Christ the Redemeer

“It’s like watching the city in Gods eyes”, - a tourist tells me that has just come down. A one in a million experience that you’ll keep forever in your heart. It’s the Brazilian lord that hugs you one’s you step on land. His name is Christ the Redeemer, or as the locals call it, the Corcovado.

One’s you come down from the airplane you turn your gaze to the right and there he is, always with outstretched arms, waiting for you. Where ever you look you can see him. People say that if you don’t go up to the Corcovado you have not really been in Rio de Janeiro.

The sculpture is incredible, because it was the first ever to represent Jesus Christ alive, and not dead as some other statues represent it. It is the only one of its kind and people have tried to imitate it but they always fail, it is just perfect. Ones you see it you can appreciate all its features and really feel you are seeing God. The face has every detail; it is so delicate you can’t stop looking at it. People say that when its time to descend you feel like you are leaving someone behind and that you will miss that look on his face forever.

The statue stands 38 meters tall, weighs 700 short tons and it is located at the peak of the hunchback Corcovado Mountain in the wilderness of the Tijuca forest National Park overlooking the city. It is made of reinforced gray-white concrete and firm, solid soapstone. Although it might not sound durable enough for 77 years it has never need any type of maintenance. Believe it or not, on February 2008 the statue was struck by lightning during a violent electrical storm. The storm caused havoc in Rio, felling trees in several neighbourhoods, but the statue was left unscratched.

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