Chapter XXXI: Rio De Janeiro—concluded

Too long, mayhap, have we lingered in the heart of the city, longer
I fancy than any tourist will do, despite the attractions in the
busy marts of trade, and the stately edifices devoted to
governmental, artistic, and intellectual purposes. The great charm
of the city, the feature which makes it incomparable among the
capitals of the world, is the number of delightful excursions
practicable to its enchanting suburbs. Some of these may be visited
by electric car or automobile, as the length of one’s purse
prescribes, others by boat, and one by cog railway.

Most persons will be tempted to improve the very first afternoon by
a ride along the front of the bay, on the unrivaled _Beira Mar_,
from the Monroe Palace on the Avenida to the foot of the Pão do
Assucar, a ride without parallel, even on the shores of the
Mediterranean. This magnificent boulevard invites also to a
promenade, for a broad walk guarded by a handsome railing tops the
massive sea wall, which rises 15 feet above the wave-sprinkled rocks
below. Rarely, indeed, the waves rise higher. July 12th, 1911, a
heavy wind blowing from the south not only dashed breakers high
above the wall, but with these sent stones weighing a ton over upon
the boulevard. Next to the promenade come two wide asphalt spaces,
separated by a strip of grass and a row of trees, for automobiles
going in opposite directions, thronged towards evening with swiftly
moving machines. A garden strip of varying width follows, beautiful
shrubbery, brilliant coleas, and other plants with leaves of varied
hue, gorgeous red salvias, geraniums, and other showy flowers. Now
comes the wide paved street with ample space for ordinary vehicles
and for the double tracks of the electric cars.

A few minutes from the Monroe Palace, and almost in front of the
Pensão Suissa is the Praça da Gloria where Cattete street branches
from the Beira Mar. The very pretty Garden contains two notable
monuments: one of these to Pedro Álvarez Cabral, discoverer of
Brazil, by Rodolpho Bernadelli, Director of the School of Fine Arts.
This monument inaugurated in 1900, the fourth centenary of the
Discovery, represents with Cabral the chronicler, Pero Vaz Caminha,
and the Franciscan, Henrique de Coimbra, who celebrated the first
mass on the soil of South America. The other monument, dedicated in
1902, is a statue of Visconde do Rio Branco by the French sculptor,
Charpentier. The ascent of the Gloria hill close by is worth while
for the splendid panorama from the summit, if not for the little
church above where on the 15th of August is a festival.

Beyond the Gloria hill are finer residences with pretty gardens,
distracting attention from the view of the Sugar Loaf in front, the
silvery waters on the left, the city of Nictheroy on the opposite
side of the bay, and the curving inlets of both shores. On account
of a projecting hill the car tracks leave the water’s edge for a
space, passing back to the _Largo do Machado_, where the offices of
the railway are situated, the place to go for lost articles. After
passing the Hotel dos Estrangeiros, the boulevard is soon regained
on the _Botafogo Bay_, a lovely geometrical curve. Again leaving the
shore the car marked _Ministro de Agricultura_ alone returns to the
_Praia de Saudade_, on which the great _Hospital for the Insane_ is
passed, the _Institute Benjamin Constant for the Blind_, and the
imposing building of the _Ministry of Agriculture_, the cars at
length pausing in front of the _Military School Building_, which
stands by the ocean shore; we have now passed beyond the splendid
Sugar Loaf, so that in the rear of the School Building we should
find the Praia Vermelha, a beach on the great ocean. An _Aerial
Railway_ now serves for a trip to the tip top of the pinnacle, _Pão
do Assucar_, whence a delightful view is obtained of city, bay, and
ocean. The same Praia Vermelha car passes the base station whence an
electric basket cable car accommodating twenty persons goes, first
to the Morro da Urca, return ticket 2$000, then on to the top of the
Pão do Assucar, return ticket probably 4$000. The journey to the top
is made in twelve minutes. The distance is nearly a mile.

Other rides partly along the front, or on Cattete street parallel to
the Beira Mar, should be taken to the various suburban ocean beaches
of _Leme_, _Copacabana_, _Ipanema_, and _Gavea_, backed by
picturesque hills, through which a tunnel or two has been bored for
more direct access. Some of the beaches, though rather dangerous for
bathing, are more or less patronized. Many people wander along the
shore, or in pavilions regale themselves with beer or coffee. Villas
of the wealthy and a sprinkling of poorer houses, with several
hotels and restaurants, show provision for all classes. Everywhere
in the residential districts outside of the more crowded central
portion, attention will be continually drawn to the charming homes,
some of quite palatial dimensions and elegance, the majority more
modest but generally with some pretty ornamentation, all apparently
freshly painted in varied and delicate shades of color, pink, blue,
green, lavender, pearl, buff, Alice blue, etc., embowered among
vines, shrubbery, and palms: an unceasing source of pleasure.

On the way to the beaches by the rua Cattete, before reaching the
Strangers’ Hotel, the _President’s Palace_ may be observed on the
left. The large garden extends through to the boulevard along the
Praia de Flamengo, but the entrance is from Cattete. The exterior of
the Palace, which was constructed by the Baron of Nova Friburgo and
later purchased by the Government, is not noteworthy, but the
interior has magnificent decorations; the garden would be a fitting
accessory of a royal palace. Next to the Palace is the beautiful
school building, Rodriguez Alves, a suitable monument to the great
President of Brazil, in whose administration was inaugurated the
tremendous undertaking by which the city has been transformed.

Not far from the Hotel Estrangeiros, a beautiful avenue lined with
royal palms, half a mile long, leads to a fine mansion, which in
1911 was the residence of the President.

In a long afternoon of four or five hours the entire circuit of the
city may be made by automobile along the Beira Mar on the shore of
the bay, then past the ocean beaches to the mountains and by a
splendid road along the mountain-side past Gavea and Tijuca, thence
across to the waterfront, and by the docks returning to the Avenida
Central; a circuit with varied panorama such as no other city of the
world affords, to which an entire day might better be devoted.

RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT
]

BOTANICAL GARDENS
]

The _Botanical Garden_, long celebrated as possessing the finest
collection of tropical plants among the parks of the world, was
founded in 1808 by Dom João VI when Prince Regent of Portugal. At
the Avenida Station, a car marked Gavea may be taken about once in
ten minutes. The route is at first a familiar one, near the shore of
the bay, but turns at length to the west, passing presently under
the steep walls of Corcovado on the right and near the shore of a
considerable lake, the Lagõa Rodrigues de Freitas on the left, a
ride for which the three-quarters of an hour required is none too
long. Within the gateway, flanked by small office buildings, one is
confronted by a splendid avenue of superb palms, 150 in number,
extending in a straight line nearly half a mile. The tree trunks, a
yard in diameter at the base, are straight shafts 75 feet high, ere
they are topped by their leafage crown. Some distance up, this
avenue is crossed by another of 140 palms, a fountain adorning the
square of intersection. These palms, with all those forming
colonnades in other parts of the city, are descendants of the
ancient tree which was planted by D. João VI. The story goes that
some Brazilian officers, shipwrecked, were carried to the Isle of
France, where was a fine botanical garden. One of the officers, Luiz
de Abreu, after gaining possession of several choice specimens,
managed to escape with them. Returning to Brazil he presented them
to Dom João, who, transferring them to the Garden, planted with his
own hands the seed of the _Royal Palm_. The tree still standing, 130
feet high, apparently destined to flourish for some time longer, is
marked by an inscription, and will be pointed out by an attendant if
overlooked. It is not, of course, in any of the rows. Besides
hundreds of varieties of Brazilian plants, the Garden contains as
many from all parts of the world; it maintains close relations with
other Gardens, sending to them hundreds of thousands of seeds, as
well as making extensive distribution in various parts of Brazil. A
delightful section at the left of the entrance is called the _Bamboo
Salon_, where a walk under the feathery archway recalls the aisle of
a Gothic cathedral. Of great interest is the _traveler’s tree_,
somewhat resembling a banana plant, of which the sap is like pure
cold water. The gentleman who showed me about, kindly cut the stalk
with his knife. I drank as the sap spouted forth, and found it
indistinguishable from clear water. If the tree would grow in desert
regions, what a godsend to the thirsty traveler! The _victoria
regia_ with its great leaves, four or five feet in diameter floating
on the water is always noteworthy, even if it is not the flowering
season, there May or June. Naturally rubber trees of many varieties
are to be seen, coffee shrubs, tea plants, and others in profusion,
both useful and beautiful, a wealth of vines, but fewer orchids, at
least in blossom, than I had hoped. The _candelabra tree_, so called
from its shape, and the _cow tree_, which supplies a kind of milk
better for making cement than for drinking, are of interest. An
especial curiosity is one tree growing inside of another, the trunk
of the palm being almost completely surrounded by the trunk of
another tree of entirely different character, both trees now 30 or
40 feet high.

A number of pretty pavilions, a lake, grottoes, and cascades
contribute to adorn the Garden, also several monuments and statues.
One of the monuments is in memory of the real founder of the Garden,
_Frei Leandro do Sacramento_, Professor of Botany in the Faculty of
Medicine, a distinguished scholar, who on his death in 1829 left the
Garden in a flourishing condition. At the end of the central avenue
of palms, the monument, _Dea Palmaris_, was inaugurated in 1906.
There are various statues of nymphs, a temple of Nike, a Belvedere,
a colonial portico, and the _first statue ever cast in Brazil_, this
in 1783 by Valentim da Fonseca e Silva. In one of the buildings by
the gate is a _herbarium_ of great value, as also a library. Even
unscientific persons with no especial interest in botany may enjoy a
long afternoon wandering in the delightful walks, the charm of which
is increased by the wooded steeps and grim cliffs of Corcovado just
above, seeing here the side of Corcovado precisely opposite to the
one visible from the center of the city. One may leave the Garden in
time to continue the short distance to the end of the line to Gavea,
where there is a noted spring of water of excellent quality. From a
spot called Boa Vista, a short climb, the panorama is superb. The
headlands, Dous Irmãos, are at the left, the shores ever beaten by
angry waves; in front is the broad ocean dotted with islands, one
named Rosa bearing a lighthouse; on the right imposing _Gavea_, on
whose face near the summit may be distinguished lines believed to
have been traced by some primitive people. The name Gavea, meaning
topsail, is derived from the shape of the summit. Its ascent is
possible from the side towards Tijuca and has several times been
made.

=Corcovado.= Most delightful to many of all the days to be spent at
Rio will be that which is devoted to the _Ascent_ of _Corcovado_;
nor should it long be postponed. The first clear day or afternoon
should be improved, as at some seasons clouds are frequent. Even
setting out with a cloudless sky, one may find the goal shrouded in
mist, or spread out below a mantle of softest sheen concealing in
part or whole the glorious prospect beneath. There is a choice of
two routes to the summit: both I strongly recommend; every one
should go twice; but with time so limited that a single trip may be
made it is desirable to go one way and return the other. The
Sylvestre route begins by electric car, starting every half hour
from the Largo da Carioca back of the Avenida Hotel. The other,
longer or shorter, according to the point of departure, is all by
cog-wheeled railway; but the base station is 35 or 40 minutes from
the Avenida. One takes here or farther out a car marked Cosme Velho
or Larangeiras to the pretty station among the Santa Theresa hills,
passing on the way the familiar Estrangeiros and Largo Machado,
there turning to the right on Larangeiras, a street as yet
unfamiliar. Near the end of the line on the left is the station,
return ticket 3 milreis, where one enters a car open at the sides
with sufficiently comfortable seats if you face upwards. The track,
one meter wide, about two miles long, crosses the valley of the
Sylvestre stream on an iron viaduct of three arches, each 80 feet
wide, supported on iron pillars with a masonry base, then enters a
deep trench, later crossing two more bridges.

At the first station, _Sylvestre_, those board the train who have
come by electrics to this point. The latter, after a few rods of
steep grade from Carioca, wind along the side of San Antonio Hill in
gradual ascent, then cross on the picturesque double arches of the
old viaduct to the outlying hill of the Santa Theresa ridge. Swiftly
speeds the car affording but fleeting glimpses of the busy streets
and the houses below. Winding along the hillside, soon passing the
International Hotel, with many level stretches and moderate
inclines, the outlook above or below is enchanting. Any description
must fall far short of the reality. The conjunction of a great city
with picturesque scenery, pellucid bays, ragged cliffs, and tropical
vegetation is unparalleled. One sits enthralled with the vision of
loveliness. One’s entire vocabulary of adjectives such as exquisite,
entrancing, magnificent, sublime, crowd upon the mind. A short
distance away towers the massive Sugar Loaf, its cliffs so steep and
smooth that apparently even a fly would find no foothold, unless
with a liberal supply of Spalding’s glue upon his little toes. My
cry was not “O for the wings of a dove!” but for the pen of my
gifted friends, Aked or Gifford, to attempt the glowing description
the scenes deserve. Here are trees with great bunches of yellow
flowers, somewhat resembling wistaria, but with a very artificial
look. Many trees bear large scarlet flowers. One below is covered
with white blossoms. Pretty villas and gardens are passed, the
dwellings, pink, blue, green, and terra cotta. In bright sunshine
smoked glasses may seem desirable to eyes not especially strong. As
we skirt the hillside in many curves, the city below is now on our
right, the gleaming bay, and curving shore; the next moment the
steep slopes or cliffs above; and now we move through a dense and
quiet forest. A good carriage road is here by the side of the track.
A happy couple is occasionally seen strolling on a sequestered path.
In January it was too warm to enjoy a climb, but a leisurely descent
would at any time be a pleasure. In winter, June, July, and August,
the ascent would be equally agreeable, and the opportunity to pause
and enjoy the charming vistas no one could fail to appreciate.

CORCOVADO FROM THE BOULEVARD BEIRA MAR
]

THROUGH THE CLOUDS, FROM CORCOVADO
]

At Sylvestre, about 700 feet altitude, where the transfer is made to
the cog-wheeled railway, there is a little hotel where a cup of tea
may be enjoyed and a short walk taken, unless close connection is
made. In this case you must run across the track to the booth where
tickets are sold, buying for the round trip unless minded to walk
down; an excellent idea, as the time allowed above is short.
Descending on foot to Sylvestre a car may there be taken every half
hour. The hours of the train on the cog railway should be carefully
investigated, as they are few, and vary with the season; on week
days formerly 10 and 2, on Sundays nearly every hour but the last
descending at 5. Now on the cog-wheeled road, the grade is at times
so heavy that if riding backwards you must brace or hang on, lest
you slip from the seat. The train is run by electricity with four
cables and an engine. Six kinds of brakes may be relied upon in case
of accident; they never occur on this line, but occasionally on the
tramway. Thick woods and a tangle of vines now mostly shut out the
distant prospect, but these are fascinating. Mosses, ferns, and
lichens, forest palms, tendril-draped trees with every shade of
green, orchids, begonias, and other blossoms, trickling waters,
narrow forest paths, sudden glimpses of the shimmering bay, of dark
tree-tops, of massive cliffs below, or of craggy peak above, make
every moment a delight. At the station _Paneiras_, alt., 1500 feet,
is the Hotel Corcovado, with restaurant service at all hours and
comfortable rooms, a resort for convalescents and others. It has a
temperature 15° or 18° lower than in the city and delightful shady
walks. At a little distance a clearing affords a wonderful outlook.
The track ends at the foot of a cliff whence a good path of rather
steep grade leads to the summit 100 feet above, crowned by the usual
pavilion. This stands quite 2200 feet above the surface of the bay.
One hardly pauses here, but descending a few steps goes on to the
very end, the brink of the perpendicular cliff on the south side,
with a sheer drop of 1700 feet, well protected by a substantial wall
with a seat for the feeble or the loiterer. And who would not loiter
here, with this beautiful vision spread out beneath! A panorama of
surpassing loveliness! Oh, read Miss Cameron’s _Involuntary
Chaperone_! and you may gain some small idea of the enchanting
scenes. In afternoon light, in sunset glow, in the quiet evening
with the twinkling lights below and the serene moon above, this is a
paradise for lovers, a fairy land for all.

The view from _Tijuca_ more beautiful! Who at Corcovado can believe
it? Not I! But so some have said. Therefore to Tijuca must one go if
possible. The electric cars marked Tijuca, which run from Praça 15th
of November along rua Assembléa to the suburb, may be taken for the
excursion. The ride is through a very different section, by the
Canal do Mangue, then through clean streets, lined by comfortable
dwellings of the middle class, some more pretentious with pretty
gardens, nearly all painted in delicate shades of gay colors. In the
really suburban section are many fine villas, and after a gradual
ascent among the hills one descends 6 miles from the Avenida, at a
park, alt. 1000 ft., called _Boa Vista_, on one side of which is a
hotel; also an establishment where saddle horses may be procured,
perchance an automobile, for the continuance of the journey. These
are rather expensive; a carriage for an hour costs 20 milreis,
nearly $7.00, an auto of course more. Walks, however, may be taken
to many pretty spots. A few steps from the Square is a charming
outlook over city and bay. At the farther side of the Square begins
the Tijuca forest, and following the road one soon reaches (perhaps
ten minutes) a picturesque little _cascade_. This road may be
pursued on foot or horseback in 3 or 4 hours to the top of the
mountain; alt. 3300 feet, from which is the superior view above
mentioned. Other pretty spots to be visited in a drive of two or
three hours are the _Grotto of Paul and Virginia_, the _Grand
Cascade_, the _Chinese View_, the _Emperor’s Table_, the
_Excelsior_, the _Solidão_, etc. The _Furnas_ at a distance of two
miles is a fantastic arrangement of rocks and boulders, where an
interesting garden has been established. The road which passes the
Vista Chineza and the Emperor’s Table leads down to the Botanical
Garden through the rua Doña Castorina. Best of all is to make a day
of it by automobile from the city, ascending the peak on foot or
horseback, visiting all the points of interest, and taking the
glorious ride around by Gavea and the Botanical Gardens on the
return.

PETROPOLIS

HOTELS. Europa, Rio de Janeiro (German), Pensão Central,
expensive. Braganza Hotel, Meyer’s Pension, moderate.

An excursion to _Petropolis_ (return ticket 4$) should not be
omitted, a city of 25,000, the residence of the diplomats, formerly
the summer home of the Emperor. Once it was necessary to cross the
bay to Mauá to take the train; the road from this point to the foot
of the mountains, opened in 1856, is the oldest in Brazil. While the
steamboat ride was agreeable, it is more convenient to take the
train at the Leopoldina Railway Station in the city, rather far out,
indeed; and at least three-quarters of an hour should be allowed to
reach it. Almost, in spite of a sharp run, I lost my train, which my
companion did quite. After some miles over the plain, the rack and
pinion system is employed for the climb, almost to the city; when
ordinary motors are again used. The ascent is delightful, with an
ever charming outlook, better perhaps on the right, but there should
be observation cars in order to look both ways at once. The sea is
occasionally visible, oftener only the luxuriant vegetation,
trailing vines, feathery ferns, brilliant blossoms, great trees,
splendid rocks, and mountain streams. An occasional factory is
rather a surprise, but with all this water power, why not? This
Serra da Estrella is a part of the Organ Mts. and of the Serra do
Mar or Coast Range of Brazil. Among the hills around, orchid hunters
find many treasures. Petropolis, in the social season from December
to May, is a resort of wealth and fashion, a scene of gayety, the
many beautiful homes filled with guests. Founded in 1845 as an
agricultural colony by 2000 Germans, it became the headquarters of
the Diplomatic Corps on account of the yellow fever epidemics at
Rio. The residence of twenty foreign diplomats has made the place
important for its size. Now that the sanitary conditions of Rio are
of the very best it is possible that the diplomats may resume
residence in the capital below. A pretty and unusual feature of
Petropolis is the stream flowing in several of the principal
streets, crossed by graceful bridges of wood or of iron, with stone
embankments partially vine-clad, and beautiful overhanging trees.
There are delightful drives, both in the town and in the mountainous
region about. The wide streets of the town, often fringed with
magnolias, are bordered by many handsome residences amid lawns and
gardens with rich tropical verdure. A bronze monument to Pedro II
was dedicated February, 1911. The American Embassy is housed in a
fine old mansion on beautiful grounds. The former summer residence
of Dom Pedro II, property of the Countess d’Eu, is now a College of
St. Vincent de Paul. The city has unusual educational advantages and
many commercial enterprises. There is much social gayety in the
season, but during the months of the rainy weather the fashionables
depart. The City Hall is noted as the best in the state.

* * * * *

Another city on the mountains, of slightly greater elevation, is
_Nova Friburgo_, three hours from Nictheroy. With an elevation of
about 3000 feet it enjoys a perfect climate. The oldest immigrant
colony in Brazil, it was founded by 1700 Swiss in 1819. This also is
a famous summer resort and is the center of a productive coffee
district.

Another interesting mountain city is _Therezopolis_, also 3000 feet
above the sea, commanding delightful views of the ravines and
cascades of the Organ Mts. and of the beautiful bay far below.

An excursion to _Nictheroy_, the capital of the State of Rio de
Janeiro, should not be omitted. It is easily made from the Caes
Pharoux, by ferry every half hour. With a population of 35,000, it
is a nice quiet town, with well paved streets and pretty squares.
From the ferry landing electric cars may be taken to the charming
beaches of _Icarahy_ and _Sacco do São Francisco_, the latter with a
beach rivaling Trouville; the ride around by one of the promontories
is thoroughly delightful. The return may be made through the town of
Nictheroy, which has some handsome public buildings.

Equally if not more desirable is a sail into the inner harbor. From
Caes Pharoux boats go four times daily to the Island Paquetá, also
to the Governador; (fare to either 500 _reis_ each way). The former
island is especially picturesque, with charming embowered chalets.
On Sunday afternoons, a three hours’ sail may be taken; fare 1$500.

UNITED STATES EMBASSY, PETROPOLIS
]

STREET WITH RIVER
]

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