Rio, Part 2 of 3

Start downtown --Centro or Cinelandia -- the latter for the many movie houses -- during business hours. Eye the Opera House and National Library -- book stalls in their square remind us of Paris. Venture into both if you have at least an hour for each. Prowl the National History Museum built in 1765 and you may need two hours and a coffee break to even sample the over 200,000 exhibits.

Stroll around in Praca XV, a splendid old part of town with its narrow streets, small shops, nifty little regional restaurants, corner juice and coffee stands. There seems to be a public or private museum around every corner of what one local calls the "happy hustle" of downtown. Sip coffee in a sidewalk cafe. Riffle through the art prints in a stall or shop. Check out the SaoBento Monastery or the trolley line. It's a day to remember and like the Lelron Mall, a wonderful rainy day choice. If you bus back toward the beaches, stop at the Modern Art Museum in the Park on Guanabara Bay -- there's good bus service. Skip the nearby Carmen Marinda Museum Do check museum hours carefully; they tend to vary.

The parks deserve special mention with Rio's "downtown" Tijuca Forest, the largest urban forest in the world, and its world-class Botanical Garden's row of Royal Palms. Small parks, big parks, mountain parks, historic parks, Rio does have parks that seem to fill up on the weekends with family picnics and soccer players. Stay with the crowds and you're quite safe. Note: we'll cover out of town parks and museums elsewhere! Rio does offer three real dangers: samba, sand and shopping. The first a must nightlife stop if you take along a bit of tissue for each ear and realize those tasty fruit drinks might bite overnight. Samba shows do start late, so don't plan much more than the beach the next morning. Samba's hot, hot, hot, and loud, loud, loud. And if you're lucky enough to make February's Carnival, wild, wild, wild.

take along a bit of tissue for each ear and realize those tasty fruit drinks might bite overnight. Samba shows do start late, so don't plan much more than the beach the next morning. Samba's hot, hot, hot, and loud, loud, loud. And if you're lucky enough to make February's Carnival, wild, wild, wild.

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