"The Olympics are more than the Games..."

Far from the busy center of Rio, in the Barra neighborhood, the "Barra Olympic Park" is nearing completion. The park was closed off. So the pictures had to be taken from outside the fence. I loved the very imaginative architecture, that made me think of outer space, flying saucers and mushrooms at the same time. Good to look at.





The bright Tennis stadium...





On the left of the tennis stadium is the Velodrome; the flying saucer that has just landed.






Behind the velodrome are some "galactic mushrooms"; the "Carioca Arenas".





Next to the Velodrome is the  "Rio Olympic Arena"





Beneath you can just see the Olympic peninsula on the left sticking out into the "Lagoa de Jacarepaguá" (...... the Bay of Crocodiles !!! - don't worry.. no Olympic swimming in there)



From this place the Olympic city is (growing) more or less behind my back.



This statement that the Olympics are more than the games.....  Sure... it will become true in Rio.

The Barra Olympic Park is just one of the Olympic locations. For more see the Olympic site.





The start and final of the marathon will be in the city at the renovated Sobrodomo (the famous Carnaval stadium).

 And when you say Football!! Then there is the Olympic stadium.



  .
 But don't forget the renovated Maracana Stadium.

A view of tomorrow....

There is a nice terrace on the top of the Museum of Art in Rio where you have a breathtaking view of the Guanabara Bay and the Museum of Tomorrow.  Look at the (moving) "wings", look at all the ships and the bridge.



All the while planes arrive at the Santos Dumont aiport.



A closer look on the land shows activities everywhere. The building in front of us is empty. What an impressive sight....!! I suppose it will be renovated. Must be a good investment. I heard that the company of Trump is investing here somewhere...

Further into the street people are working on an old white house. Rio still has a lot of beautiful old houses that need to be renovated. Of course there is the big problem of finding enough money. And here there is another big question ...  Who can afford to live here tomorrow! Where is the solution for affordable housing in livable area's.

Here the job is almost finished. And it is going to be fine!!

Everywhere in the city there is a lot of activity because the Olympics are coming. Public transport!! How to manage this in this crowded old city with many narrow streets. It has to be ready before the Games. Time is running.... But the city has to win this Marathon.

And both work hard!

Around the corner from "Tomorrow" there is a part of the Rio of the past.

What will be the fate of these  houses on this first class location with a view of  "Tomorrow"? 

Tomorrow is here....

Sometimes people are amazed when I say that most Brazilians are very worried about the environment and care about sustainability. Non-Brazilians instantly start remembering the cutting of the rain forest.

 In December 2015 President Dilma of Brazil opened the Museum of Tomorrow here in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). We all know something has to change about our behavior towards sustainability. The term "tomorrow" is far more urgent than the more abstract "future". A nice article about the museum was published in the Guardian.



It is one of the most fantastic buildings (by the architect Santiago Calatrava) I have ever seen. It is as amazing as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the radiant white curves makes one think of Oscar Niemeyer's soft lined buildings . This is a stunning image; a primitive reptile or an elegant flying fish like structure....stepping out of the the Guanabara Bay into the city.

 

Going inside is like walking into the mouth of an alligator.

Inside the museum is beautiful, but nothing beats the outside.

This place made me really think of Niemeyer. (The Cathedral of Brasilia / the Edificio da Bienal in São Paulo) Brazilian structures.

Our blue planet hangs (or should hang....my fault) right in the middle.

Dancing veils on a glass plate.... fantastic.

Large panels with pictures of our Earth. (On Google there are also some good pictures "from above"...)

Also interesting pictures of people all over the world on columns inside a kind of cube. It was so busy I didn't even think of taking a picture myself.

Everywhere a lot of interactive information on consoles and then again information on huge pillars.

The only physical object in the museum is the "Churinga". A "tool" of Australian Aboriginals. It symbolizes the connection with the past and the future. The knowledge and values we want to share with following generations....

From within the museum you look over the basin with the star. On the horizon is the bridge across the Guanabara Bay to Niteroi



From this angle the museum is like a magic bird landing on its peninsula in front of the old Rio.

Majestic.

Playfull.... The "Feathers" or maybe "Wings" move on the energy from solar panels.

Puffed Star II ( 6 meters in diameter) by Frank Stella.

It was hot (alsmost 40 degrees), so it was nice sitting for some time in the shade.






Everything is still new and clean. You hardly see the difference between a reflection and the real thing.

As the Museum reflects its surroundings, at the same time it reflects on the surroundings. The originally very poor and dangerous neighborhood is becoming a hot spot for tourists. The original inhabitants have been "moved". Now is the time for entrepreneurs.... to change old buildings into trendy apartments.... Prices will explode. The city is where the work is.... affordable houses are far away. Public transport is a bottleneck. Busses bloc the narrow streets. The traffic jam is enormous.
Eventually when everything is going as planned and the (above ground) metro is finished (Olympic Games!!) then half the busses will disapear and the traffic will be able to run as it should.

A misty mountain

Guess!!! Where are we??? Doesn't it look like a scene somewhere in the British Isles?
No! This is Brazil. In some places the mountains of the Serra da Mantiqueira (between the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais) look a lot like England. The woods are more dense, but as you can see the weather can be rainy....



This time we went out to have a view over the Valley of the Paraiba river. This is the Pico do Itapeva near Campos do Jordão. On a good day you can see about 7 cities. Today there were clouds.



So we stayed on the parking place.



Looking at the local products that were for sale. Sweets and honey.... and cachaça.



And look there.... in a corner behind the commerce. A snowman and a cow. Like in all countries in Latin America... concrete figures!



A happy looking cow.... could this be a reference to the chocolate they sell in Campos? Campos poses itself as a kind of German / Swiss city. Yes that means chocolate!!



For Brazilians snow is magic. Campos is a mountain resort. In winter on a very rare occasion this means snow!! So what better than to put a snowman here?



I loved the way some inventive person mended the window in this building. Don't throw out your old serving trays. One day they might come in handy!



The weather stayed as it was. Gloomy and wet.



The dog didn't mind.



On the way back home we passed the small lake again.

 

The horses were at the same spot.



The rain kept falling.



We went home. Leaving the lake for better times. A perfect place for a picnic.

Another colorfull sunset

Just a few times in a year you find this extreme situation where the sun is low and fierce and the sky is heavy with thunder. You get these smashing pictures of bright trees and buildings and dark skies.

The view of the place I was staying is not that magnificent, but this light made it into something special.

 

Then the sun started to set. Everything went red. 

Isn't it wonderful to see a sunset like this.