Rio de Janeiro Day 3

Sugarloaf Mountain

We got an early start with a bus ride to take the cable car up to Sugarloaf mountain.  The Portuguese named this peak because it resembled their prepared sugar loaves.  Blocks of sugar were placed in conical molds made of clay to be transported on ships.  The form of the peak reminded them of the 'sugarloaf' shape.  There are two stages to the ride up.  One stop offers what I thought was just the best view.  Then we took a second cable car and Wow! The views from the peak are awe inspiring and breath taking.  Also, it was a nice cool breeze that offered relief from the 94* down below.  

From Sugarloaf we drove to Guanabara Bay to take a boat cruise around the bay.  I must mention it here so I never forget the Brazilian Butt we saw while waiting for the boat.  Honest to god it was so large that all 14 in our group simply burst into astonished guffawing at the sight.  Oh, if only we had the presence of mind to take a photo.  

We had lunch at the Churrascaria Palace, a Brazilian steak house.  My favorite cut was the short ribs which were perfectly flavored and tender.  All else was a bit tough and overcooked for me.  The afternoon was free and dinner was on our own.  We ate at the Pergola pool restaurant and were very disappointed.  However, we were tired and happy to eat in.  Pictures at Flickr