Rio de Janeiro: Close encounter with a flying saucer

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Todays outing led us to one of the buildings at the very top of our architectural bucket list - the fabled Flying Saucer made by Niemeyer.

The saucer, also known as Museu de Arte Contemporânea  or for short: MAC,  landed twenty years ago just outside the city of Niterói,  and to get to it,  we had to cross the Guanabara bay by ferry.



The hundreds of busy commuters on board probably sail the bay twice daily and they seemed lost in their newspapers, laptops or mobiles, while we sat marvelling at the splendors of the Rio skyline, the mountains and the skyscrapers, diminishing across the water.

Arriving at Niterói, we weren't that impressed. The town is supposed to be the wealthiest city in all of Brazil, but - as far as we could see -  it has not that much to brag about, beside its vast condominium complexes with fabulous views of Rio across the bay.



We walked along the coast, passing a few fishermen casting their lines into the bay. We also passed a small bar next to the sea, and in the boiling heat, it gave us promise of some well deserved cool beers, when we returned  from our cultural outing.

We walked for a mile or more and  suddenly the coast opened up and the Niemeyer museum became visible.

Oscar Niemeyer was given the job in the beginning of the 1990ties. It took 5 years building it and what a splendid sight it became: The clean white outline of the building stands strong against the shimmering sea and reflects itself in the mirror of the water.



Coming closer, we passed the elegant ramp that leads to the main entrance and which helps tying the building to the ground. It is beautiful.

We walked around for almost an hour, but - actually - we hadn't done our homework and it turned out the museum was closed this particular day.

We weren't that frustrated, though. As far as we know, the exhibition of contemporary art inside is not supposed to be that interesting.

The true beauty of the MAC lies in the packaging - and what a package it is!

On our way back, we caught the final glare of the sun settling across the bay. As we hoped, when we passed the seaside bar on our way out: The beer was indeed delightfully cool!

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