The famous mountains surrounding Rio

This is a scheduled post because by the time most of you read this, I will be at my friend Sally's.  We have not finished her garage, because of the excessive heat, so are hoping to get an early start in order to actually finish one "room" in her home.  And no, her main bath is still not finished, but now we're in the final sorting and cleaning stage.

I also apologize that I've had no time to visit anyone or return visits from my wonderful commenters.  It was all I could do to get this finished before it was time for bed.  BTW, I only sleep about four hours a night.

The reason I am working so hard to help Sally is because she has a MINIMALIST friend coming on the 21st, so we are trying to get the house and the garage cleaned.  Her friend believes if there are more than three pieces of furniture in a room, or one decoration, something should go.  He has fits when he visits, and is always trying to get her to downsize.  So you know where I'll be until then.  BTW, on Labor Day, after working in her bath, I went through over 400 pairs of shoes, trying to find mates, then persuading her (which was like pulling teeth) to get rid of at least 100 pairs.  That's a truthful statement, trust me.

So, today we're back in Rio, this time visiting two famous mountains.

Christ the Redeemer Statue sits atop Corcovado Mountain.  Sugarloaf and Urca Mountains can be seen in the background of this postcard.

It seems some people love to climb to Sugarloaf Mountain, although most prefer the cablecars.

Sugarloaf Mountain, or Pão de Açúcar in Portuguese is so named because it apparently looks like cone shaped blocks of unrefined sugar that were prepared for shipment from Brazil to Portugal.  Also, in the postcard photo is the smaller flat topped Morro da Urca, or Urca Mountain which got its name because it resembles the whale it's named for.

Stunning views of the city, as well as both Ipanema and Copacabana beaches can be seen from the top of both these mountains, along with Guanabara Bay, which is now not nearly as pristine as it appears in these photos.

The crescent shaped Guanabara Bay can be seen in this postcard and image taken from a travel brochure. 

The large white track (to the left of the statue in the background) in the top image above is the Jockey Club Race Track.  Christ the Redeemer statue has become so popular, you must now purchase tickets online only.  It appears to be one of the most popular sites in Rio, as well as Brazil and South America.

The three postcards I found in my stash are quite old and the information on the back of each was in Portuguese.  All other images were taken from various travel magazines.

We've now seen the Samba School, the beaches, the Botanical Gardens, and the two most famous mountains in Rio.  Thanks for sharing this imaginary trip with me in my 7 Continents AB.  I hope you learned something, because I certainly did.  And there's lots more to come.