Another classic site, Pão de Açúcar (July 30)

We are trying to use every weekend for a new adventure and we're succeeding!  Pão de Açúcar was another classic site we had to experience in the first weeks of being here.  Pao or Sugarloaf Mountain is actually a set of three massive hills- Urca, Babilônia and Pão de Açúcar.  This time we went on a weekday, right before Diego started the school year, and so there were no crowds or lines.  The tram ride from the base to the first hill is steep and fantastic; the second level even moreso.  Once again we hit cloud cover and rode straight into the mist.  We couldn't see anything except the bright light of the sun, washed white by the clouds.  The cloud cover at the end of the day on Corcovado (across the water) was beyond belief.  One could just sit at the platform and watch the interaction of sky, water and land and it would change from one moment to the next right in front of you, almost like watching a well-made documentary, except this was live and totally unpredictable. 

This is what people used to ride on.

Cristo is the backdrop on top of the mountain