B is also for Brazil, and possibly one of the most famous cities on the planet, Rio de Janeiro. We had three days there as part of our South American tour in 2011. It wasn’t as sunny as we’d hoped; and it also had some disappointing rip-off aspects. But there’s no denying its life, its glamour, its self-indulgence and its sheer exhilaration!

So what does Rio bring to mind? Carnival! But we were there in September, so no Carnival. Doesn’t stop a spot of Samba practice though!

Christ the Redeemer, of course, is a major sight. The day we went up to see him, though, he was looming in the mist…

Christ has a great view of the city

and he looks down on you, ever so slightly eerily, when you’re up there.

The main natural sight is of course the Sugar Loaf Mountain

which you ascend by cable car – and you can admire the old cars that are still on display

It’s a particularly scary sight coming down!

The city itself is a fascinating mix of old and new. Some of the old parts aren’t so glamorous –

and some are!

There’s some striking modern architecture –

and some rather grim modern buildings

Hang on – that’s the cathedral! Dull and grey on the outside, crammed with stunning stained glass windows on the inside!

Another extraordinary site is Selaron’s famous decorated staircase

There are plenty of “odd” sights in Rio. This place looks promising:

Need a bra?

Health and safety for pets is of the highest importance

Unless you’re a goldfish

On Sundays, they keep the traffic off the Copacabana beachfront:

All in all, the place has tremendous buzz

Incredible views

Faded glory

And all mod cons

But, at the end of the day, it’s all about the beach

And the bronzed, beautiful people (well, some of them)

Which is why we fitted in so well.

Won’t be a minute dear, just taking a few scenic photos…..

That wasn’t me, honest.

If you’d like to read a bit more about our stay in Rio, it’s all in the blog post I wrote at the time, which you can find here.

Tomorrow it’s back to the theatre posts, and memories of what I saw in the second half of 1976. Stay safe!