Free Weekend Back in Rio

Six of us decided to not venture to Iguazu Falls and hold the fort down at the Atlantis Copacabana Hotel back in Rio for the weekend. On our first free day, we started our morning off at the Hippie Fair a couple of blocks down from us.  You could easily spend an entire day there with so many talented craftsmen selling their unique artwork and goods.

Spontaneously, we decided to go hang gliding with a company through the hotel. We got picked up in a van and taken to the hang gliding office where we met our instructors.We split up into groups and went up the mountain in jeeps where we suited up in our special gear.  A few quick instructions were given by the guides and next thing we knew we were running full force down a ramp towards nothing but open air, mountains and a tiny beach shoreline in the far distance.  The flight was surprisingly peaceful, relaxing and calm with incredible changing views of the mountains and beach as we glided in turns towards the ground.  Luckily, all 6 of us made it alive *phew* Afterwards, they offered us pictures and a video of the flight to buy, which made for an awesome souvenir!

                     

On our next free day, Monday, we hopped on a 3-hour bus ride to Angra dos Reis, islands off the coast of Brazil. The boat was packed with tourists from all over the world lounging on the beds throughout the ship ready for take off.  For the next few hours, we sailed around island hopping to three different islands to swim, listen to the samba band on board and were also provided a big lunch. We got back to the mainland around 5pm and home around 8:30pm. By then, it's safe to say we were all exhausted.

                             

 

Tuesday, we decided to take it easy and relax a little. The six of us went to the beach for the day. Paul and Lindsay went paddle boarding and then the rest of us went up back to the hotel pool. After a long day of soaking up the sun, we went to dinner at a family-style Italian restaurant where they served big portions. We shared delicious sangria, two pastas and one seafood pasta dish where we all tried octopus! (We even got Colleen to try some!!) Then we topped the night off with a cup of refreshing acai and granola on our walk home :)

-Colleen, Jesse, Olivia, Paul, Paulina, Lindsay 

Iguasu Falls

On our first free “weekend, 12 of us and Andre went to Iguasu Falls.  The other 6 held down the fort in Rio.  On our first day we visited the Brazilian side of Area Cataratus.  We were so impressed with the first set of falls we observed, but that was only the beginning.  There are 23 falls in all and the walkway for observation goes on for about one mile, ending in Devil’s throat – our first taste of getting truly wet. 

On day 2 we went to the Argentinian side of the falls (another stamp in our passports!) and visited Parque Nacional Iguazu. We took a tour that included a jeep safari in the jungle; road a large rubber raft up to and under the falls (completely soaking everyone); and hiked on the lower circuit and the upper trail at the top of the falls. 

 

The coatimundi (raccoon relatives), in their quest for food, were great entertainment during our lunch break. It started to rain as we walked on a very slippery 1100m long metal bridge to the very top of Devil’s throat.  We were cold and wet, but it was worth it! We ended the day with dinner at an outdoor restaurant in Foz do Iguasu.

Day 3 began with a great visit to Parque das Aves--a park/aviary devoted to rescue and reproduction of endangered birds.  The toucans hopped along the railing and there were many enclosures where birds flew all around us.  We saw the world’s largest eagle (harpy eagle), stunning pink flamingos and hyacinth macaws to name of few of the fantastic birds.

- Sue and Deanna

Dia Oito

Today we went to the local park near our hotel and learned the techniques of scaling. We first did an exercise by sketching something in the park using our pencils as a comparison to scale. Then we did an exercise where we were told to draw our partners face using the same scaling method. Our professor Sue then took our books and the rest of the class had to guess who the sketches were of. Some of them were easier to guess than others but we had a good time doing it.

We then had a break and met in the afternoon to start our journey to Sugar Loaf Mountain. We had the option to take the gondolas up to the top but instead decided to take the scenic route and hike the entirety of the way. The hike began fairly easy but soon became increasingly difficult as we progressed. Heres a picture of us climbing through one of the tougher trails.

 The end of the hike lead us to a beautiful and incredibly scenic view of Rio. We all stopped to soak it all in but we were shortly informed that this was not the best view yet.

 To our amazement we turned the corner and headed to another gondola leading to the very tip of Sugar Loaf Mountain. The view here was indescribable and really gave us an appreciation of the aesthetics Rio has to offer. We all gathered to take pictures as the sun slowly set in the distance.

 Tomorrow half of the group will be heading to Iguasu Falls while the other half of us will be staying back in Copacabana to soak up the sun on the beach. We are apart of the group not going to the falls and am very much looking forward to seeing the pictures of their experience as I'm sure all of you reading are as well.

- Paul and Liz 

Dia Sete

This morning we made the two hour journey to the home of Roberto Burle Marx, the most revered landscape designer of Brazil. Upon arrival, we were amazed to find a massive forest of tropical plants that had been arranged into a beautiful garden. We even spotted little monkeys high up in the trees, and learned that they are called "Mico"!

We learned that Marx was the first to incorporate native plants into his landscape designs, while discouraging the use of the European plants that had been favored. Marx had to cultivate these tropical plants by hand, and his collection presents about 3,500 cultivated species. We were also able to see Marx's home, now converted into a museum; it is filled with his artwork, including ceramics, paintings, tapestries, and decorative tiles. As we roamed the gardens, we searched for examples of the principles of design, including contrast, repetition, focal point, balance, scale, sequence, and unity. Then we learned about positive and negative space in sketching, and were able to practice some sketches in the garden!

Afterwards, we drove to Grumari Beach where we spent a relaxing afternoon. The beach was a lot less crowded than in Ipanema and had a gorgeous backdrop of tropical plants and cacti!
We are having an amazing time, and are looking forward to everything to come!

Emma S. & Dave W.

Dia Seis

Today we learned different techniques for using a range of tone in our drawings.  From shading to cross hatching, we really developed our abilities to portray 3-dimentionality and experimented with various pencils.  

After that we used viewfinders made from index cards to focus on a specific point of a larger scene.  This allowed us to concentrate more on what we were drawing, and as a result noticed details that we hadn’t before.

We also had our first introductory lesson about the life and works of Roberto Burle Marx.  Tomorrow we will be going to visit his ranch for the day to see some of his landscape designs in person. So exciting!!  We will be paying close attention to his genius use of the principles and elements of design—can’t wait!

We ended our sixth day by watching the sunset over the water from a large rock outcropping in between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. At this point, we can see the sun rise and set, one of the most breathtaking places in Rio. When the sun finally sunk into the glistening ocean, we applauded alongside locals and visitors alike. Now there’s an example of unity!

Looking forward to the next few weeks, and the adventures that await us!

Ciao! –Kiera C. and Dave C.

Dia Cinco

Today, we embarked on a great adventure into the heart of the city. We awoke early and headed out on the metro for the first time in the study abroad. Then much walking took place as we traveled to where we would catch a ferry to take us to Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in the aforementioned city. This was a super cool museum! It resembled the architecture of a retro spaceship. 
Just outside the museum we took our first group photo in front of Guamabara Bay! Inside we found a gallery arranged with stunning artwork. We explored for a bit and then headed to a much needed lunch underneath the museum. The lunch was full of main dishes with aesthetic properties. After we all had our share of food and conversation, we went straight to work for our assignment of the day. We each chose a piece of artwork that caught our eye and sketched it for about an hour. This really taught us about object and form, plus the artwork was so beautiful; it was fun!
After a very exhausting excursion we finally headed back to good ol' Atlantis Copacabana hotel. 
Ciao!
Laurie & Darrell