David Howell Travel Photography and Map Blog

It is now the heart of summer in the northern hemisphere and the heart of winter in the southern. But winter can feel like summer.

If you have harsh winters you may long for winters that look like the beach in this photo.

The beaches of Rio de Janeiro are normally sunny and warm throughout the year. Although as I write this they are having a cold snap.

This photograph was taken in the month of July so this is as ‘wintry’ as you would expect Rio to be. Typical winter daily high temperatures are around 75 degrees F (24 C)….

Dreaming about travel. Savoring travel. Remembering travel.

Decent and kind people who you don’t share a common language with. Unexpected challenges. A smile. Patience. A comfortable seat at the window on a long train ride deep into the Alps. Curiosity with rewards. Quiet narrow country roads. Wind rustling the leaves of trees along a river whose name you can’t pronounce. Sheep bells. A muddy river in spring flood flowing out of a Mexican jungle. Birds with impossible colors….

Is it warm where you are? Do you have sand on your feet?

Do you have time for a leisurely stroll down the beach? Can you hear the samba and the waves washing over the bright sand?

Can you sit for a few minutes and watch the football and volleyball matches on the beach?

In the northern hemisphere it is supposed to be spring….

You have probably seen many images of Cristo Redentor. It is a central part of the image of Rio de Janeiro. It sits atop one of the many peaks that surround the city. The mountain is called Corcovado.

Corcovado is a massive granite monolith overlooking Rio de Janeiro. You can drive to the summit, or take a taxi van as we did….

A practice field in the heart of football country.

Copacabana is a 4 km (2.5 mile) long beach. In the early morning it is used for excercise before work and school. During the day and until well past dark it is used for football and volleyball as well as relaxation and sunbathing….

The Carioca of Rio de Janeiro love to be on their beaches. The photo above is from the west end of Copacabana looking east. Everywhere you look as you walk the beach there are soccer balls and volleyballs flying….

On a warm, sunny day like this I don’t think that these guys cared too much about how many fish they caught. In Rio de Janeiro it seems like people have plenty of time to enjoy the ocean and the beaches.

On the busy beaches, like Copacabana and Ipanema, there are football and volleyball games strewn as far as the eye can see….

The beaches of Rio de Janeiro are not all crowded.

This small beach had only a few people in the middle of the day. This boat was left temporarily by a local fisherman….

At dawn before a field trip I walked along Copacabana and mixed in with all the runners, bikers, and skaters of Rio de Janeiro. The beach was just coming to life. It would be another hot, sunny day and later the beach would be filled with football and volleyball players-people who appeared to spend every day [...]