Walking Tour Lapa & Centro pt. 1

Today we did our own self guided tour of the cultural hotpots in Centro and Lapa, areas known for their historical architecture, traditional art and hidden gems like the 'Portuguese reading room' (basically a hogwarts/beauty and the beast library lol) which was in the middle of an urban jungle was hard to come across!
Our first stop was Cinelandia Square. Home to the Municipal Theatre, National Library and Museu Nacional de Belas Artes. Although we couldn't get in to the theatre, and the library is restricted to the entrance hall, the buildings themselves were incredibly ornate.
After a brief and slightly scary encounter with some questionable locals at the Carioca Aqueduct we decided to skip the more "off the beaten track" parts of the tour and headed straight for the Portuguese reading room, whose towering bookshelves and quiet, meditative atmosphere were very welcoming after the chaos of downtown Centro.Read more