Rio Di Janeiro

Today we woke to the sounds of the ocean at the Copacabana beach. The beach stretches for miles in both directions, and is large expanse of sand with volleyball nets and strollers in flip flops everywhere. The residents of this city are very into physical fitness, which is evident by the constant stream of joggers and people exercising. The beach is a way of life here.
We then drove to Sugarloaf Mountain for a two-stage cable car ride up to the top of this 1,3000 foot granite summit. Its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined sugar loaf sugar. However, it is believed that the name actually derives from Pau-ah-acqua (high hill) in the Tupi-Guarani language. We enjoyed a birds-eye view spanning the Copacabana Beach to Guanabara Bay and Corovado Mountain.
We continued exploring this amazing city with a more in-depth look of the historic downtown, including the new Cathedral and other well-known landmarks. Much of the city's zest for life comes from its passion for Carnival, an annual celebration that has defined this pleasure-loving city for decades. We learned about the costumes for the traditional Carnival parades and their history at a local samba school. We enjoyed a performance of a local samba band and dancers.
We lunched at Colombos, with its spectacular original Belle Epoque interior. After lunch we returned to the hotel and worked out at the gym and lounged at the rooftop pool, which had amazing views of the beach and downtown from the deck.