We continued on from Montevideo to Rio de Janeiro to end our cruise with a couple of days in Rio. We stayed at the Sheraton Rio just around a headland beyond the end of Ipanema/Leblon beach. It was a wonderfully secluded hideaway from the busyness of Rio with a lovely little separate beach. All Rio beaches are open to the public and this beach by our hotel was a well-used gathering place, exercise area and swimming/diving/surfing area for nearby residents. It was a pleasure to watch them.

We rode the aerial cablecar to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain and went to the top of Corcavado Mountain where the Christ the Redeemer statue stands with outspread arms. There are wonderful views of the city from both sites but the weather on Corcavado was quite cloudy much of the time. We also had an elegant lunch at the Pergula Restaurant at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.