Today is really a busy walking day! We were walking all day through Rio’s downtown area and visited many wonderful places. It is also the first day we use the public transportation in Rio. The subway is much better than what I thought before I get on it. It is neat and well ordered. One thing need to mention, we met a nice musician in the train and everyone enjoyed his music during the short trip.
Rio’s downtown like many metropolis all over the world: high-rise, high density, large amount of traffic and people, and always busy road. The city has very unique sidewalk using the local white and black stone as materials and sometimes have special patterns. The other phenomenon I considered during today’s trip is the mix of old building and modern architecture. It is also common in most cities with a long history like many European cities and Asian cities such as Paris and Beijing. How the old and new architectures coexist in the modern society is a fantastic thing. There are some examples below.
The Real em revista library we visited today is the architecture I like most. I was very interested in it when the classmates introduced it in the neighborhood presentation because I am always dreaming having a wall filled with books I love. And today, I am shocked by the book walls and the well preservation of both the interior and exterior of the architecture. The details of the shelves and columns as well as the skylight window are elaborate.
