Legend has it that when the Creator came to the place we now know as Rio de Janeiro, He had a bag full of items of rare natural beauty and dropped them all into the harbor. Geologists say the huge granite hills are the result of tectonic movements pushing them up to as much as 2,300 feet in elevation. Some parts of Rio’s beachfronts are actually reclaimed swamps along the natural coastline, the results of ambitious public work projects.

I saw Rio from two extreme elevations. At sea level, it is a bustling city of 6+ million, alive with construction workers, vendors, professionals and tourists. The city streets are congested with cars, trucks and buses. Historic buildings with elaborate architectural details stand next to newer, rather mundane, uninspired office buildings. From the highest point on Corcovado, I looked down on rain forest, panoramic stretches of beaches, granite hills, a lagoon and the harbor. In between are neighborhood groupings of all kinds of homes, from elegant historic homes to the very modest homes that crowd the favelas, unauthorized and unregulated outcroppings of neighborhoods built by low income working-class people who in many cases literally stack home upon home as they build upward to three, maybe four, stories tall.

The view of Rio that will stick in my mind is the way it looked as we departed. We left the dock at 8:00p so it was almost dark but I could see the Christ statue high atop Corcovado. The city lights and the beaches. The outlines of Sugar Loaf and the many odd little islands that pop up out of the water. Far behind the Christ statue there was an impressive display of lightning filling the sky every few seconds and illuminating the storm clouds. In my heart, Rio was saying goodbye as only Rio could – with drama and great beauty. I stood on the back deck of the ship until I couldn’t see the statue any longer.

I have much more to share about Rio. Tomorrow.