Step after step we traversed through downtown Rio de Janeiro (centro) absorbing the sites and sounds of a city in full swing during the work week. It was interesting to see the city so lively during the week as compared to the weekend. Although there were alot of people throughout Copacabana and Ipanema during the weekend, the amount of traffic and noise in the city doesnt even compare to the work week. One of the most shocking things to see other than the amazing architecture and landscapes were the way people interacted with each other. People were talking to the police (which almost never happens in the USA), walking in the middle of traffic holding normal conversations, and the cars of the city seemed to be in a constant horn battle to see who could honk their horn the most. I really appreciated walking as opposed to a bus tour because I think a derive throughout a city is truely the best way to experience and discover new things about a city. However, after the tour of Centro we were set free to roam throughout Parque do Flamengo. Parque do Flamengo was aboslutely beautiful in that once inside, I felt completely immersed in nature. Roberto Burle Marx was able to accent both the architecture as well as the surrounding landscapes with his plant choices as well as his precise organization of the plants: weather they were as small as a lilipad floating in a reflecting pool or as big as the linear organization of 60 foot palms. This was a nice cap to a long day of walking because we got to stroll along the beach soaking in the sea breeze as we made our way to churrascaria porcao.
