Saturday, October 20, 2012

Sepia Saturday 148–A Visit to Corcovado

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt is a curious one.  It shows a group of men, two of whom are police officers.  It appears that one of the officers is handing what looks like a firearm to another man.  But, if you look at the building behind this group of men, you see a person at the window.  Hmm, What was he doing there and why was he watching this group of men?  We may never know.


Sepia Saturday 148 October 20, 2012

I wasn’t sure in what direction I was going to go for today’s Sepia Saturday post, but once again my Grandpa Debs Webster’s 1952 photo album came to my rescue.  In this album I found this photo (below) showing two people at a window.  So ya, I'm going with the "person in the window" theme this week.

This photo is one of a series of photos from a visit to Corcovado. Before my Grandpa Debs Webster and his family immigrated to the United States, they made a trip to Corcovado, which is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Building at Corcovado
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 24, 1952

Atop Corcovado mountain stands the well-known 125-ft. statue of Jesus Christ, entitled Cristo Redentor, or “Christ the Redeemer.”


Corcovado_mountain Wikimedia Commons Copyright Released
Corcovado Mountain Photo from
Wikimedia Commons  - Copyright Released
Click to Enlarge

Cristo_Redentor_Rio_de_Janeiro_2 Wikimedia Commons
Cristo Redentor
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Click to Enlarge
 

How does a tourist get to the top of this mountain?  One way is by the Corcovado Rack Railway.  And this is how my Grandpa Debs, Grandma Willis, and my mom visited Corcovado on May 24, 1952.

Here is a group photo showing tourists at the railway station.  I’ve labeled my grandparents and mom.  My Grandpa Debs wrote on the photo’s edge, “Upper Station” and “May 24, 1952.”

Group Photo at
Corcovado Upper Station
May 24, 1952

Here are a couple photos of the station -


Corcovado Upper Station
May 24, 1952

See the train coming?

Corcovado Upper Station
May 24, 1952


Cristo Redentor or “Christ the Redeemer”


Cristo Redentor or "Christ the Redeemer"
at Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 24, 1952

The following photos show fabulous views of Rio de Janiero and the surrounding area.

Notice Corcovado's
observation deck where the tourists are standing?


View of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
from Observation Deck
at Corcovado May 24, 1952

See the city down by the ocean?


View from Corcovado May 24, 1952


Another amazing view!


View from Corcovado May 24, 1952


And still another awesome view.


View from Corcovado May 24, 1952


My mom and Willis Webster at the base of the statue of Cristo Redentor or "Christ the Redeemer."

 

L-R:  My Mom and Willis Webster

at Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 24 1952

And below is a panoramic photo taken by "The Lucky Toast" from Wikimedia Commons.  The description was in German.  The translation basically says, "Views of Rio de Janeiro from the Corcovado over Ipanema, Copacabana, Sugarloaf, Botafogo, Santa Teresa and the center.  At the top left is Niterói and Rio-Niterói Bridge."

I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!

800px-Rio_Corcovado Wikimedia Commons Photo by The Lucky Toast
Panoramic View from Corcovado
Wikimedia Commons
Photo by "The Lucky Toast"
Click to Enlarge

If you would like to see more photos of Corcovado as well as views of Rio de Janeiro and the surrounding areas, including a color photo of the building near the beginning of this post (first album photo above), please click this link:   Rio de Janeiro Photo Guide.  It's worth a look.  There are some beautiful photos at this website, including views at night.

And now, I will leave you with this short Youtube video about the statue, Cristo Redentor or “Christ the Redeemer.”

 


To see what other Sepia Saturday participants have written this week, click HERE.

Thanks for reading!


Jana

Copyright © Jana Last 2012

32 comments:

  1. They nearly had the world at their feet being up there. Beautiful series of black and white photos, so diligently taken. I think your grandpa Debs had as much fun taken photos then as we have now with our digital cams. My mother loved her camera.
    Jana, thank you for your comment on my post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Titania,

      It really must have been fun for my Grandpa Debs to take these photos. And I'm so glad he took so many photos too.

      Thanks so much for reading and for your comments!

      Delete
  2. I love the arm-chair tour that Sepia Saturday becomes! This post takes us across oceans AND back in time. Rio is another place that I must add to my bucket list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Liz,

      Yes, Sepia Saturday participants really do a great job taking us on tours around the world don't they?

      Thank you so much for your kind comments and for taking the time to read my blog post! I really appreciate it!

      Delete
  3. Do I see three photobombs in the second picture of the Corcovado Upper Station? (I wonder when that word will disappear from my system :) In any case it is a well composed photo, a lot of perspective (if that is the proper word).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Peter,

      Photobomb! That's a fun word! I learned about it from one of my kids not too long ago.

      And whether or not those little kids were "photobombing" the photo my grandpa took, I will say they were playing a dangerous game standing so near those train tracks! Yikes!

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. You can feel how high up you are from the photos. I doubt we could improve on them with our digital photos. I felt as though I was about to land at the airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Bob,

      The photos do give us a sense of how very high up they were don't they? Hmm, as I am afraid of heights, I wonder how I would like actually being there. :)

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  5. Great window shot. And I took a look at your international ancestors. I like the way you gave each group a page and I love the way you take us to your ancestry tree. I am going to have to figure out how to do that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kristin,

      Thanks so much for reading my blog post! And thanks you very much for your kind comments about how I've set up my blog too. I really appreciate that.

      Again thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. Hi Jana! What a fantastic post. Your pictures are wonderful. I like seeing what was important to your family members to record on the camera.

    The two odd things that stood out for me were the cell towers next to Jesus' statue, and how easy it would be to crawl over that deck ledge!

    Thanks so much for sharing. I didn't do a SS post this week, but wanted to stop by and say hi.

    Kathy M.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathy,

      You are so sweet to stop by today! Thank you so much!

      I hadn't thought about how easy it would have been to crawl over the deck ledge. Wow! Hmm, I wonder if it's different and safer today. And those cell towers are oddly placed aren't they? Kind of ruins the view there.

      Thanks again for visiting today and for your kind comments!

      Delete
  7. Great old travel photos. You get a chance to enjoy your families
    sight seeing with them after all these years. I enjoyed the people in the window photo too. These Sepia Saturday themes are a real challenge to keep track of your family photos aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Helen,

      Thanks so much for the compliment about the old photos! I'm so glad my grandpa took all of these photographs. They have been so fun to look through!

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  8. Photobomb, I've seen it often but never knew that name for it! A very interesting find, indeed. I find that man peeking out the window very curious too, wish we could find out his story, but he appears not so happy to me. Perhaps he was left out, or not promoted! Great post, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,

      Yep, that man in the window is curious isn't he?

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  9. A wonderful series of photos. Here in Lanzarote they tend to put crucifixes atop the volcanoes. No-one has yet mounted a full statue of Christ!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Little Nell,

      Thank you so much for your kind comments about my grandpa's photos! I am so glad he took them, as well as the many other photos he took.

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. Thinking back on Debs' photos, I see him as a man whose faith was very important. He always seemed to seek out places with a spiritual connection and made sure his family got to experience as much as possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Wendy,

      What a lovely observation you made about my Grandpa Debs.

      Thank you so very much for reading and commenting. I really do appreciate it!

      Delete
  11. Those photo's your Grandpa took of the cotton wool clouds floating below over the city are cool. Nice to go up a mountain with so little effort:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Joy,

      Yep, the train must have been quite a nice way to travel the distance up the mountain.

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  12. I'd bet your Grandpa said something like, "you should have been there!". After this post, I would definitely agree and wish that I had been. I'm ready to go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mike,

      I'm glad Grandpa Debs took so many photos so we could enjoy the trip too! I wonder if he wanted to take so many pictures because he knew they were leaving Brazil soon too.

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  13. I love your take on the prompt. That first view of the city is great, what with the clouds and all!!
    :)~
    HUGZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ticklebear,

      Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I'm glad you enjoyed the virtual tour of Corcovado and Rio de Janeiro!

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  14. Thank you so much for sharing these amazing photos, Jana! I am assuming that those measurements of the photo are metres, are they?

    I envy so much that you actually a full album of your grandparent's. Oh, if only!

    That shot of the tourists at the base of the railway is just fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kat,

      Thank you so much for your sweet comments! I'm not sure about the measurements of the photos. Sorry I can't answer your question about that.

      I'm so glad you enjoyed my Grandpa Debs' photos! I really am so thankful to have this photo album, as well as other photos from my Grandpa.

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  15. I like the snapshots, but I especially like the tourist group photo and the say it is mounted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Postcardy,

      I'm so glad you like the photos! Thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciate it!

      Delete
  16. Those are amazing photos of Christ the Redeemer, Jana. I've never been to South America, but if I ever have the chance, that statue is on my must-see-in-person!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Yvonne,

      Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I haven't been to South America either, so it's great to see it through my Grandpa Debs' photos.

      Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete