I never would have guessed the first Latin American country my Spanish major would lead me to visit was one of the few non-Hispanic countries in the region. However, I found myself boarding a plane to Brazil in August 2016 to experience the Summer Olympics at the end of a 14 month nanny job. Traveling with a 2 year old and 2 month old can be a bit chaotic, even with experienced travelers. We spent our days split between the Olympics –check out my post here– and seeing the touristy parts of the city. Beautiful architecture, stunning beaches, and ocean views; nestled between mountains, Rio de Janeiro has a lot to offer.

Visiting Christ the Redeemer

First, no list is complete without Christ the Redeemer, one of the 7 wonders of the world. To reach Christ the Redeemer you ascend Mount Corcovado by cog train. Once you’ve reach the top, you’re dwarfed by the statue. Christ the Redeemer was built between 1922-1931. It’s hard to imagine how it was constructed, as it’s so massive and on top of a mountain.

While waiting at the base to catch the train car up, I caught a photo of some toucans sitting in a tree. Another photographer had pointed them out to me. We didn’t speak the same language, and it was one of those really cool moments you get to experience while traveling on how people can bond through different mediums. We bonded over photography and our cameras’ ability or non-ability to catch a quality image of the toucans.

Sugarloaf Mountain

We ascended Sugarloaf Mountain via cable car. It’s in two parts, with a landing with a great view of the mountain before you go all the way up. The mountain juts out into the water on a peninsula. It provides stunning ocean views, and a view of Christ the Redeemer.

Climb the Escadaria Selarón

The last place is the Escadaria Selarón, or Selarón Stairs. These are the tiled stairs you see all over social media. I was most amazed at just how long the staircase is. You finally reach the top only to discover it turns a corner and continues. The 215 steps were created by Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón. The project includes over 2000 tiles, and is a continuous project. Visitor bring tiles from around the world, and then Selarón switches them out. After climbing the stairs, we found a store selling flavored cachaça, a Brazilian liquor.

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