Janeiro.
Camera: Canon PowerShot A540
f/5.5, 1/320
Current amount received: U$ 223 Thank you! 
Adriano Antoine 