Mesa do Imperador

This guide to the Mesa do Imperador in Rio's Tijuca Forest follows Dom Pedro II's carriage rides through woodland he had ordered replanted, and the stone table where he stopped to eat lunch above the falling city. It traces the story back a generation to a claim about his father's own picnic stops at the same spot, and considers what drew the imperial court to this particular ledge over any palace balcony. Cyclists and hikers still arrive daily from Vista Chinesa, a kilometer down the same forest road, and the resident monkeys are used to the company.