June 19th Up at 7am, quick breakfast and then a quick transfer via taxi to the airport for our flight to Rio. We are flying GOL airlines in Brazil which is a bit like Jetstar. Unfortunately their "hub" is in Sao Paolo and all of our destinations on this trip are either side of Sao Paolo so we have to transfer via SP each time – not Spencer's favourite plan of attack. In any case it was an easy flight from Porto Alegre to Sao Paolo and then onto Rio. We arrived in Rio and were met by our driver who took us to our hotel in Copacabana. The hotel (Copacabana Sol Hotel) is nothing flash but its 100m from the beach which is great! The weather was rainy when we arrived but we decided to stretch the legs so walked toward the beach and then along Avenida Atlantico toward the Fan Fest and Copacabana Palace Hotel. (where we will stay next time (US$1,000 per night – booked out by FIFA of course) The rain was getting harder by then so we decided to pick up some supplies and head back to the Hotel to watch the England v Uruguay game. It was now pouring so a quick trip to a local pizza place for a Pizza Margarita and then back the hotel. Thankfully for Spencer, the hotel TV has some English channels which he can enjoy. Spencer got to speak to Mum on the phone then it was off to bed. June 20th Up at a more civilised hour of 7am, breakfast at the hotel and then Eliana (our guide for the day) picked us up from the Hotel. First stop on our tour for the day was Corcovado (Christ the redeemer). We arrived at the cog railway that takes you up the statue – it was a zoo of people so it was great to have Eliana there to help us. She was a great guide, half Turkish, half Brazilian (a true Carioca) and very knowledgeable. We took the carriage up to the top, through the amazingly lush rainforest (As Eliana explained, Rio is a combination (contrast?) of forest and beaches and very beautiful). Corcovado is 800 metres high and is made of concrete and tiled in soapstone (like a mosaic). Like many things that you have seen images countless times, when you see it is more amazing in real life (just like the Taj Mahal). It was a bit cloudy (and very busy) but we were able to get some great photos of the Statue and the views of the around (Lagao and Ipanema and Leblon to the East and the Maracana to the North). We headed back down and our driver took us to another view spot below the Statue which had some more amazing views. Rio de Janeiro is named by the Portuguese who thought (when they landed) that the bay was a river and they landed in January – hence the name. Next stop was the neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. This is a fascinating place, one of the original areas of Rio de Janeiro and now an artist/bohemian area. We stopped at the Ruinas Park which has the relics of old mansion. It is now a museum and park and very beautiful with great views toward Sugarloaf Mountain. It was time for lunch and we found a lovely café in the Santa Teresa. After lunch we down the hill toward the neighbourhood of Lapa. Enroute to Lapa we stopped off at the Stadium where they hold the annual Carnival - the samba schools have old costumes from previous years and it was great to see where it all happens (albeit just the stadium). After this we went to visit the Maracana Stadium (an amazing old Brazilian guy in front of the stadium showing his skills). The Maracana stadium had two names. Its original name was Estadio Mario Filhos (who was the first sports journalist in Brazil) and it is also name after a bird (the Maracana bird) After the Maracana, Eliana took us to the an old laneway in Lapa which has been completely tiled by a Chilean artiest (Selaron). Spencer loved climbing all over the tiles from around the world (it took a while but we found a tile from Australia). Next and last stop was the Cathedral of Santa Teresa. This Cathedral is very modern and has some beautiful stained glass windows. We drove back to the hotel and said goodbye to Eliana – it was very full but interesting day. After the tour, Spencer was super keen to use his Brazuca ball for the first time so we walked down the Copacabana Beach. It was great experience to be playing football on the beach as the sun set with the local Carioca's , not far from the Fan Fest (fans cheering Frances 3 goals in the first half) and get our feet in the sand – such a Rio experience. Back to the hotel for a quick rest then we went out to a local restaurant for some lovely fresh pasta and a nice glass of red (Chilean of course). We both fell asleep quickly after returning the hotel. Tomorrow, a day on the beach!