RIO DE JANEIRO

The images that come to mind when one thinks of Rio de Janeiro are many and varied, but one that always seems to appear is of the famous Copacabana boardwalk and the Copacabana Palace Hotel with its luxurious interior and high-rolling clientele. In its heyday, Copacabana (and the hotel in particular) was the setting of several Hollywood films, not to mention the playground of the actors themselves. Today, the Copacabana Palace remains the city’s finest hotel, majestically overlooking the action on the boardwalk: beautiful women in the latest bikini fashions, athletes playing volleyball or demonstrating Capoeira on the sand, people jogging and cycling, and tourists from all nations congregating on the boardwalk to participate in the scene. And, like a director overlooking this stage, stands the Cristo Redentor high up on the Corcovado peak. To his left is the great historical center of town with a myriad of monuments and historical buildings from the glorious days of the 19th century, when Brazil was rich from the coffee boom and still bathing in the aftermath of the great gold rush of the 18th century. The 19th century brought many changes to Brazil, including its independence from Portugal and the end of its monarchy and formation of the republic. All this happened right here in Rio de Janeiro. To the Cristo’s right is the famous Ipanema Beach, birthplace of bossa nova and home to many of the country’s rich and famous. All this history is present here in Rio . . . in the buildings, in the landscape, and in the people themselves, who incorporate the traditional aspects of the city, while also encouraging its more modern, democratic traditions.

Not the least of these more democratic traditions is the popular festival of Carnaval, as much associated with Rio de Janeiro as Copacabana is. Carnaval is characterized by parades of highly costumed (or nearly naked) women dancing to samba rhythms, followed by elaborate floats that reach up to three or four stories tall, sparkling along the parade route. There are also many private galas and small, neighborhood festivities.

Over the years, Rio has not ceased to attract people from all over the world. Surfers come to join a great community of like souls who practice on the many great beaches in town and to the south; artists come to set up their ateliers in the bohemian neighborhoods, and wealthy playboys and debutantes continue to make Rio their home. Undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest cities, Rio de Janeiro, like Paris, Rome, or London, is a place of dreams and fantasies