2013-01-10 
【Aiden in English】
This summer, torrential rain was highly unusual in Rio de Janeiro. We spent the whole morning watching the rain pour on and on. By noon, nothing was improving unless somebody called raindrops the size of bird pellets growing to the size of golf balls "improving." When a streak of sunlight came through the clouds, Mom took the chance and set the tone for us to explore. At the back of my head, I thought there was no way this would be good. I didn't know if I saw the light with an umbrella. The clouds hid it well when we went out. Mom was particularly interested in the National Library of Brazil. We borrowed an umbrella from our hotel and marched on pebble-paved streets to Cinelandia Square downtown. When I entered the building, my breath got lost as the light came through the window on the top. There were six floors and about 9 million books for a country. Mom asked if any tours were available, and the staff assembled a group for us in English right there. Meanwhile, they took our belongings to the locks and didn't even let us take our cameras past the stairs. I guessed that the place was super important. When the tour group gathered together, we began introducing its history. In Europe, a Portuguese man named Dom João VI established the Royal Library of Lisbon in 1808. With 1.5 million books, the collection didn't seem to come quickly—floors of books stacked up endlessly. The library also had rare books like the first edition of the famous "Os Lusiadas" by Luís de Camões, the Portuguese National Epic; the first edition of Mozart's scores; the Mainz Bible of 1462 by Gutenberg; the originals of Carlos Gomes' scores (a Brazilian composer of the 19th century); and others. Since the older books came from Europe, I couldn't believe I barely read anything when standing in the most extensive library in Latin America, the 7th largest national library in the world according to UNESCO. I should have learned a little Portuguese before I came. The building was constructed in an eclectic style, blending Art Nouveau and Neoclassical elements in 1910. Amid the main facade, a portico with six Corinthian columns flanked allegories of the Press, Bibliography, Paleography, Cartography, Iconography, and Numismatics. A bronze statue on the right side of the entrance represented intelligence, and another on the left represented the pursuit of knowledge. The materials are sourced from around the world, including Belgian chandeliers, German staircases, Italian granite, and British doors, among others. My ankles were so painful when I walked in the rain with a pair of Croc sandals. After returning to the hotel, I checked the weather, and gloom settled over me. With no doubt, tomorrow it was going to rain again. In 1987, Rio de Janeiro, including Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain & the Sea, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 【紅霞譯】
入夏以來，里約熱內盧“一月河”氣候一反常態，時不時連降暴雨，今天整整一個早上，我們望着窗外發呆；到了中午，雨情絲毫沒有改觀，相反雨點由鳥糞那點小驟變成高爾夫球這般大，天空依舊陰沉沉的，媽媽終於沉不住氣，打算豁出去就近走走看看。我覺得媽媽十有八九憋得慌，只要雨傘撐過頭頂，前方的路況完全看不清楚，因為烏雲早已搶先把餘暉擠出天邊。
媽媽對巴西“餘燼之木”最大的國家圖書館饒有興趣，於是我們從酒店借來雨傘，沿着鵝卵石鋪就的街區，慢慢朝市中心劇院廣場方向走去。一走進大樓，只見光線從天窗射下來，全國九百萬圖書收藏在眼前這座六層樓高的建築內，我差點沒暈過去。媽媽打聽參觀事宜，工作人員很快幫我們組織，配上英語導遊，同時要求把隨身攜帶的背包甚至相機全部寄存起來，看來該圖書館級別非常，等遊客全部到齊，導遊開始對我們撫今憶昔。
早在1808年，歐洲葡萄牙“港口”英國王室約翰“神慈”六世開始籌集興辦里斯本“避風港”皇家圖書館，經過千辛萬苦，收集了150萬冊圖書並搬到這裡，把樓道內外塞得滿滿登登。
圖書館收藏了不少罕世珍貴書籍，譬如：路易斯·卡蒙斯著作的葡萄牙民族史詩《盧西亞達斯“葡萄牙人”》初版、莫扎特樂譜初版、1462年古登堡出版的《美因茲巨型聖經》、19世紀巴西最著名的作曲家卡洛斯·戈梅斯作品原稿等。雖說古書來自歐洲，可我簡直不敢相信，置身於拉美最大、聯合國科教文組織公認的世界第七大國家圖書館內，自己竟然目不識丁，真應該來前學點葡萄牙文。
該圖書館建築汲取了新藝術流派及新古典風格之精華，門廳正面有六根哥林斯式高柱，兩側裝飾象徵出版印刷、書志目錄、古文書字、地圖製作、肖像圖解和錢幣徽章六項分類；入門口右側銅像代表智慧，左側銅像代表研究。建築材料來自五湖四海，譬如：比利時吊燈、德國樓梯、意大利花崗石、英國門闌等不一而足。 穿着“鱷魚牌”涼鞋雨中長征，腳脖子累得酸痛。回到下榻之後，我查了一下天氣預報，陰霾不散，明天肯定繼續下雨。 2012年，擁有山海之間卡里奧卡“里約本土”風光的里約熱內盧被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》。 Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2010: 澳洲商業中心悉尼(Sydney, Australia)  Cinelandia Square, a Hub for Cultural Events, Historical Landmarks, & Art Deco Architecture
(西尼蘭迪亞“劇院之地”廣場·文化活動、歷史地標和裝飾藝術建築的中心 01-10-2013)  Palácio Pedro Ernesto or Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro, a Prime Example of French Beaux-Arts Design
(佩德羅·埃內斯托“磐石·堅決”宮 | 里約熱內盧市議會——法國美術設計的典範 01-10-2013)
 Municipal Theatre, an Eclectic Style from 1909, Inspired by the Paris Opéra
(市立劇院·1909年落成、源於巴黎歌劇院折衷主義風格的建築 01-10-2013) 
Monument to Floriano Peixoto @ Cinelandia Square (西尼蘭迪亞廣場·鐵元帥《弗洛里亞諾·佩肖托“開花·小魚”》紀念碑)
 Façade of National Library of Brazil, the Largest Library in Latin America in the Early 19th-Century Neoclassical Design
(巴西國家圖書館正面·19世紀早期新古典主義設計的拉丁美洲最大圖書館)  Back of the National Library of Brazil, the 7th Largest in the World
(巴西國家圖書館背面·世界第七大圖書館) 
Main Staircase w/ a Bust of King John VI Ornamented Marble Staircases w/ Bronze Balustrades @ National Library of Brazil (巴西國家圖書館·主樓梯與約翰六世國王半身像，飾有大理石樓梯和青銅欄杆 01-10-2013)  National Library of Brazil w/ a Stained-Glass Dome Skylighted w/ an Iron Structure
(巴西國家圖書館·裝有鐵質天窗的彩繪玻璃穹頂)  Entrance Hall @ National Library of Brazil
(巴西國家圖書館·入口大廳) 
Façade Church of Santa Luzia, the Birthplace of Samba (聖盧西亞“光明”教堂·桑巴舞的發源地)
Church Santa Luzia w/ Its “Roda de Sambas” (聖盧西亞教堂·聚會)
 Lounge of Novotel Rio De Janeiro Dumont
(里約山區·諾富特酒店——休息廳 01-10-2013)  Dinner @ Novotel Rio De Janeiro Dumont
(里約杜蒙·諾富特“山區·新穎酒店”——晚餐 01-10-2013)  Menu @ Novotel Rio De Janeiro Dumont
(里約杜蒙·諾富特酒店——菜譜 01-10-2013)  Side Dishes @ Novotel Rio De Janeiro Dumont
(里約杜蒙·諾富特酒店——小菜) Crosslinks(相關博文):
Brazil(出遊巴西)
South America(漂流南美洲) 小學四年級(4th Grade)
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