Day 15: Rio de Janeiro, first day

Around 6:30 AM I joined about 100 of my fellow passengers on the forward decks to watch Crystal Serenity’s arrival into Rio de Janeiro. It was a spectacular scene and it was only the beginning of an amazing day. Virtuoso On-Site Matueté provided us a guide and driver for the day. We found them easily, jumped inside and off we went.

Our first stop was the Sambódromo, ground zero for Carnaval. There was much activity around the complex during our behind the scenes look. In a couple of weeks, the city, immersed in Carnaval, will pulsate with thousands of samba dancers and musicians parading down the center of the Sambódromo.

I’ve visited Rio 4 or 5 time before, but one thing I had never done was to visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

A popular way to get there is to ride the train up Corcovado, the mountain on which the statue stands. Near the top, a group called “Bom de Samba” started up and almost immediately the Brazilian tourists onboard joined in, singing and clapping to the beat.

In order to take this picture, our guide, Christina, laid back on the ground and framed the shot like a pro.

Our last stop of the afternoon was a visit to the Cathedral to see its magnificent stained-glass windows towering above us. As we left the Cathedral, I spotted its reflection in the glass building across the street.