And Just When I Thought I was Done with Traveling!

When I got back to São Paulo, I thought I was DONE with traveling! Then, I was saying in our Family Home Evening meeting on Monday that I wanted to go to Rio de Janeiro in September or October - actually I have wanted to go there for nearly a year. Elder and Sister Steadman said that they are going in a few days, and I could join them! I checked and I only had a few appointments on those days (which I could reschedule) and off I was to Rio de Janeiro!  

It was a wonderful trip to Rio de Janeiro! We stayed in a hotel only one block from Copacabana Beach and our hotel looked over the beach.

We ate on the boardwalk at the beach for two nights and it was wonderful! We also went to the Cristo Redentor statue, rode the gondola up to Pão de Açúcar, ate lunch near Ipanema Beach, saw the Copacabana Fort, and visited Petropolis, the summer palace of the Brazilian Royal Family.  It was so fun being with the Steadmans, and I felt so safe! Elder Steadman is a retired police officer and whenever we walked in Rio, Sister Steadman and I would walk in front, while he walked behind, always scanning for any potential trouble. It was like having our own personal bodyguard!   

We also had a taxi driver who is a member of the church - actually, a counselor in a local stake presidency. We hired him for 1 1/2 days, and he drove us everywhere. It was such a pleasant experience traveling with him.

The Cristo Redentor statue was VERY crowded because it is winter break here and all the families are trying to get their traveling in before school starts again. We wanted to take the train up to the statue, but the line to get tickets was two hours long. So, we rode in the taxi most of the way up and took a shuttle bus the rest of the way. At the top, it was wall-to-wall people. We took a few photos, but you could hardly move, so we didn't stay long.

We learned from that experience and left the next morning at 7:30 to get to Pão de Açúcar when it first opened in the morning. We were some of the first people on the gondola. Pão de Açúcar is actually the second of two mountains.

We took the first gondola to the top of the first mountain, looked around, took some photos, and did a little shopping in the tourist shops there. Here is a view from there: Do you see the very tall peak at the left: The Cristor Redentor status is on it. You can actually see it if you look closely.

Then we got on the second gondola that took us to the top of the second (higher) mountain. It had a beautiful view and wasn't crowded at all - but by the time we started to come back down, the line for the gondola was very long. It moved quickly, though and soon we were back down.

Then we decided to go to Petropolis, which was up in the mountains, about 1 1/2 hours from Rio de Janeiro. The palace was lovely, and I really enjoyed learning about the history of Brazil. I learned how the royal family of Portugal came to Brazil when Napoleon invaded Portugal in 1808. Later, the King, Dom João VI, returned to Portugal, leaving his son, Pedro I to rule Brazil as a regent. However, Dom Pedro I declared Brazil an independent country on September 7, 1822.  Pedro I was the Emperor of Brazil until 1831, when he gave up the throne in favor of his five-year-old son Pedro II and returned to Portugal to fight in the civil war there for the right of his daughter Dona Maria II to rule Portugal. He died in 1834 of pneumonia.

Dom Pedro II ruled Brazil for 58 years. He was a magnanimous leader and well-liked and was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade in Brazil. However, a military coup overthrew his empire and he and his family were exiled to France, where he died in 1891, only two years after leaving Brazil.

The last place we saw in Rio de Janeiro was the Fort at Copacabana, which is now a military history museum. We saw information not only about the history of the Brazilian army, but about the relief and rescue work they do throughout the world, especially lately in Haiti. I love hearing about history that is all new to me, and about the good things that people do!

Then, it was back to São Paulo and many missionaries waiting to talk with me. I was so fortunate to have three relatively quiet days just to have fun.