The Journey has started

1972

1985

1982

1965

This blog is not intended to be a diary, but to get started, and because I got such a lovely start, here’s a post to tell how the journey began. If the beginning is an indication of how my trip is going to be, it can only be fantastic and I will be short of words to describe it. It was not because I was upgraded, or there was something unusual. It was just all the little things that made everything worked.

My good friends took me to the airport, and even though my flight was not until 3 p.m. we left early, so we could meet up with another friend and have lunch before it was time to say goodbye. With my apartment handed over to those who will be staying there while I’m away, there was not much more for me to do and after 15 months of planning, I was so ready to finally get going.

It was really sweet of my friends to give me such a departure and good start to my trip. Four months is a long time to be away, when you think ahead, but they will go fast, so suddenly I’m back home, but thanks a lot, it helped to make this trip special.

Arriving in Rio De Janeiro all the positive continued when everything just turned out in the best possible way.

I arrived very early in the morning and was lucky that my room was ready. I could not expect a room before 3 p.m. so I had prepared myself for a long day of waiting, now I could instead go straight to my room, unpack, etc. and still have time for a cup of coffee and some fresh fruit from the breakfast buffet. The coffee, however, could not keep me awake. It had not been to much sleep on the plane, so I was very happy, I could take a nap on my bed before I had lunch with a new friend.

Check-in to the aircraft in Frankfurt also included security check in and it took a very long time, but standing in a long queue, sometimes means that you get into a conversation with the others in the queue. I met a nice young German lady. Before we reached the end of the queue, we knew a lot about each other and enough for me to ask her the next morning on the way out of the plane, if she would like to meet me later. Her name is Laura. She speaks Portuguese and has lived in Rio, as an exchange student and works now as a freelance journalist.

We went to one of the many restaurants along Copacabana beach, where I was introduced to a typical Brazilian dish and a lot of information about Rio and Brazil.

It was a beautiful day, and as the weather forecast for the rest of the week did not look too good, I would like to Sucker Loaf Mountain to be sure to see the beautiful view and get some good pictures, but Laura convinced me, that I should go up to the statue of Christ, as it is not unusual that the top is covered in clouds with no view of the city.

At the hotel they recommended me to take the train up to the top. Luckily I checked the train station on the internet before I left the hotel and my WIFI connection. By coincidence I found out that as of July 2016, train tickets could only be purchased online.

With the ticket bought, I took off, and what a sight when I reached the top. With the city built by the sea, in between hills, mountains, bays and a lake, it’s really nice to get a 360 degree view. Get an idea of the size of the city and where everything is. It was an amazing view of the city as pictures simply can not justify.

Brazilians are really really sweet. I have only met people who gave me a big smile, wishing me welcome and would like to know, if there was anything they could do for me. My taxi driver home from the train station was probably also very friendly. He spoke no English, so we could not communicate, but he was very entertaining. He shouted and gestured all the way to the other drivers. Have to admit, there were times where I’m pretty sure I would have shouted as well. To drive in Rio, I think you need a special license. It requires a little more than the common traffic rules

Back at the hotel I was ready to go to bed after a long but wonderful day.

On my first day day I already knew someone who could give me a lot of information about Rio. My hotel fully lived up to my expectations and gave me a warm and very nice welcome. The weather was great and I got to see the stunning views of the city I had dreamed about. I was lucky to have bought train ticket before I got to the station. After I had bought the ticket, I got a message that the ticket should be picked up within 30 min.før departure, otherwise it would be lost. With the traffic in Rio, it was not possible, but as time went on, I told myself I would be OK. As the station did not sell tickets, I figured my seat would be vacant. I was there 15 minutes before departure, and it was fine – no problems. They even told me that if I missed the train, I could just take the next one. So not to worry, maybe it is necessary to be more strict in high season.

Before I left the hotel, I had received an email from the company where I had booked a bike ride, asking me, if I could move the trip a day. I could not, and when I came back on my mail again, there was fortunately a confirmation that everything was ok.

So all in all everything just went really well. From when I got up Monday morning until I went to bed in Rio on Tuesday night, everything went as I had hoped for, when I planned the trip or even better. I could not have asked for a better start to my tour of South America, and so far it remains the same.

As a freelance journalist, it was perhaps natural that my new friend would ask, if she could write about me and my journey. I had not thought about that at all, but I said yes when she asked. If I can inspire others to make their dreams come true, then it is fantastic, so we met a few more times to get my story recorded and take some pictures. Many of you know I’m not much for being photographed, but here I am not too worried. If the story is sold, it will be to a German magazine. He – He.

OK, if it is published, I’ll let you know.

Thank you for reading this. In my next blog I will write about Rio. You can also take a look at some of my pictures via Photos tab