Category: landmarks

Florence, Italy

After a long overnight drive, we finally made it to Florence, Italy. It is the city of art and culture!

My first impression of the city was that there were a lot of naked bodies. The Italians really like the human body at its purest form. It was just awkward having a minor with you and they are asking, “what’s that horn hanging between his legs?” The only real response you can say is, “It’s nothing important child, let’s keep it moving.”

There was tons of art, as art is everywhere in this city. I am not passionate about the arts; however, there was someone with us who was and he pretty much informed us on everything.

Our volunteer tour guide told us that Florence was one of the centers of the Enlightenment movement in Europe. The art made during that time was mainly focused on religion and the human body.

When in Florence, make sure to check out the Florence cathedral. It’s hard to miss. It’s the building with the red dome. It’s truly a beautiful place inside and out.

Another site is the town hall. Our volunteer tour guide told us something about the flag on the building being amazing. Truth be told, everything he saw in Italy was amazing to him.

(All photos were taken by Hugo Morel)

Thanks for reading, next time we will be in Assisi, Italy.

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The sun is out, Time to explore

After experiencing a day of nothing but rain, the sun finally got over it’s shyness. We got to see Rio, the way it is in the movies. The true beauty of this city, was hiding from the gloomy weather.

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published by Hugo Morel

Rio de Janeiro is a huge city with many wonderful neighborhoods. The global image of Rio usually resides in the neighborhood of Copacabana. Copacabana is located in the South Zone. From what the locals told me, this beautiful area was once only for the rich. With time, the beaches became open to the public. As seen in the photos below, the scenery is very alluring.

by Hugo Morel
By Hugo Morel
By Hugo Morel
By Hugo Morel
By Hugo morel

 

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Modern art in Rio taken by Hugo Morel

The photos below, are more views of the Atlantic Ocean. The ocean really matches Brazil’s flag, Green and Blue.

the Atlantic Ocean
the Atlantic Ocean

The photos below were taken at top of Corcovado. Corcovado, meaning hunchback in Portuguese, is a mountain in the city of Rio. The mountain is known worldwide due to it’s iconic statue.

by Hugo Morel
By Hugo Morel
By Hugo Morel
by Hugo Morel

 

On top of Corcovado, sits the world famous statue, Christ the Redeemer. This iconic symbol  is the staple of most Rio de Janiero postcards. To get to the statue, you can take a local bus tour or walk it. I recommend taking a local bus tour. It’s easier and safer. The roads going up the mountain are not very  pedestrian- friendly. Once at the top, you must pay a fee to see the statue. We got in for free because we pretended to be priests. It’s hard to believe they actually believed us! I recommend to skip the gift shop. It’s too expensive and most what you find there can be bought at a lower price elsewhere.

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published by Hugo Morel

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this post. Drop a like and a follow. Much love!! Next week we explore Rio’s metro!

19

Rain in São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil is the Americas’ and the Southern Hemisphere’s most populated city. We were so excited to finally be here, in Brazil’s Manhattan. It was towards the end of a 2013 July when we arrived and we were once again reminded the Northern Hemisphere has opposite seasons.

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Published by Hugo Morel

It was raining when we got to São Paulo. Even with the rain, the city still looked amazing. Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is winter in Southern Hemisphere The picture below is São Paulo’s  Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge. The bridge is a world class landmark. When an image of São Paulo is shown, the Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge is usually in the picture.

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Published by Hugo Morel

The Bridge is similar to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Although, not as famous as the Golden Gate Bridge. Both bridges represent their city in a world class level. The picture below is a close up of the Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge.

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published by Hugo morel

The  Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge was created in an unusual form of an “x.” The picture below are skyscrapers with the Bridge’s reflection on the windows. You can see more of it’s “x” form.

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Published by Hugo Morel
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published by Hugo Morel

São Paulo’s skyline is so amazing. It really does make you feel like you are in Manhattan. The picture to the side, looks similar to when you are driving out of Manhattan and heading to Yonkers, New York.

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Published by Hugo Morel

 

Another beautiful building in the world class city. The city’s skyline and buildings, truly make you feel like you are in any American city.

 

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published by Hugo morel
published by Hugo morel

 

The city’s subway and public transportation is very modern. It’s able to compete with Moscow’s. Which, Moscow, has the busiest subway in the world. The pictures above are examples of the city’s public transportation.

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brought to you by google

The picture above is a picture of São Paulo’s metro map. In 2013, the metro fair one-way was R$2.90. Which was about $1.45 in american dollars. The actually price of metro fair now, probably went up. Just remember one Brazilian Real is about half an American Dollar.

published by Hugo Morel
Published by Hugo Morel

São Paulo is a beautiful city. Very similar to New York City, with it being one and a half of NYC’s population,  São Paulo is truly breathtaking.

Thank you for taking your time to read this post. Drop a like and a follow! Happy holidays and we hope you enjoy it with your love ones! Much Love! Next week we will be in Rio de Janeiro.

 

 

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