Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

Today i've received these brazilian cards sent by Jefferson.

"Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil. Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or "The Marvelous City".

Rio is famous for its natural settings, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema, paved with decorated black and cream swirl pattern mosaics known locally as "pedra portuguesa".

Despite its charm and beauty, Rio is reputed to be one of the most violent cities in the world and motivated movies such as Bus 174, City of God and Tropa de Elite portraying severe social issues. Violent crime is concentrated in the slum areas known as favelas, which are located largely on the periphery of the City.

This is an aerial view of Ipanema and Leblon.

Ipanema is a neighborhood located on the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro. The beach at Ipanema became widely known by the song "The Girl from Ipanema", written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and performed by Jobim, João and Astrud Gilberto, and Stan Getz. The song reached the U.S. top 5 in the summer of 1964.
Leblon is another affluent neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, just west of Ipanema. It's very much like Ipanema but even more exclusive, being the home of very rich and affluent people. The beach is a bit more quiet and relaxed than the hip and trendy beach of Ipanema. The neighborhood has the highest land prices of Brazil and Latin America.

Several views of the Sugar Loaf.

"Sugarloaf Mountain (in Portuguese, Pão de Açúcar), is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro on a peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising 396 metres (1,299 ft) above sea-level, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar.
A glass-paneled cable car capable of holding 75 passengers, runs along a 1400-metre route between the peaks of Pão de Açúcar and Cara de Cão every half hour. The original cable car line was built in 1912. So familiar is this peak, the mere sight of it in a film is sufficient to establish the setting as Rio de Janeiro." - in: wikipedia

"The Monastery of São Bento emerged on the hill, with a panoramic view of the Guanabara Bay, some twenty years after de foundation of the City of Rio de Janeiro, in 1565. The monastery, which has been compared to a museum, has a monastic simplicity making it one of the most beautiful architectural complexes in Brazil. The harmony amongst the various parts built at different stages in history resulted from the rule of the Benedictine school, which by tradition only uses artists and builders belonging to the Order. There is a surprising contrast between the austere purposefully simple appearance of the exterior and the richness of the interior highlighting gilded Baroque engravings with plants motifs and the exuberant Rococo style in the engraving on the high altar, cross vaulting and Chapel of the Santíssimo Sacramento". - in: http://www.rio.rj.gov.br/riotur/en/atracao/?CodAtr=1441