Kelly Mock gave me a tour. He’s got a yearly family membership. Fantastic.
Elevation Place opened in April of 2013 as Canmore’s new recreation facility. Construction of the facility began in 2012 to replace the Canmore Recreation Centre (the community’s old facility). The facility offers an 8-lane 25m lap pool, a world class climbing wall developed by Walltopia, two cardio rooms, a strength room, and a host of fitness programs. Elevation Place also houses the community’s library and a local art gallery.
Those photos were taken in typical sunny weather. I got some terrible weather. The beach near deserted.
One section is fenced off. I assume something will be happening here in conjunction with the Olympics. (The Beach Volleyball venue is Copacabana Stadium.)
Copacabana Beach plays host to millions of revellers during the annual New Year’s Eve celebrations and, in most years, has been the official venue of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. …
On December 31, 1994, the New Year’s Eve celebrations featured a Rod Stewart concert with an attendance of 3.5 million, making it the largest concert crowd ever. …
The building is designed in an eclectic style, inspired by the Paris Opéra of Charles Garnier. The outside walls are inscribed with the names of classic Eurocentric & Brazilian artists. It is located near the National Library and the National Fine Arts Museum, overlooking the spacious Cinelândia Square.
Arcos de Lapa (Carioca Aqueduct) was hosting free music. But there were not many people in attendance aside from the many homeless who sleep on the streets there.
The aqueduct was built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca river to the population of the city. It is an impressive example of colonial architecture and engineering.
Sunday is a good day to go downtown as there’s very little traffic. On the other hand, almost everything is closed for the Sabbath.
The beaches are busier. But not busy in early May.
The Flamengo beachfront area is dominated by the Brigadier Eduardo Gomes Park, built by Lota de Macedo Soares on nearly 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land reclaimed from the bay and completed in 1965.
Outdoor fun and fitness everywhere you look.
I’d planned to rent a bike to explore this part of Rio. All the rental shops were closed on Sunday, however. Some please ask Pope Francis why some businesses can open on the Holy Day, others not. 🙂
Leonard Nimoy died of complications from COPD on February 27, 2015, at the age of 83. He’d quit smoking 30 years earlier, but still suffered from the self-inflicted wound of cigarette addiction.
Near the end he wished his story might help reduce the number of COPD cases each year. It’s the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Chile is 2600 miles long and never more than 110 miles wide. From the main north/south highway it’s easy access to fantastic wilderness.
how could Rick not LOVE Chile?
Chile should be a tourist destination as good as New Zealand.
But it’s not. 😦
I’ve spent about 2 months total in Chile traveling most of the 2600 miles. Costs are similar to Canada … but quality of goods and services are poor by comparison.
If you find something of quality – Casa Azul hostel, for example – chances are it’s run by a foreigner. Probably German.
People on the trail are good. But I’m not much impressed with the interactions I have with Chileans in the towns and cities.
A currency exchange guy tried to give me only half my money one time. (I’ve seen scummy practice like this in Italy recently, too.)
The World Health Organisation (2013) says over 40% of Chileans smoke, compared with 27% of Argentines and 17% of people in Brazil, where curbs on smoking began in the late 1990s. Chile’s health minister, Jaime Mañalich, says that treating tobacco victims takes a quarter of the $10 billion public health-care budget.
Chile’s smokers are getting younger. According to the Tobacco Atlas, a study of the industry, nearly 40% of girls aged 13-15 in Santiago, Chile’s capital, smoke cigarettes. That is up from just 20% in 2003, and is the highest rate in the world. …
The population looks unhealthy. Walking the streets reminds me of walking in Mexico. A very high percentage of people are conspicuously overweight. This is new to these nations.
Billions in Change is a movement to save the world by creating and implementing solutions to the most basic global problems – water, energy and health. Doing so will raise billions of people out of poverty and improve the lives of everyone – rich and poor.
That’s the mission of founder philanthropist Manoj Bhargava, born in India, educated in the U.S.
