South America

Monday 19th December 2016 – I’ve always wanted to see the iconic statue of ‘Christ the Redeemer’ in Rio…who looks down upon the city from high up in the clouds…and today we would. A metro ride and uphill train journey later and we were there! It stands as a symbol of Christianity across the world and is the cultural icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil…acclaimed as one of the new ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ it is the largest Art Deco style sculpture in the world. Created by French artist Paul Landowski, built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and French engineer Albert Caquot, it is carved from soapstone…standing at 38 metres with pedestal…completed in 1931. His arms stretch wide spanning 28 metres and this awesome sight sits atop the Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuco Forest National Park overlooking the picturesque city of Rio. The views were breathtaking and the sun shone down at the beauty of the landscape. We took in the panorama and clicked…taking photos aplenty…it was incredibly busy as today the sunshine had come out to feast its eyes on the occasion…a great transformation from when we had first arrived in the city. Once quenched of this honour we returned to our little apartment…enjoyed the beach for an hour…then Aaron cooked me dinner and we relaxed for the remainder of the evening…in our own little flat…in Copacabana.

Tuesday 20th December 2016 – Our mission today…pressies for friends and family. We had managed to collect a few en route but still had some gifts still to get. We headed off for Uruguaiana Market…it was hot and dusty…and enormous. We browsed the stalls and shops in the hope of some little gems. I must admit it was all a little kitsch…but we were determined to take a small something home for everyone. So a little warning to you all…don’t expect too much this Christmas! We were delighted when we found our last purchase of the day…success…all our jobs were done. Tonight we would celebrate with a slap up meal at a superb restaurant…it was our last night in Rio after all. Aaron researched our eateries for the evening…I chose from three…a bit like ‘Blind Date’. I decided on Gabbiano Al Mare Restaurant in Ipanema. It turned out to be one of our four top culinary delights of our whole trip…absolutely delicious. For starters we shared octopus carpaccio…wow. After our own mains we finished off with chocolate and pistachio torte with ice cream…it was scrumptious and very naughty indeed! What a great way to finish….we slept happy with smiles across our faces and full bellies on our last night in Rio.

Wednesday 21st December 2016 – The day had finally arrived for our flight back to England. We were both ready and excited to return to home sweet home. After packing we checked out of our little flat, walked down to Copacabana beach…dropping off a bag of goodies to a homeless person on the way…and waited for the bus to the airport. On we jumped and off we sped. At the airport I felt so emotional…I was so looking forward to seeing everyone back home and my girly feelings were getting the better of me…poor Aaron…he managed to calm me down a little with an expensive chocolate cappuccino and cookie! Our flight was in two stages (it was the cheapest flight we could find so not direct). Step one to Casablanca…step two…to Gatwick…we would hopefully arrive in England on Thursday afternoon if all went to plan. Our flight was late taking off hence we missed our connecting flight to Gatwick. Consequently we were put on a later flight destined for Heathrow! Always expect the unexpected when you’re travelling…anything can happen!

Thursday 22nd December 2016 – We eventually arrived in Heathrow late afternoon but our bags were missing…oh joy! While filling in the forms for our missing luggage we were told that more bags had been found from our flight…they had inadvertently been sent somewhere else in Heathrow…how does that happen? Anyway…there was hope…and sure enough…would you believe it…along came our bags…an hour or so later than they should have done. The next step was trying to find a viable journey to Wincanton…Aaron’s mum and dad’s. No matter how hard we tried…train, coach, hire car…we couldn’t find a way that night. Instead we decided to jump on a bus and return to our flat for the night and think of a plan the next day. My friend, Jenny, had spare keys to our home. She was wonderful and met us at our place…she was the key master no less! It was fantastic to see her and we enjoyed a fun evening catching up and eating takeaway curry! That night we slept soundly in our very own beautiful bed.

Friday 23rd December 2016 – We woke up determined to find a way to Wincanton for Christmas. Without a car and on a budget it really is quite tricky. After much research the best we could do was get close enough to Aaron’s family so that they could pick us up from a coach or train station. We booked two tickets to Salisbury then walked to Walton Station and made our way into London…boy was it cold! Arriving at Waterloo we trundled on through the streets of the big city to Victoria Coach Station…stopping only to take photos of three adorable, comical pelicans in St James Park. There we waited to travel onwards to family and a warm, welcoming home. Just three hours later and bang on time we arrived at Salisbury Station where Aaron’s mum and dad were there to meet us…it was such a heart warming return and fantastic to see them. An hours drive later we landed in Wincanton…where we had started our journey over a year ago…the circle completed…we breathed a sigh of relief…felt ourselves physically and mentally relax and prepared ourselves for a very happy Christmas!