Space – a place to go

This week’s My Town Friday Shoot-out is Space – give your subject a place to go, or show where they’ve been.  This topic is more about photography, about learning to use our cameras to take better photographs than it is about our towns but I know it is going to be one of the good topics and look forward to everyone’s posts. 

In my habit of showing photos of whatever town I am in on any given Friday I will be showing my interpretation of SPACE in Rio.  Thank goodness we came into Rio today.  I needed a couple of days in Rio to shop and pack before I leave for Houston on Sunday so I have a distinct advantage, I hunted down a few photos from my archives of ‘Around Rio’.  Except for the photos off our balcony at the house in Friburgo, which you all have seen a gazillion times, I would be hard pressed to find shots of open spaces in the city of Nova Friburgo. In a narrow valley with narrow curving streets lined with buildings and crowded with cars and people create the opposite feeling; the feeling of being hemmed in, claustrophobic,  it would definitely be hard to find an open space to show you.  

Before I show you my photos for this week I want to tell you that I will be doing the Friday Shoot-out from Houston, Texas all of the month of June and some of July.  I will also be in Adrian, Michigan for one of the shoot-outs in July but that week we will be celebrating my Mother’s 90th birthday and most of my brothers and sisters will be there, can’t guarantee I will give you any photos for the Friday we are there, but you will get to see some family shots after I return to Rio…. we will just have to wait and see how the subjects chosen for July works into my travel plans. 

Okay some space to move in Rio.

          

These first two are older photos -  2005 – the visit Carl and Marissa to the beach in Ipanema for the first time (ages 14 and 9).  And Marissa beside herself with joy.

  

My favorite time at the beach – Winter, July of any year finds Brazilians shivering, wearing boots and jackets, and staying away from the beach – leaving it empty for US!

    

See you next week from Houston.

Handmade -

I am not in Rio today but was earlier in the week so I am sure that I have the right to post one photo of something handmade in Rio. 

The artist sleeps in a tent or wrapped in a blanket for several days, repairing his creation as needed and collecting a Real or two from anyone wanting to take a picture.  Never walk the beach without a few coins in your pocket – just in case. 

Getting around in Rio

 I have been sitting here for an hour; the house is quiet; Camillo still in bed and the workers who are giving the outside of the house a facelift have not yet arrived.  I have known what I wanted to write about for at least 3 weeks.  I even was out over the weekend, snapping photos just in case I needed just one more to tell the story.  And still I sit and stare at the screen.  The problem is this; do I want to tell the complete story which could take 3 or four posts or do I want to slap some photos up on the blog and be done with it. 

Not that I write this blog to win popularity contests but when I have what I feel is an interesting story and I write it in some detail, showing a small fraction of the photos that I have to illustrate; I get very little feedback.  And that is discouraging.  The ‘what is the point’ question comes up regularly lately.  So I will slap myself upside the head a couple of times and march forward, remembering that I write and take photos for my own enjoyment, and, of course, as an adult, a rather mature adult for that matter, I do not need the approval of my piers to be motivated.

Transportation in Rio / Nova Friburgo is a multifaceted issue.  We have the Brazilian's love of their cars.  We have what I think of as their competitive spirit.  We have what I feel is their feeling of success being based on having and driving their cars.  We have two cities that are at the base of a mountain range and one of them is locked in by the sea creating, in both cities, a narrow strip of land in which to live and to drive.  We have Rio metropolitan area boasting a population of (approximately) 13 million.  That means that (for the sake of argument) if one half of that population is on the move daily – needing to get to work, to school, to doctors, shopping and whatever,  approximately 6.5 people have to get someplace TODAY, they need to do it fast (faster than you if you remember number 2 above)  and they can only go through the narrow corridor between the Rocks and the Sea creating bottlenecks of mass proportions.

The old Rio Transit

This is only one of the facets by the way; we are not talking here about  air and noise pollution, or planet warming, or economics which includes the cost of parking once your at your destination: we are only talking about getting lots and lots of people from point A to point B - Z and, of course, back again.

On December 30 2009 I wrote about the opening of a metro station in Ipanema.  I used a similar map as the one above to illustrate the Rio Metro system.  If you glance at that map and then look at the one above, you can already see the great strides being made to enlarge the system.    Last month there was news of funding for many of the necessary projects had been approved and only last week information was given about the expansion of the Metro into Ipanema and Leblon.  (see map to the left)   There has been a lot of arguments against putting the metro through our area.  I find it …. astounding… frustrating… mind boggling that anyone living in this area would feel that we shouldn’t have Metro stops. 

From early Monday morning until late on Friday evening there is grinding noise and confusion from all the cars and busses that must drive down our streets to get to the next barrio.  They are saying that the new Metro line to Gavea and on to the Barra will carry 300,000 people PER DAY.  How can we not build this next leg of the subway.  

I know that the primary objection is not the environmental impact of the system underground – 30 meters underground – but the subway stations themselves creating the objections. The stations in older parts of town, in Flamengo and Centro, for example, are dirty, have beggars and illegal kiosks that sell all sorts of junk (some not junk but mostly just junk), there is dirt and garbage on the streets and odors that we won't talk about and I understand no one in our area wants this mess. The stations underground are spotless, the bathrooms I don’t know cause I’ve not used them, they are well guarded and at least the General Osorio station is quite modern – so I say let's not let the blight above ground to take over our stations.

Last weekend Camillo and I used the Metro system to get down to (one of) the historic area in Centro (central or downtown). The trains ran every 5 minutes even though it was a Saturday. The trip down took about 15 minutes once we had gotten to the station. (add 15 minutes for the 8 blocks from our apartment to General Osorio station)  Camillo rides for free as do all seniors and students with the proper ID card.  My ticket one way was R$3.20 – coming back it was the same price but I also rode the ‘Surperfice’ metro bus the goes by our apartment.  A taxi would be over R$30.00 each direction and even if there were no closed streets or traffic jambs the trip would be close to 45 minutes each way.  So for us the metro is great and the expanded one will increase our ability to get were we want to go with the littlest cost and time.

a few shots to show you underground.

                             

See the Pink sign – this car is exclusively for Woman – Monday through Friday – 6 am – 9 am and again in the evening.  Not sure I see the reason but then I don’t ride the subway to work everyday dressed in my finery.

And the last 3 photos the Carioca Station in Centro

      

Parque Enrique Lage

“The residence of industrialist Enrique Lage and his wife, singer Gabriela Bezanzoni, during the 1920's Lage had the mansion remodeled by Italian architect Mario Vodrel, with interior paintings by Salvador Payols Sabaté.” 

Camillo and I were sitting on the veranda after lunch and he says to me, “What are you posting for FSO this week?”  This is, of course, a very good question.  In fact it is the only question.  Being Thursday afternoon and tomorrow morning we travel to Teresopolis for a churrasco with friends on Saturday.  And given that we will stay in a simple Pousada, and I imagine there will not be Internet service or the inclination to post while enjoying new scenery.  It is is now or never. 

I tell Camillo about my lack of inspiration in Friburgo’s niches or coffee shops and how it was too bad we are in Friburgo this week because maybe Rio would have something interesting.   He asks does it have to be here?  Because wasn’t there a man sitting beside a fountain reading in…. and a statue of a man with a book in….. He quickly rattles of five or so possible photos he already knows are in my archives …..  Rats.  Now what is my excuse.  His comments get me thinking though and here I am with a ‘hidden garden’.

A couple years ago Camillo and I decided to see what there was to offer at the Parque Lage.  Once the private home for a VERY rich industrialist, now a school for the visual arts, Parque Lage is free to the public and is a great way to spend a couple of hours exploring.   (taking photos too, of course)  The park is within walking distance of the Botanical Gardens and practically in the shadow of the Christ.  Actually, there is a trail from the park, up through the natural growth forest to the Christ.  I asked several athletic types to take me up a couple of times and they tell me it is a hard walk.  “Taking a taxi up is better” was the last answer, I am thinking they think I am too old…..

Back to the park – The mansion (now the school) is beautiful.  The front portico’s columns are of Italian Marble.  Inside in the center courtyard,  is a café for a coffee or a light lunch.  There used to be a reflecting pond in the center of the building but when we were visiting had been covered – maybe it was temporary.  We have to go back and see.   The floor, counter and stalls in the lady’s room were large slabs of marble.  The floors of the, very Italian looking, walkway around the courtyard was made of brightly colored terrazzo.  The grounds surrounding the house has a trail winding up into the forest, an old cave that was once the laundry room with spring water for clear rinsing, and what looks like Rapunzel's tower – being absorbed by the forest.  The access to the tower is closed off to foot traffic but the camera lens can get to it.    The walk through the gardens takes about an hour – a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

take a full tour with the slide show….

Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Pathways of the Lagoa

I am posting MTFSO pretty late in the day.  I’ve had a long day, no make that a long two days.   We came back up to Friburgo on Tuesday, a day later than planned but home at last.  Arrived up at the house after a long 3 hour bus trip, then grocery shopping;  after thawing broth from my stock in the freezer and cooking a lunch we were finally feeling that the day was complete.   We had just gotten settle in for a nap when Camillo received a phone call from a friend and colleague from the mid 60s – yes that is the sixties – and the friend would be having a dinner in celebration of his birthday, ‘and could we come’.  So Thursday afternoon, back to Rio we went.  Arrived at the apartment, took showers and dressed up in our party gear, took a taxi to Barra Shopping and had a great time.  Old stories, discussion of the changes in geophysics, good food and, of course, good wine.  Back to the apartment at 1 am, on the bus back up here by 10 am…. you’ve got the idea.  It was worth it to see Camillo enjoying so many old friends but my bum is dragging a bit. 
This past month we spent so much time in Rio and I walked the Lagoa and the seawall for my exercise.  A few walks were meandering around the neighborhoods between the Lagoa and the beach with my camera.  I caught a couple sunsets which I posted at the first of the week for your enjoyment, and generally added to my massive number of archived photos.  Other walks though were marching along at a good clip, working up a sweat and getting the feeling that I had the right to eat lunch later.  Walking the path around the Lagoa has always been a favorite of mine.  The full circle or should I say kidney shaped path around the lake is 7.1 km long but has lots of things to see and enjoy, and that makes the walk go by easily.  When I take my camera along I seldom take shots of the actual path…. it is just a path after all, but along the way there is public art (many that I have shown you before), trees and shrubs flowering, birds on green feet and others on tall wobbly legs.  For this post I tried to find shots that show you a bit of the path and of other things to help you pass the time.

  
see it is just a path – but along the way….
   
there is something different to see each day.
  

Sunset Rio

  This weekend Brasil went off daylight savings.  Every year it is a different day, even a different month – it seems given to the whim of the ruling government.  I am sure that there is some logic to it but I’ve yet to see the pattern.  Maybe I should do a spreadsheet of the dates over the past 10 years, then a graph and analyze the results….. 

No Matter, I actually like the change.  Now Houston is only 3 hours behind us and when they go ON daylight savings, there will only be two hours.  And I was able to walk at my usual afternoon time and yesterday I caught the sunset.  Last week I left the apartment at 5:50, walking at a good clip and I was up at the pile of stones on the east end of Ipanema with about 30 minutes to sun down.  Last night, leaving at the same time, I had to keep looking over my shoulder to see what was happening with the sun as I made the walk.  Too much glare through the humidity, that’s what! 
By the time I had reached the end of the beach I was beginning to feel that I would be rewarded for my efforts.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The twin brothers had a wisp of cloud floating around its summit, a few rays of sun were reflecting off the high-rises along the beach front.  I decided to join the sunset gazers atop the rocks to watch the final show at days end. 

 

 

 

I am pretty sure that the city has cleared the top of this rock formation to allow sunset gazers to vie for the best shots…. sit on the rocks and hold hands with your lover and sell sodas and water to make your day rate before the sun goes down.

    

  I decided that this sunset was going to be just for me and my camera. 
  
 
    
Today we will return to Friburgo but I am leaving pleased with myself and my little point and shoot.

For the sake of seeing...

I don’t know how many times I have been to Rio’s botanical gardens, ‘Jardim Botanico’.  Walking over from Ipanema several times a year, lugging my Nikon D40x in a small backpack and carrying the point and shoot in my handy pocket, my purpose focused on a brisk walk, on exercise, on calories and fat loss.  Seeing interesting sights but not stopping, not giving up on my exercise.  As in all change, slowly the purpose of the walk has become a stroll to see; to see the birds, to see the leaves, and to see the flowers that are prominent during my walk: stopping to watch a child play, to find the birds in song, so walk down the slope for a closer look at a flower. 

I can’t say that yesterday I jumped  eagerly out of bed, it was more of a slow roll and groan, but I did wake with a determination to walk to the gardens to see what was blooming.  I managed to leave the apartment a little after ten, walked to the Lagoa, partially around it to the little street that cuts beside the Jockey club to Rua Jardim Botanico. 

Along the walk were young boys playing soccer, a class of rowers, a tennis match, a small construction on the path, and the usual bikers and joggers.   A small tree was in bloom showing me, for the first time, its abundant, bright red, waxy leafed flowers. Anyone know the name of this tree / flower?

A crane wading gracefully among the reeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      and bright yellow birds hidden among the red leaves of the fig trees.

    It took me a good 40 minutes to get to the gardens.  I must have been looking up or sideways, detracted or something, because I missed the shortcut that runs along the water.  I ended up walking along the street, surrounded by cars, busses and speeding motor bikes – not the best way to go if you want peace and beauty.  

It now cost $R6.00 to get into the gardens – a bargain for sure, but another change.  I always promise myself that I will walk the trails to the right of the entrance but when I arrive – I go left (because I know where the bathrooms are!).  Yesterday, I changed to my bigger camera and went to the right. 

Good choice!  Along the outer edge of the gardens are huge old trees.  I will put those photos into an album for you to see.

 

There was not much in the way of flowers this time of year, but there were a few surprises to take pleasure in.

              

      More Later !