My Travels With Janet | A Restart
It's been a while, but I'm so glad we can finally start traveling again. Planning a vacation to a new place has never been so exciting, right?
This post isn't by any means of any recent adventure of ours, but I came to the realization that I have never shared this amazing experience on here.
THE BEST OF BRAZIL
Welcome to "My Travels With Janet," a compilation of bite-size travel and photo stories detailing the adventures of JVA Founder and Artist Janet Van Arsdale and her husband Skip, JVA Marketing Director, writer, and author of this series, in more than 600 cities and 56 counties.
Partially inspired by John Steinbeck’s 1962 book, Travels with Charley: In Search of America, we will share some of the memorable images and experiences captured along the way. In each post, you’ll find some of our favorite photos, travel tips, and the JVA-installed art that was inspired along the way. Travel plans in 2020 may have come to a halt, but embark on adventure with us monthly in 2021 as we regale the explorations that have inspired us. We hope you find this to be a fun, informative, and uplifting read.
I could not tell you the exact moment that I experienced a fear of heights or open spaces. The worst part is that Janet likes to watch me squirm and sweat as I am faced with these petulant fears. My dominant thought in all of my journeys to the highest peaks is this: when do we get back onto terra firme?
When we arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Janet insisted on taking the cable car along a single thread of steel to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
Bondinho do P?o de A?úcar
The half-mile long Sugarloaf Cable Car line travels at a snail’s pace of 13mph to Sugarloaf Mountain. But what an amazing view! After an hour at the top, we took the cable car back down and made our way onto the surprise lunch.
Brazilian Churrascaria
Janet and I have a tradition on the first day of a photo shoot in a new city. We depart the hotel at 8am with a tight shot sheet. At 11:30am, we end up at a distinctive restaurant that reflects the culture of the region. The first day lunch is always a surprise for Janet.
Our Rio lunch was at the Churrascaria Rio Brasa. I would not recommend a visit to those on a vegan diet. At this famous churrascaria, the cuisine features "gar?ons" (roving waiters) who serve barbecued meats from large skewers directly onto your plate.
After this gorge-fest, we went for a long walk, camera wrapped around the neck, along Rio’s magnificent mosaic sidewalks known as Cal?ada Portuguesa.
Rio’s Stunning Sidewalks
Walking the artistic pavements of Rio certainly exceeded our expectations and photo count requirements. We were smitten with the distinctive black and white mosaics that line the beachside boardwalks. From one end of Copacabana to the furthest end of Ipanema, each street displays its own unique pattern.
The stories behind Rio’s artistic sidewalks are as fascinating as they are beautiful. Brazilian landscape architects feature wave curvatures that honor the ocean and local folk art.
These decorative cobblestones, which began along Rio’s Atlantica Avenue over a century ago, spread rapidly throughout the entire country. Today, residents and tourists alike are able to meander atop the mosaic magic.
Cristo Redentor
The next day, Janet insisted on taking pictures at the omnipresent Christ the Redeemer Statue. Created by a Polish-French sculptor and built in collaboration with Brazilian and French engineers, this statue was atop another mountain. My excitement could hardly be feigned. Our tour guides/bodyguards insisted that it was “sem problemas”.
It stands 98 feet tall with arms outstretched to 92 feet wide. It weighs over 635 tons and is located on the peak of Corcovado Mountain, which towers over Rio de Janeiro at an elevation of 2,300 feet. Sem problemas?
This stunning statue is worth the climb. Looking down over the favelas and beaches actually took my breath away!
Brazilian Coffee
On the next leg of the trip, we flew to S?o Paulo, then drove northwest to Campinas, known as Brazil’s coffee capital. About one-third of all of the world's coffee is grown in Brazil.
This massive country has over 10,000 square miles of coffee plantations. Brazil’s oldest coffee region is known for its deep, rich, red soil. When we took this picture of the coffee tosser, we agreed not to license or sell it. So enjoy it!
Art and Architecture
S?o Paulo is South America’s largest city. It sits on a plateau, surrounded by rivers that spread throughout the country. Since its founding in 1554, S?o Paulo has been the gateway to immigrants from all over the world. We saw, heard, and tasted the influence of cultures spanning from Portuguese, Spanish, and German, to African, Middle Eastern, and Japanese.
Avenida Paulista is S?o Paulo's center of activity, the favorite destination for locals and tourists. It was our ideal spot for photography with its myriad shops, theaters, galleries, and museums. Our favorite stop was the S?o Paulo Museum of Art (MASP).
The Girls from Ipanema
Before we departed Brazil, we wandered down the artistic pavements of Rio and found our way to the beaches of Ipanema. I couldn’t stop singing the catchy tune from the 1960s, “The Girl From Ipanema." Click to listen to the enduring Brazilian bossa nova jazz song.
When we arrived at the beach, we noticed three women holding a large, bright green Brazilian flag. Janet asked if they lived close by. They said they were on holiday from Spain. We all laughed and they invited me to join their picture from Ipanema holding the flag.
This would not be an image we’d ever use for room art. Yet, it made for a nice memory...and a fabulous final picture on this Brazil post.
Until next time,
Janet and Skip.
World of Hospitality
2 年I hope you had good times my dear Janet ??