World Cup Photo Diary: My Day in Lapa

Yesterday morning I spent the majority of the day in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio with George Otero, a well-known plastic surgeon from Brazil who practices 20 days of the month in Mexico City and returns for 10 days to his private island here. George took me on a tour in his 1931 Alfa Romeo. We visited the modern Cathedral that witnessed a mass with over 10,000 people during one of John Paul II's trips to this country. We also passed by the Lapa Stairs where colorful steps made of mosaics attract tourists from all over the world and the aqueduct from the 1800s. Today it's another national holiday here, the 6th or 7th in less than a month since I arrived in Rio. Brazil is playing and every time the national team plays it's a day off! Today I am going to watch France versus Germany at Maracana stadium, which of course will be a great game.

Riding through Lapa in George's Alfa Romeo

The streets of Lapa

Inside the Cathedral