This city is breathtaking!

I never got used to the feeling of coming out of a tunnel and seeing mountains right in front of my eyes, as a part of the city. And seeing the ENDLESS bluest ocean beckoning with the coolest breezes and beige sand. Shamelessly, I sat all day drinking mate and doing nothing but feeling the ocean on my skin. Lather with sand, rinse with salt water, repeat. On Sunday, car free street in Copacabana has people dancing, playing music, enjoying the last bit of sunlight.

I already miss the city!

It reminds me a bit of a European city because of the colonial architecture, and also of new suburbs in the USA, but also of peaceful residential streets in Asia. And yet there are streets that are straight out of transportation best-practices: car free, wide bicycle boulevards, brand new street rail cars, abundant public realm.

 

The city is so green!

I saw plants I never knew about, and ate food that I’ve never seen. In the winter, it is still hot and sunny. Perhaps that’s why there are so many trees in the developed parts of the city. Under the massive shades, I feel calm and relaxed. It is the first city that I feel more in love with the more I think about.

Once the sun goes down, the hills light up and I’m reminded that Rio de Janeiro isn’t just a dream city. Its challenging geography and social class segregation is visible to any visitor. The landscape and social structure of the city is changing so fast. Given the progress that the city has made, I wonder what lies ahead for this growing and modernizing city.

I’ve only discovered a tiny portion of this vast city. Until next time!