Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
By Ricardo Moraes
Flying over Rio is always incredible. Seeing my city from the sky reveals its beauty from new angles.
My recent flight over the city was focused on the renovation work being carried out at the Maracana Stadium, which will host games for the Confederations Cup this year, the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games.
With these big events fast approaching, we are constantly monitoring the progress of building works. The new roof being installed at Maracana is supposed to be its big moment, marking the beginning of the end of renovations.
The work is behind schedule, and we are not allowed inside to take pictures. The only way to follow the progress is from above. Having seen it now, I can tell that the work has progressed a great deal. The stadium is completely different to the Maracana where, as a child, I watched the victories, the goals, and the sheer joy of my soccer team, Botafogo. (I might add that I saw Botafogo’s losses too. But our anthem says we “can’t lose, lose to anyone!”)
I last flew over the stadium when the works were just beginning. Now it looks like a real arena, but, personally, I prefer the old style. Arenas are boring!
