Downtown Rio

We had a vague plan when we left this morning. First stop, the Museu do Arte do Rio, in an old train station, Interesting collection, fun to visit, and with a great view from the sixth floor rooftop! Across the praça is the futuristic waterfront Museu de Amanha (Museum of Tomorrow). We didn’t visit it but really enjoyed walking around and getting the views of the port, Niteroi across the bay, etc.

Joe remembered good lunches in the Cafe do Colombo, where we headed for lunch, getting lost and ultimately hopping in a cab. Belle Epoque, this place used to be for the upper crust, but is very democratic nowadays. Really lovely, with three different floors of different kinds of service. We took the top floor — better food and nicer surroundings.

From there we walked to the National Library where Joe spent many many hours doing research way back when. It was a nice trip down memory lane. Across the street is the over the top Municipal Theater, built in the early 1900s in four years of non-stop building and cost overruns. The total price, ten times the projected cost, constituted 2% of the GNP for one year. But it is gorgeous — nothing built in Brazil, evry single thing was imported from Europe in pieces and then assembled on site. Stained glass from Germany, marble from Italy, etc etc.

Time is flying — we have only two more full days and then a long haul back to the midwest.Read more