Too long, mayhap, have we lingered in the heart of the city, longer I fancy than any tourist will do, despite the attractions in the busy marts of trade, and the stately edifices devoted to governmental, artistic, and intellectual purposes. The great charm of the city, the feature which makes it incomparable among the capitals of the world, is the number of delightful excursions practicable to its enchanting suburbs. Some of these may be visited by electric car or automobile, as the length of one’s purse prescribes, others by boat, and one by cog railway.

Most persons will be tempted to improve the very first afternoon by a ride along the front of the bay, on the unrivaled Beira Mar, from the Monroe Palace on the Avenida to the foot of the PÃo do Assucar, a ride without parallel, even on the shores of the Mediterranean. This magnificent boulevard invites also to a promenade, for a broad walk guarded by a handsome railing tops the massive sea wall, which rises 15 feet above the wave-sprinkled rocks below. Rarely, indeed, the waves rise higher. July 12th, 1911, a heavy wind blowing from the south not only dashed breakers high above the wall, but with these sent stones weighing a ton over upon the boulevard. Next to the promenade come two wide asphalt spaces, separated by a strip of grass and a row of trees, for automobiles going in opposite directions, thronged towards evening with swiftly moving machines. A garden strip of varying width follows, beautiful shrubbery, brilliant coleas, and other plants with leaves of varied hue, gorgeous red salvias, geraniums, and other showy flowers. Now comes the wide paved street with ample space for ordinary vehicles and for the double tracks of the electric cars.

A few minutes from the Monroe Palace, and almost in front of the PensÃo Suissa is the PraÇa da Gloria where Cattete street branches from the Beira Mar. The very pretty Garden contains two notable monuments: one of these to Pedro Álvarez Cabral, discoverer of Brazil, by Rodolpho Bernadelli, Director of the School of Fine Arts. This monument inaugurated in 1900, the fourth centenary of the Discovery, represents with Cabral the chronicler, Pero Vaz Caminha, and the Franciscan, Henrique de Coimbra, who celebrated the first mass on the soil of South America. The other monument, dedicated in 1902, is a statue of Visconde do Rio Branco by the French sculptor, Charpentier. The ascent of the Gloria hill close by is worth while for the splendid panorama from the summit, if not for the little church above where on the 15th of August is a festival.

Beyond the Gloria hill are finer residences with pretty gardens, distracting attention from the view of the Sugar Loaf in front, the silvery waters on the left, the city of Nictheroy on the opposite side of the bay, and the curving inlets of both shores. On account of a projecting hill the car tracks leave the water’s edge for a space, passing back to the Largo do Machado, where the offices of the railway are situated, the place to go for lost articles. After passing the Hotel dos Estrangeiros, the boulevard is soon regained on the Botafogo Bay, a lovely geometrical curve. Again leaving the shore the car marked Ministro de Agricultura alone returns to the Praia de Saudade, on which the great Hospital for the Insane is passed, the Institute Benjamin Constant for the Blind, and the imposing building of the Ministry of Agriculture, the cars at length pausing in front of the Military School Building, which stands by the ocean shore; we have now passed beyond the splendid Sugar Loaf, so that in the rear of the School Building we should find the Praia Vermelha, a beach on the great ocean. An Aerial Railway now serves for a trip to the tip top of the pinnacle, PÃo do Assucar, whence a delightful view is obtained of city, bay, and ocean. The same Praia Vermelha car passes the base station whence an electric basket cable car accommodating twenty persons goes, first to the Morro da Urca, return ticket 2$000, then on to the top of the PÃo do Assucar, return ticket probably 4$000. The journey to the top is made in twelve minutes. The distance is nearly a mile.

Other rides partly along the front, or on Cattete street parallel to the Beira Mar, should be taken to the various suburban ocean beaches of Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Gavea, backed by picturesque hills, through which a tunnel or two has been bored for more direct access. Some of the beaches, though rather dangerous for bathing, are more or less patronized. Many people wander along the shore, or in pavilions regale themselves with beer or coffee. Villas of the wealthy and a sprinkling of poorer houses, with several hotels and restaurants, show provision for all classes. Everywhere in the residential districts outside of the more crowded central portion, attention will be continually drawn to the charming homes, some of quite palatial dimensions and elegance, the majority more modest but generally with some pretty ornamentation, all apparently freshly painted in varied and delicate shades of color, pink, blue, green, lavender, pearl, buff, Alice blue, etc., embowered among vines, shrubbery, and palms: an unceasing source of pleasure.

On the way to the beaches by the rua Cattete, before reaching the Strangers’ Hotel, the President’s Palace may be observed on the left. The large garden extends through to the boulevard along the Praia de Flamengo, but the entrance is from Cattete. The exterior of the Palace, which was constructed by the Baron of Nova Friburgo and later purchased by the Government, is not noteworthy, but the interior has magnificent decorations; the garden would be a fitting accessory of a royal palace. Next to the Palace is the beautiful school building, Rodriguez Alves, a suitable monument to the great President of Brazil, in whose administration was inaugurated the tremendous undertaking by which the city has been transformed.

Not far from the Hotel Estrangeiros, a beautiful avenue lined with royal palms, half a mile long, leads to a fine mansion, which in 1911 was the residence of the President.

In a long afternoon of four or five hours the entire circuit of the city may be made by automobile along the Beira Mar on the shore of the bay, then past the ocean beaches to the mountains and by a splendid road along the mountain-side past Gavea and Tijuca, thence across to the waterfront, and by the docks returning to the Avenida Central; a circuit with varied panorama such as no other city of the world affords, to which an entire day might better be devoted.

The Botanical Garden, long celebrated as possessing the finest collection of tropical plants among the parks of the world, was founded in 1808 by Dom JoÃo VI when Prince Regent of Portugal. At the Avenida Station, a car marked Gavea may be taken about once in ten minutes. The route is at first a familiar one, near the shore of the bay, but turns at length to the west, passing presently under the steep walls of Corcovado on the right and near the shore of a considerable lake, the LagÕa Rodrigues de Freitas on the left, a ride for which the three-quarters of an hour required is none too long. Within the gateway, flanked by small office buildings, one is confronted by a splendid avenue of superb palms, 150 in number, extending in a straight line nearly half a mile. The tree trunks, a yard in diameter at the base, are straight shafts 75 feet high, ere they are topped by their leafage crown. Some distance up, this avenue is crossed by another of 140 palms, a fountain adorning the square of intersection. These palms, with all those forming colonnades in other parts of the city, are descendants of the ancient tree which was planted by D. JoÃo VI. The story goes that some Brazilian officers, shipwrecked, were carried to the Isle of France, where was a fine botanical garden. One of the officers, Luiz de Abreu, after gaining possession of several choice specimens, managed to escape with them. Returning to Brazil he presented them to Dom JoÃo, who, transferring them to the Garden, planted with his own hands the seed of the Royal Palm. The tree still standing, 130 feet high, apparently destined to flourish for some time longer, is marked by an inscription, and will be pointed out by an attendant if overlooked. It is not, of course, in any of the rows. Besides hundreds of varieties of Brazilian plants, the Garden contains as many from all parts of the world; it maintains close relations with other Gardens, sending to them hundreds of thousands of seeds, as well as making extensive distribution in various parts of Brazil. A delightful section at the left of the entrance is called the Bamboo Salon, where a walk under the feathery archway recalls the aisle of a Gothic cathedral. Of great interest is the traveler’s tree, somewhat resembling a banana plant, of which the sap is like pure cold water. The gentleman who showed me about, kindly cut the stalk with his knife. I drank as the sap spouted forth, and found it indistinguishable from clear water. If the tree would grow in desert regions, what a godsend to the thirsty traveler! The victoria regia with its great leaves, four or five feet in diameter floating on the water is always noteworthy, even if it is not the flowering season, there May or June. Naturally rubber trees of many varieties are to be seen, coffee shrubs, tea plants, and others in profusion, both useful and beautiful, a wealth of vines, but fewer orchids, at least in blossom, than I had hoped. The candelabra tree, so called from its shape, and the cow tree, which supplies a kind of milk better for making cement than for drinking, are of interest. An especial curiosity is one tree growing inside of another, the trunk of the palm being almost completely surrounded by the trunk of another tree of entirely different character, both trees now 30 or 40 feet high.

A number of pretty pavilions, a lake, grottoes, and cascades contribute to adorn the Garden, also several monuments and statues. One of the monuments is in memory of the real founder of the Garden, Frei Leandro do Sacramento, Professor of Botany in the Faculty of Medicine, a distinguished scholar, who on his death in 1829 left the Garden in a flourishing condition. At the end of the central avenue of palms, the monument, Dea Palmaris, was inaugurated in 1906. There are various statues of nymphs, a temple of Nike, a Belvedere, a colonial portico, and the first statue ever cast in Brazil, this in 1783 by Valentim da Fonseca e Silva. In one of the buildings by the gate is a herbarium of great value, as also a library. Even unscientific persons with no especial interest in botany may enjoy a long afternoon wandering in the delightful walks, the charm of which is increased by the wooded steeps and grim cliffs of Corcovado just above, seeing here the side of Corcovado precisely opposite to the one visible from the center of the city. One may leave the Garden in time to continue the short distance to the end of the line to Gavea, where there is a noted spring of water of excellent quality. From a spot called Boa Vista, a short climb, the panorama is superb. The headlands, Dous IrmÃos, are at the left, the shores ever beaten by angry waves; in front is the broad ocean dotted with islands, one named Rosa bearing a lighthouse; on the right imposing Gavea, on whose face near the summit may be distinguished lines believed to have been traced by some primitive people. The name Gavea, meaning topsail, is derived from the shape of the summit. Its ascent is possible from the side towards Tijuca and has several times been made.

Corcovado. Most delightful to many of all the days to be spent at Rio will be that which is devoted to the Ascent of Corcovado; nor should it long be postponed. The first clear day or afternoon should be improved, as at some seasons clouds are frequent. Even setting out with a cloudless sky, one may find the goal shrouded in mist, or spread out below a mantle of softest sheen concealing in part or whole the glorious prospect beneath. There is a choice of two routes to the summit: both I strongly recommend; every one should go twice; but with time so limited that a single trip may be made it is desirable to go one way and return the other. The Sylvestre route begins by electric car, starting every half hour from the Largo da Carioca back of the Avenida Hotel. The other, longer or shorter, according to the point of departure, is all by cog-wheeled railway; but the base station is 35 or 40 minutes from the Avenida. One takes here or farther out a car marked Cosme Velho or Larangeiras to the pretty station among the Santa Theresa hills, passing on the way the familiar Estrangeiros and Largo Machado, there turning to the right on Larangeiras, a street as yet unfamiliar. Near the end of the line on the left is the station, return ticket 3 milreis, where one enters a car open at the sides with sufficiently comfortable seats if you face upwards. The track, one meter wide, about two miles long, crosses the valley of the Sylvestre stream on an iron viaduct of three arches, each 80 feet wide, supported on iron pillars with a masonry base, then enters a deep trench, later crossing two more bridges.

At the first station, Sylvestre, those board the train who have come by electrics to this point. The latter, after a few rods of steep grade from Carioca, wind along the side of San Antonio Hill in gradual ascent, then cross on the picturesque double arches of the old viaduct to the outlying hill of the Santa Theresa ridge. Swiftly speeds the car affording but fleeting glimpses of the busy streets and the houses below. Winding along the hillside, soon passing the International Hotel, with many level stretches and moderate inclines, the outlook above or below is enchanting. Any description must fall far short of the reality. The conjunction of a great city with picturesque scenery, pellucid bays, ragged cliffs, and tropical vegetation is unparalleled. One sits enthralled with the vision of loveliness. One’s entire vocabulary of adjectives such as exquisite, entrancing, magnificent, sublime, crowd upon the mind. A short distance away towers the massive Sugar Loaf, its cliffs so steep and smooth that apparently even a fly would find no foothold, unless with a liberal supply of Spalding’s glue upon his little toes. My cry was not “O for the wings of a dove!” but for the pen of my gifted friends, Aked or Gifford, to attempt the glowing description the scenes deserve. Here are trees with great bunches of yellow flowers, somewhat resembling wistaria, but with a very artificial look. Many trees bear large scarlet flowers. One below is covered with white blossoms. Pretty villas and gardens are passed, the dwellings, pink, blue, green, and terra cotta. In bright sunshine smoked glasses may seem desirable to eyes not especially strong. As we skirt the hillside in many curves, the city below is now on our right, the gleaming bay, and curving shore; the next moment the steep slopes or cliffs above; and now we move through a dense and quiet forest. A good carriage road is here by the side of the track. A happy couple is occasionally seen strolling on a sequestered path. In January it was too warm to enjoy a climb, but a leisurely descent would at any time be a pleasure. In winter, June, July, and August, the ascent would be equally agreeable, and the opportunity to pause and enjoy the charming vistas no one could fail to appreciate.

At Sylvestre, about 700 feet altitude, where the transfer is made to the cog-wheeled railway, there is a little hotel where a cup of tea may be enjoyed and a short walk taken, unless close connection is made. In this case you must run across the track to the booth where tickets are sold, buying for the round trip unless minded to walk down; an excellent idea, as the time allowed above is short. Descending on foot to Sylvestre a car may there be taken every half hour. The hours of the train on the cog railway should be carefully investigated, as they are few, and vary with the season; on week days formerly 10 and 2, on Sundays nearly every hour but the last descending at 5. Now on the cog-wheeled road, the grade is at times so heavy that if riding backwards you must brace or hang on, lest you slip from the seat. The train is run by electricity with four cables and an engine. Six kinds of brakes may be relied upon in case of accident; they never occur on this line, but occasionally on the tramway. Thick woods and a tangle of vines now mostly shut out the distant prospect, but these are fascinating. Mosses, ferns, and lichens, forest palms, tendril-draped trees with every shade of green, orchids, begonias, and other blossoms, trickling waters, narrow forest paths, sudden glimpses of the shimmering bay, of dark tree-tops, of massive cliffs below, or of craggy peak above, make every moment a delight. At the station Paneiras, alt., 1500 feet, is the Hotel Corcovado, with restaurant service at all hours and comfortable rooms, a resort for convalescents and others. It has a temperature 15° or 18° lower than in the city and delightful shady walks. At a little distance a clearing affords a wonderful outlook. The track ends at the foot of a cliff whence a good path of rather steep grade leads to the summit 100 feet above, crowned by the usual pavilion. This stands quite 2200 feet above the surface of the bay. One hardly pauses here, but descending a few steps goes on to the very end, the brink of the perpendicular cliff on the south side, with a sheer drop of 1700 feet, well protected by a substantial wall with a seat for the feeble or the loiterer. And who would not loiter here, with this beautiful vision spread out beneath! A panorama of surpassing loveliness! Oh, read Miss Cameron’s Involuntary Chaperone! and you may gain some small idea of the enchanting scenes. In afternoon light, in sunset glow, in the quiet evening with the twinkling lights below and the serene moon above, this is a paradise for lovers, a fairy land for all.

The view from Tijuca more beautiful! Who at Corcovado can believe it? Not I! But so some have said. Therefore to Tijuca must one go if possible. The electric cars marked Tijuca, which run from PraÇa 15th of November along rua AssemblÉa to the suburb, may be taken for the excursion. The ride is through a very different section, by the Canal do Mangue, then through clean streets, lined by comfortable dwellings of the middle class, some more pretentious with pretty gardens, nearly all painted in delicate shades of gay colors. In the really suburban section are many fine villas, and after a gradual ascent among the hills one descends 6 miles from the Avenida, at a park, alt. 1000 ft., called Boa Vista, on one side of which is a hotel; also an establishment where saddle horses may be procured, perchance an automobile, for the continuance of the journey. These are rather expensive; a carriage for an hour costs 20 milreis, nearly $7.00, an auto of course more. Walks, however, may be taken to many pretty spots. A few steps from the Square is a charming outlook over city and bay. At the farther side of the Square begins the Tijuca forest, and following the road one soon reaches (perhaps ten minutes) a picturesque little cascade. This road may be pursued on foot or horseback in 3 or 4 hours to the top of the mountain; alt. 3300 feet, from which is the superior view above mentioned. Other pretty spots to be visited in a drive of two or three hours are the Grotto of Paul and Virginia, the Grand Cascade, the Chinese View, the Emperor’s Table, the Excelsior, the SolidÃo, etc. The Furnas at a distance of two miles is a fantastic arrangement of rocks and boulders, where an interesting garden has been established. The road which passes the Vista Chineza and the Emperor’s Table leads down to the Botanical Garden through the rua DoÑa Castorina. Best of all is to make a day of it by automobile from the city, ascending the peak on foot or horseback, visiting all the points of interest, and taking the glorious ride around by Gavea and the Botanical Gardens on the return.

Petropolis

Hotels. Europa, Rio de Janeiro (German), PensÃo Central, expensive. Braganza Hotel, Meyer’s Pension, moderate.

An excursion to Petropolis (return ticket 4$) should not be omitted, a city of 25,000, the residence of the diplomats, formerly the summer home of the Emperor. Once it was necessary to cross the bay to MauÁ to take the train; the road from this point to the foot of the mountains, opened in 1856, is the oldest in Brazil. While the steamboat ride was agreeable, it is more convenient to take the train at the Leopoldina Railway Station in the city, rather far out, indeed; and at least three-quarters of an hour should be allowed to reach it. Almost, in spite of a sharp run, I lost my train, which my companion did quite. After some miles over the plain, the rack and pinion system is employed for the climb, almost to the city; when ordinary motors are again used. The ascent is delightful, with an ever charming outlook, better perhaps on the right, but there should be observation cars in order to look both ways at once. The sea is occasionally visible, oftener only the luxuriant vegetation, trailing vines, feathery ferns, brilliant blossoms, great trees, splendid rocks, and mountain streams. An occasional factory is rather a surprise, but with all this water power, why not? This Serra da Estrella is a part of the Organ Mts. and of the Serra do Mar or Coast Range of Brazil. Among the hills around, orchid hunters find many treasures. Petropolis, in the social season from December to May, is a resort of wealth and fashion, a scene of gayety, the many beautiful homes filled with guests. Founded in 1845 as an agricultural colony by 2000 Germans, it became the headquarters of the Diplomatic Corps on account of the yellow fever epidemics at Rio. The residence of twenty foreign diplomats has made the place important for its size. Now that the sanitary conditions of Rio are of the very best it is possible that the diplomats may resume residence in the capital below. A pretty and unusual feature of Petropolis is the stream flowing in several of the principal streets, crossed by graceful bridges of wood or of iron, with stone embankments partially vine-clad, and beautiful overhanging trees. There are delightful drives, both in the town and in the mountainous region about. The wide streets of the town, often fringed with magnolias, are bordered by many handsome residences amid lawns and gardens with rich tropical verdure. A bronze monument to Pedro II was dedicated February, 1911. The American Embassy is housed in a fine old mansion on beautiful grounds. The former summer residence of Dom Pedro II, property of the Countess d’Eu, is now a College of St. Vincent de Paul. The city has unusual educational advantages and many commercial enterprises. There is much social gayety in the season, but during the months of the rainy weather the fashionables depart. The City Hall is noted as the best in the state.

Another city on the mountains, of slightly greater elevation, is Nova Friburgo, three hours from Nictheroy. With an elevation of about 3000 feet it enjoys a perfect climate. The oldest immigrant colony in Brazil, it was founded by 1700 Swiss in 1819. This also is a famous summer resort and is the center of a productive coffee district.

Another interesting mountain city is Therezopolis, also 3000 feet above the sea, commanding delightful views of the ravines and cascades of the Organ Mts. and of the beautiful bay far below.

An excursion to Nictheroy, the capital of the State of Rio de Janeiro, should not be omitted. It is easily made from the Caes Pharoux, by ferry every half hour. With a population of 35,000, it is a nice quiet town, with well paved streets and pretty squares. From the ferry landing electric cars may be taken to the charming beaches of Icarahy and Sacco do SÃo Francisco, the latter with a beach rivaling Trouville; the ride around by one of the promontories is thoroughly delightful. The return may be made through the town of Nictheroy, which has some handsome public buildings.

Equally if not more desirable is a sail into the inner harbor. From Caes Pharoux boats go four times daily to the Island PaquetÁ, also to the Governador; (fare to either 500 reis each way). The former island is especially picturesque, with charming embowered chalets. On Sunday afternoons, a three hours’ sail may be taken; fare 1$500.