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Parque Da Catacumba in Lagoa: "
As I mentioned in my first post, Rio possesses a natural beauty that is should be immediately apparent to any traveler. I was taken aback by Rio’s distinctive landscape when I flew in over its mountains almost two years ago. From the air, you can see that Rio is nestled among large, gorgeous hills. On the ground, many of those hills look different, filled with small, closely-packed homes that make up the notorious favelas that are so often depicted in film and images of Rio. Coming from the U.S., it baffled me that some of the city’s poorest residents have what is, in my mind, prime real estate. The hills afford spectacular views of the city and time away from the incessant noise that fills Rio’s streets. Even on my street, which is called a ‘rua nobre’ (‘noble street’) by locals because of its peaceful and safe atmosphere, I’m often woken up in the middle of the night or early in the morning by boisterous party-goers, soccer fans, and even roosters that inexplicably crow at all hours of the night. Today it was hip-hop music blaring from a building across the street early in the morning; tomorrow it may be the construction that happens in the morning, throughout the day and continues fairly late into the night. Few hours in the city provide a respite for the peace-seeking soul.
But the hills can. And so my brother and I decided to hike up a hill this past weekend. We decided on a hill in Parque da Catacumba (Catacombs Park), which is just a 15-minute walk from our apartment. The entrance of the park faces Lagoa (“lagoon” in Portuguese), a rich neighborhood and popular daytime recreation spot where people can rent bicycles, play basketball or soccer, and drink fresh coconut water from one of the many stands near a bike path that circles the lake. As we made our way past the entrance and into the park, we caught a glimpse of a recently constructed ropes course where people can pay R$15-30 to do a variety of activities, such as zip-lining and rappelling down a small cliff.
Those activities were left for another day, though. We soon reached the foot of the trail that led to two viewpoints – our destinations for the day. It took my brother and I roughly 15 minutes to reach the first lookout point, and when we arrived we relaxed for a long time, taking in views of the lake, ocean, hills, and the buildings pushing up against them. We absorbed the sensation of stillness after so many days down in the city, and had a conversation that moved quickly from one thing to the next while our eyes stayed focused on the gorgeous landscape below. The birds-eye view that I so distinctly remember from my plane ride into the city rushed back into my mind.
I have been fortunate to live in three spectacular cities that have within them small urban getaways. Madison has its arboretum, a large chunk of the city set aside many years ago to restore the area’s natural landscapes. Oakland has its Redwood forest, a place of extraordinary beauty that was just a few minutes from my old apartment. And Rio has its hills and beaches, placing it high on the list of naturally beautiful cities. For travelers who like a little exercise and a chance to see the city from above without having to pay a dime or worry about safety, Lagoa’s Parque da Catacumba is a great option.
Links of interest:
Parque da Catacumba on Google Maps: http://maps.google.com.br/maps?hl=pt-BR&q=parque%20da%20catacumba&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
Parque da Catacumba on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=parque+da+catacumba
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