The moment I learned I would be visiting Rio, I knew there was one iconic image I wanted to capture, that of Christ the Redeemer looking down over the city and harbor.  This morning, while Nico was sleeping in, I made my way to a local heliport where I boarded a short sightseeing flight.  Only an aerial platform could offer the perspective I was looking for.  I could not be happier with the resulting image or the many others I captured from the air.

When I returned to the hotel, I joined Nico for some beach volleyball which left me nearly paralyzed after an hour of play.  Despite the sore muscles and aggravation to my dilapidated shoulder joints, I was still able to hold my own with the younger players. We then had lunch and enjoyed the Argentina-Belgium quarter-final match in the lounge.  During our stay, Nico befriended Anna, one of the few women his age, who is here with her father Brian.  The four of us decided we would head down to the Copacabana beach and take in the Netherlands-Costa Rica match from the FanFest that is so often featured in media coverage of the World Cup.

Minutes after the kick-off, it became apparent that people come here to party en masse. The fact that there is a soccer game being projected on a huge screen is almost inconsequential.  We wisely chose to return to the hotel 15 minutes into the game as the crowd continued to grow. There we enjoyed the second half, overtime, and exciting penalty kick shoot out.  Another perfect day in paradise.