#Moroccan high-relief tiles

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Moroccan High-relief Tiles

In the colorful world of Southern-style interior design, few elements can transport you through time and space quite like Moroccan high-relief tiles. With their intricate patterns and vibrant hues, these tiles tell stories of ancient civilizations, cultural exchanges, and the timeless allure of craftsmanship. Born from a fusion of Moorish influence and indigenous craftsmanship, Mexican Talavera…

[mexican-tile-store]

Used in proportions, this color duo brings a calm and soothing feel, however, if you, on the contrary, want to create a bold statement with your decorative tiles from Mexico, mixing types of tiles and patterns will help you achieve that. Just have a look at the picture above. This kitchen showcases a transition between a rustic and  Moroccan style where white and blue tile backsplash is the first area that draws our attention. The kitchen counters are also decorated with Mexican Talavera tiles in a solid, dark blue color. Even though the designer used just two colors, this kitchen does not feel dull or one-dimensional at all. Check our Web page for the broad collection of kitchen tile murals or Mexican tile in lots, or high relief tiles to complement your dream kitchen.

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John Richardson’s Flatiron Co-op on the Market for $7.2 Million

The seventh-floor apartment at 73 Fifth Avenue, a block from Union Square, seems more like an art museum than a residence, with works from Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and countless other artists holding court in every room. Stacks of art books and intriguing objets d’art can also be found throughout the space.

What else would you expect from what had been a primary home and workplace of John Richardson, the renowned Picasso biographer and art historian who opened the New York office of Christie’s auction house in the 1960s?

Mr. Richardson died in March at age 95. His extensive art collection is to be auctioned sometime next year. Now his Fifth Avenue apartment, at East 15th Street in the Flatiron district, is being sold by his estate. The asking price is $7.2 million, with $4,571 in monthly maintenance, according to Jeffrey Stockwell of Compass, who is listing the property with his colleagues Jill Bernard and Alan Shaker.

The co-op measures around 5,400 square feet and encompasses a full floor. It was once a raw, open loft used by a dance studio. But after Mr. Richardson bought it in 1995, he carved up the space, creating an enfilade of rooms connected via mahogany doorways crowned with neoclassical pediments. Movable room dividers were also built, and Mr. Richardson’s idiosyncratic décor was employed throughout the space. (The architect Ernesto Buch helped with the design of the loft.)

“He had such a brilliant eye for interiors and mixing serious and playful things,” said Shelley Wanger, an executor of the estate (with Jeffrey Coploff, Mr. Richardson’s lawyer) and his longtime friend and editor, adding that the home’s aesthetic was largely “inspired by an English country house.”

The rambling residence is currently configured with two bedrooms and two and a half baths.

Entry into the apartment is through a well-lit, orange-hued reception room, where there is also a powder room and storage space. The area is presently being used by Mr. Richardson’s editorial staff, who are working to finish his fourth and final volume of “A Life of Picasso.” (Publication is expected in the fall of 2020, according to Ms. Wanger, who is a senior editor of Penguin Random House, the book’s publisher.)

On one side of the reception area is a spacious library, also used by staff. The burnt umber-painted room is lined with built-in shelves crammed with art books and periodicals. A side table there displays numerous photographs of Mr. Richardson and his many famous friends, including a young and old Picasso, and Warhol with Pope John Paul II.

At the other side of the reception room is the great room. It’s jammed with an eclectic mix of antique and traditional furnishings, along with numerous paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures from artists like Picasso, Warhol, Kathy Ruttenberg, Ugo Rondinone and Salvator Rosa. Among the room’s many standout pieces: an enormous ethereal landscape by Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer and a large portrait of Mr. Richardson by Warhol.

Within the great room is a dining area with a round table set for four and an ornamental fireplace with faux marble. The space leads to a windowless kitchen equipped with stainless-steel appliances, oak countertops and laminate cabinets. And through a nearby back hallway is a guest bedroom; two full bathrooms, one decked out in Moroccan tile; a laundry room and storage space.

Just beyond the great room is the master bedroom with another ornamental fireplace, and then a green-turquoise studio, one of Mr. Richardson’s favorite rooms. “He did a lot of work in that studio,” Ms. Wanger said, and it also served as entertaining space during the frequent dinner parties he gave.

The spacious studio contains two beds, including an 18th-century four-poster, and an antique campaign desk, where Mr. Richardson did much of his work. The room is also teeming with art, books and various curiosities. There are Chinese vases, statuary casts and tortoise shells, along with a distinctive rubber relief sculpture by the artist Alex Hoda.

While Mr. Richardson had lived in many homes throughout his long life — including an estate in New Milford, Conn., that was sold just two years ago — he seemed to have had a special affinity for the Manhattan loft. “He got great pleasure out of it,” Ms. Wanger said. “It was such a great place for working, hanging out with friends and dinner parties.”

The place also seemed to aptly reflect the fascinating background and personality of Mr. Richardson, once described by W magazine as “the man all New York wants to sit beside at dinner.”

His varied career included work as an industrial designer, book reviewer, managing director of an art investment fund and art curator, though he is best known for his books on Picasso, his close friend. In 2012, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, following in the footsteps of his father, who was knighted by the queen’s great-grandfather, King Edward VII.

Over the years, Mr. Richardson’s Fifth Avenue apartment has been featured in various publications, including “John Richardson: At Home” (Rizzoli, 2019), an artfully arranged book he co-authored celebrating the places he has called home.

The Manhattan home, though, may not be to some buyers’ tastes, with its neoclassical and rococo details, Mr. Stockwell, the Compass broker, acknowledged. “It’s not everyone’s cup of tea — it will appeal to a select group of people,” he said, but added that the unit “could also be a very different space. It could be more modern.”

Many of the original loft elements remain: the dark oak floors, wood beams, exposed pipes and oversize windows.

The limestone-clad building at 73 Fifth Avenue, known as the Kensington, was erected in 1906 as a commercial building and converted into a residential co-op in 1996. It stands 11 stories high and contains 17 apartments.

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

Sahred From Source link Real Estate

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Escapism – “The tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy”.

It’s November and I’m definitely in need of a little relief from all the parallel forms of reality.  It’s another bleak day in November and as much as I love the auburn colours of Autumn I must escape, I suppose it’s a little like the cycle of leaves falling. In order to survive they must devise a strategy to conform with the long winter months ahead. My strategy was Morocco. Marrakech was on the horizon and just the thought of the North African sunshine and a change of pace is making me immediately happier.

Arriving into humidity and chaos immediately settled me, adventure does. I immediately fantasise about the forthcoming days of sensual spices, a maze of souqs, rooftop bars supping traditional tea, running my fingers playfully across mosaic tiles whilst escaping it all in a derb Riad.

Marrakech is equal parts madness equal parts divine. A metropolis of alleyways and derbs which pretend to lead you somewhere other than a dead end.  It’s urban and fast and even a bit brash yet has this ability to settle you, in a rather understated way, a way you can only feel not describe. Perhaps it’s the cities approach to travel, to accommodate you. It’s enchanting, interesting and insightful. It fizzes uncontrollably with life. Unlike anywhere I’ve ever travelled before.

Nestled in a pastel orange washed derb south of the Medina but north of the palace sat our Riad for the coming nights. Hidden quite cleverly that you may simply never find it again should your sense of direction be slightly askew. Three knocks on an ancient old door is what separated you from the riot of the Djemaa el-Fna. A toothy smile greeted you and gestured that you had made it safely.  Once inside a stillness was immediately apparent, a central courtyard linked six traditional rooms, a splash pool and a heavenly rooftop. It really was a place where we retreated high above the madness merely just to sit and converse. It needed little more than good company.

Marrakech’s intensity certainly does absorb you and at times was a little tiresome. Locals didn’t understand nor tolerate the wander without purpose, browse without purchase concept. Whilst I tried my utmost to appease the majority unfortunately a firm no thanks with a smile was the best tact.  After all there’s only so many mosaic pasta bowls one can fit in their hand luggage. Yet do not let that put you off, the souks are a plethora of everything imaginable and the clear craftsmanship is brilliant. An art form perhaps lost a little in the UK. Just be prepared to jump out the way of the donkey carts, mopeds and coaxed to part with some money. And for goodness sake don’t be so British and find haggling rude. It’s all in good nature and certainly a way of life for Moroccans.

After three days of exploration, shopping and sipping green tea we decided to venture into the Atlas mountains for a days hike with a guide. A true highlight and real escape from the busyness of the Medina and ordinary everyday life. The crisp clean air is what I remember with a view that stretched for miles. A simplicity for life and growing from the ground up. Our guide kindly took us via his berber village for tea on his roof terrace and for us to relish in the view of the Atlas. Before ushering us along to his neighbours for traditional tagine and local hospitality.

The day was all too short, as was the long weekender but I suppose the beauty of Morocco is it’s ability to remind you that whilst we all may crave a little escape sometimes.  It’s a stark reminder that your reality is also someone else’s fantasy.  Not all those that fantasise get the opportunity too travel, to escape the norms of their very own reality. 

Escapism Escapism - "The tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy".

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Rio de Janeiro: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)Travel fantasies don’t always live up to the reality, but the “marvelous city,” as Rio de Janeiro’s citizens call their beloved hometown, can knock even the most jaded travelers off their seen-it-all perches.

Dress appropriately, it can get extremely hot in Rio.

Famed for girls from Ipanema and Carnaval, the best of Rio is all that but a lot more.

The party goes on year-round in the cultural heart of Brazil, from the samba renaissance in the Lapa District, where you can choose from an array of great clubs, music and restaurants, to Carnaval rehearsals at local samba schools that redefine the word “celebration.”

The best of Rio beaches of the Zona Sul are heavily patrolled and many other areas — especially those troubled by crime and drugs — have been cleaned up, but you do need to exercise caution.

Don’t flash iPhones and money, don’t take more cash with you than you can afford to lose and use taxis at night called by your hotel to take you to the doorstep of your destination.

Mostly Rio specializes in merrymakers who bring you into the fold. Whether it’s hanging out over caipirinhas at a neighborhood bar, hiking in the rainforest or dancing in a circle of samba at an old dancehall, Rio is a realm of the senses, some of which you may find have been AWOL for a while.

Hotels

Luxury

Copacabana Palace

Like a glistening casino in Monte Carlo, the massive white edifice of the Copacabana Palace looms above the beach strip of Avenida Atlantica.

The most storied hotel in Rio, the Copacabana opened its doors in 1923 as a roost for dignitaries and diplomats.

The 1933 film “Flying Down to Rio,” set at the Palace but filmed in Hollywood, made it a hangout for celebs.

Orson Welles trashed his room here following a fight with Dolores del Rio, as did Ava Gardner after Sinatra dumped her.

The furniture doesn’t fly like it used to, but this best of Rio hotel still brings in the royals and their modern counterparts — rock stars.

It’ll set you back a bit for a stay in one of the 245 rooms, but you won’t complain about the impeccable staff or features such as “Juliet balconies” (in some rooms), spacious rooms and classic furniture. More recently constructed rooms with city views are located in the Tower Wing building.

Porto Bay Rio Internacional Hotel

The Porto Bay Rio gives you a resort-style experience in the heart of beachfront row Avenida Atlantica.

The modern, upscale facility pulls out all the stops, from luxurious rooms to fine dining and views up and down the world’s most famous beach.

The rooftop Bossa Lounge lets you knock back caipirinhas to the sound of bossa nova as you gaze from white sands to jungled slopes and the statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado. It’s a good place to slap yourself to see if you’re dreaming.

It would be hard to find a more panoramic view of Copacabana, Sugarloaf and Copacabana Bay than from the 20th-floor pool unless you’re operating a drone.

The rates aren’t cheap but good value for luxury with the declining value of the Brazilian real.

Mid-range

Mar Ipanema

This stylish boutique hotel has a primo locale, just five minutes from Ipanema Beach and a few blocks from the Rodrigo Freitas Lagoon.

The hippest beach hangouts are minutes away, as are a host of the city’s most happening boutiques, restaurants and bars in one of the safest neighborhoods in Rio.

The upscale Leblon district is a five-minute walk.

Mar Ipanema rooms feature tasteful dcor accented by Rio motifs that feel custom-crafted.

Wi-Fi is available in all rooms.

The one downside: you have to use the restaurant next door for dining. Room rates are below most in the neighborhood.

Budget

Rio Panoramic Hotel

The coastal views are not all in Copacabana. The other side of Sugarloaf and its bay filled with sailboats are also stunning.

Perched on a hill overlooking Botafogo Bay in the artistic and quaint Santa Teresa neighborhood, the Panoramic gives you a view of the city below and a vista of islands and Sugarloaf lining the bay.

The renovated Art Deco villa earns great reviews among Rio lodgings, averaging five stars on TripAdvisor.

This B&B was originally the home of a doctor, and it has been lovingly restored to bring the personal touch to its six well-appointed and air-conditioned rooms.

There’s a pool, breakfast in the garden and staff on site to offer tips on the attractions and shopping nearby.

Hotel Novo Mundo

Built in 1950, this three-star hotel has been a favorite of Brazilians over the years for its prices, views and proximity to Santos Dumont airport, the terminal for domestic flights.

Soccer great Pele used to stay here when he had a game in Rio.

The hotel is located at Flamengo Beach, a coastal stretch as scenic as the Zona Sul, but often overlooked by travelers.

Flamengo Park, a long stretch of green that parallels the coast, is across the street. Outside are great views of Sugarloaf and Guanabara Bay. The metro is a block away.

A stay on this side of Rio puts you closer to the action downtown, just a short walk away, such as the Lapa District and museums.

Golden Tulip Continental

It’s a high-volume beach hotel two short blocks from Leme, the least-known beach of the Zona Sul.

But the view from its rooftop pool rivals anything the five-stars have, and its complimentary breakfasts are well-stocked.

Rooms are distinctly modest, but they’re good enough for the many airline flight crews who stay here.

Located in a quiet, residential area, the surroundings are a welcome relief from the madding crowd of Copacabana.

Whatever you need is nearby — markets, bakeries, travel agencies, bars. Copacabana is a 10-minute walk.

Dining

Academia da Cachaca

Sprawling over a large sidewalk in the upscale Leblon district of the Zona Sul, the Academia da Cachaca is a best-of-Rio hot spot for conversation, creative caipirinhas (pineapple, passion fruit, lime, bittersweet orange and fruit of the season) and other concoctions, such as the Academic Grit (orange, ginger, rum).

The food is excellent and ranges from feijoada (the beans and rice mix that is a staple of the national diet) to escondidinho (shredded jerked beef, trout or chicken, shrimp, mashed cassava, cream cheese au gratin).

The atmosphere is laid back and the tables are close together, so if you don’t bring friends, you’ll make some.

This is also one of the best places in Rio for caipirinhas and indulging the sidewalk joie de vivre of Cariocas.

The high-octane alcohol at the center of the caipirinha, cachaca, is a sacred spirit here, and there are hundreds of bottles of the sugarcane firewater displayed on the shelves.

Nova Capela

With its ornate, tiled walls, array of framed pictures and close quarters, Nova Capela feels very Portuguese, but it’s been a Rio fixture since it opened in 1903.

Home to Bohemians and artists through the years and now popular with Lapa denizens, Nova Capela is one of the best restaurants in Rio.

There’s an air of craftsmanship here, with custom dishes (boar, goat) and attention to detail that extends to surprisingly good service, not a Rio signature.

The place is stocked with white-jacketed waiters.

The lamb with broccoli is a specialty here and melts in your mouth. The savory fare comes with the intimate vibe of a living room (a loud one).

Brigite’s

Brigite’s is one of the latest entries on Rio’s restaurant row, Rua Dias Ferreira, in the upscale Leblon district of the Zona Sul.

The eatery, owned by the impresarios of two other hotspots on Dias Ferreira, Sushi Leblon and Zuka, has quickly made a name for itself as one of the trendiest dinner and cocktail destinations on a very competitive street for foodies.

The menu focuses on Italian fare, specializing in elegant presentation and savory creations, such as its “Gamberone em Crosta,” which features prawns inside a lemon crust.

But the offerings span a wide range, from steak tartare to spaghetti and seafood dishes to vegetarian fare, if requested.

Fans rave as much about the cocktails as the food, from strawberry caipirinhas to mango mules.

Locals know to eat here on week nights, because the weekends are packed. Reservations are recommended.

Zaza Bistro Tropical

Owners Zaza Piereck and Preta Moyses turned their imaginations loose on a two-story colonial home in Ipanema in 1999, painting it ultramarine blue and stuffing it with bric-a-brac and figurines from around the world.

The upstairs dining area feels like you tripped down the rabbit hole and wound up in Fez, with Moroccan-style cushions for chairs.

There’s nothing predictable about the food, either. The fare leans toward healthy and organic and is displayed with a Japanese-style flair for presentation.

Check out the grilled sea bass with sweet and sour caramelized bananas or, for dessert, the petit gateau cake with milk caramel.

Culinary creativity has made Zaza a very popular place, so you’ll need to make reservations — online only.

Nightlife

Rio Scenarium

An old house full of antiques might not sound like the coolest ambience for a happening night spot, but Rio Scenarium pulls it off.

The decor, no doubt, has something to do with that.

The best-of-Rio club is three floors’ worth of antique clocks, paintings and chandeliers, carved out of a 19th-century mansion in the Lapa district.

This Victorian set decorator’s fantasy bridges vintage with modern, since Rio Scenarium is also a top music venue, with a first-floor stage and dance area that hosts the gamut of Brazilian rhythms, from rock to choro to MPB (Msica Popular Brasileira) and samba.

To keep the caipirinhas from ending the night before it gets started, you can take some food breaks, say, penne sauted in pesto sauce or grilled fish filet.

Reservations recommended.

Casa da Matriz

One of the originators of the Rio club scene, Casa da Matriz, or Matrix House, has been a hip home for students and all-night scenesters since the 1990s.

Lodged in the Botafogo district, Casa da Matriz has an arty, casual vibe, with colorful decor and various unique spaces.

The music lineup ranges from deejays to live performances, from the Mad Professor to Joao Brasil, as well as indie karaoke sessions on Thursdays.

The club specializes in indie rock and pop, but the deejays spin an eclectic mix ranging from soul to samba.

Jobi Bar

The neighborhood bar, or botequim, is the Carioca version of the British pub, a place where the locals comes to imbibe and unburden.

At the best botequims, like Jobi in Leblon, a stranger never remains alone for long.

This classic Rio bar has been a hub of socializing, venting and gesticulating since 1956.

In the usual style, the bar spills from indoors to outdoors, with tables sprawled across the sidewalk.

Pedestrians don’t come first here — gabbing does.

Signature menu items are shrimp with cheese or shredded dried meat with farofa and onions.

There’s also live music. There’s no rush to get your point across at Jobi, which doesn’t close until 4:30 a.m.

Bip Bip

Like a lot of bars in Rio, there’s no attempt at fancy furnishings at this modest Copacabana hangout.

The walls are a haphazard mlange of photos and old newspaper clips, and the unadorned tables are jammed in like sardines.

It’s so informal that customers wander to the fridge themselves to get beer, and sometimes even tabulate the bill.

Under the cover of night, however, Bip Bip turns into a music destination, a must-stop for local and touring musicians, which has helped the bar build a following that belies its humble digs.

Guests down suds and eat croquettes to a variety of musical offerings, with artists jamming casually at tables.

Mondays and Tuesdays are choro nights reserved for the intricate guitars and cavaquinhos of traditional choro music. Wednesdays, there’s bossa nova.

Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, it’s samba de roda, the circle of percussion and voice from which this art form sprang.

Lapa District

A former run-down collection of 19th-century mansions, the Lapa district, near the city center, has been rehabilitated over the last decade into the heart of a cultural renaissance in Rio.

Many of the crumbling edifices have been restored to their previous luster.

The sidewalks are packed and the bars pulsing with live music, mostly samba, which has fueled the revival.

Walk a few blocks here, and you’ll have more musical options than fingers.

At one bar, it’s an acoustic samba de roda group with drums and mandolin.

At another, there’s a gray-haired sambista belting out a classic samba cano (ballad) aided only by tambourine.

At still another, there’s a lively band with a horn section doing samba gafieira, the swinging brass version of the music, with the crowd dancing along.

You may find yourself “eating your ears,” as the locals call the ear-to-ear grin.

Shopping/Attractions

Shopping Rio

Like it has in much of the world, shopping in Rio has shifted to malls.

There are still great specialty shops: for musical instruments (Casa Oliveira), surfwear (Draco), hand-crafted jewelry (Maria Oiticica), books (Livraria da Travessa) and excellent bargains at the Target-like Lojas Americanas chain, particularly on CDs and DVDs.

But the best of Rio malls probably have what you need.

Shopping Leblon has more than 200 stores and easy access from the Zona Sul and tourist zones.

Botafogo Praia Shopping, in Botafogo, has a large selection of stores.

From a side door to the food court on the top floor, you can wander out to the rooftop for a stunning view of the marina and Sugarloaf.

For tourist fare, the outdoor flea market that springs up at night along Avenida Atlantica has the usual grab bag of T-shirts that fall apart with one wash, dresses and trinkets.

The Hippie Fair, held in Ipanema on weekends at Praca General Osorio, has better quality crafts.

Casa Oliveira Musicas, Rua da Carioca, 70, Rio Centro; +55 21 2508 8539

Draco, Rua Francisco Otaniano, Arpoador; +55 21 2227-7393

Livraria da Travessa, Leblon and Centro; Ipanema store: Rua Visconda de Piraja, 572, +55 21 3205-9002; Centro store: Rua Primeiro de Marco, 66, +55 212519-9000

Sugarloaf

Known as Sugarloaf for fairly obvious reasons, Pao de Acucar has posed for more photos than a truck full of supermodels, but there’s more to this monolith than mere prop.

It’s a show in its own right, something you find with a cable car trip to the top of the 396-meter peak.

You board two modern cable cars, the first to a peak called Urca, where caipirinhas and beer are available to steady wobbly knees.

The second gets you to the top of Sugarloaf for arguably the most spectacular city vista on the planet.

The scene is dazzling, with views from the beaches of the Zona Sul to the jagged Two Brothers peaks, to lush mountains.

Like any tourist mecca, it can get crowded at peak hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so going early or just before sunset is best — and pick a day when the skies are clear.

If you arrive early you can spend the day at Praia Velmelho, an idyllic beach in a cove-like setting a short walk from the base of the cable car.

Cristo Redentor and Corcovado

Since taking his post atop Corcovado Mountain in 1930, Cristo Redentor has had to put up with monsoonal rains, marinating humidity and swarms of kids posing in his famous flying posture.

Yet Rio’s iconic Christ statue remains unfazed, a focal point for locals and travelers, 710 meters high on a ridgetop in the Tijuca National Forest.

No trip to Rio is complete without a journey to this high-flying landmark. Get alongside it, and it’s so massive (39 meters high, 635 tons) that it’s hard to get the whole thing into a photo.

Cristo Redentor does a little tour guiding on the side, the left arm pointing to the older north of Rio and the giant soccer stadium, Maracana, while the right arm waves to the Rodrigo Freitas Lagoa and the beaches of the Zona Sul.

Straight ahead from the platform is the city center, or Centro, the bay and Sugarloaf.

The key to an awesome day atop Corcovado is weather.

Wait for a clear day, or you’ll be staring at a layer of cumulus.

Beaches/Avenida Atlantica

The best show in Rio is free on the beaches of the Zona Sul. Park on the sand or walk the promenade of Avenida Atlantica, and you’ll have a front row seat to the scantily clad, play-hard philosophy of Cariocas.

Cyclists, joggers and skaters jam the bike and pedestrian lanes that hug the beach.

On the sand and in the water, it’s volleyball, soccer and surfing.

And everywhere, bodies — dark and tanned — do their best to ration bathing suit material.

Copacabana is the largest beach, opposite many of the hotels that line Avenida Atlantica, while Ipanema and Leblon are the hippest, home to artists and dedicated followers of fashion.

Outdoors/Adventure

Rio has enough outdoor options to rival Boulder, Colorado, in the United States.

You can rock climb on Sugarloaf or in Niteroi, hang glide from a ridgetop, hike in the forest surrounding the city or bike around one of the best outdoor refuges in town, the Rodrigo Freitas Lagoa.

A saltwater lagoon backed by steep hills and forest, Lagoa is the Central Park of Rio, a sanctuary from heat and urban chaos.

It’s a great place to walk, jog and play, maybe even a little baseball; there are a couple of diamonds here.

The Lagoa circuit leads to a great hike in Parque Catacumba.

The trail leads through the rainforest to some great views at the top.

Lagoa Adventures, a local outfitter, offers a canopy walkway high in the trees, a zip line, rock climbing wall and rappelling lessons.

Rio Adventures has an extensive range of pulse-pumpers, from a rope course and canopy adventure in the Atlantic Rain Forest to a hike up Pedro Bonita, to hang gliding.

Lagoa Adventures; Avenida Epitacio Pessoa, 3000, Parque de Catacumba; +55 21 4105 0079

Music

Drinking, partying and, yes, even the Rio beautiful-body parade all revolve around music.

Here’s where to experience the heart, soul and never-ending rhythm of the most musical city on the planet.

Carioca Da Gema

This top Rio venue was one of the trailblazers of the Lapa renaissance, and it’s always jammed on the weekends, when the top samba artists perform.

It’s the premiere club for two great art forms in Rio, samba and choro, an intricate, chamber-folk sound.

Many of Rio’s top samba artists perform here regularly. Be on the lookout for Ana Costa, Arlindo Cruz and the queen of Lapa, Teresa Cristina, for a pure fix of the marvelous city’s marvelous music.

The main floor is for dancing, and the few tables fill up quickly, so get here well before the 9 p.m. show time, especially on weekends.

Vinicius Bar

Bossa nova has legions of fans around the world, but in its home country, it’s all but vanished under a tidal wave of rap and sertanejo, a popular Tex-Mex sound.

The best place to catch the music made famous by Tom Jobim and Bebel Gilberto’s dad, Joao, is at Vinicius Bar, opened as an homage to the great lyricist and poet Vinicius de Moraes, who penned some of the most famous bossa songs, including “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Felicidade.”

Located a couple of minutes walk from the beach in Ipanema, the bar spotlights the jazz-tinged, languid sounds of a much slower Rio.

In keeping with the habits of de Moraes, a legendary bon vivant, the place is well-stocked for imbibing.

The breaded shrimp and Greek rice go nicely with a tangerosco, a tangerine-vodka combo.

Vinivius Bar, Rua Vinicius de Moraes, 39, Ipanema; +55 21 2287 1497

Estudantina Musical

This classic dance hall on the fringes of the Lapa district has been serving up happy feet for 83 years.

Ascend the wide wooden staircase and you’re no longer in the tourist bubble but inside the local culture with working-class folks who’ve put on their nighttime best to dance and party with giant bottles of Brahma.

They’re serious about their samba here. Bands play 90-minute sets.

The banner on the back wall says it best: “As long as there is dance, there will be hope.” Lots of that here.

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from Rio de Janeiro: Insider Travel Guide

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Moroccan Style Talavera tiles

Moroccan Style Talavera tiles

Talavera tiles are a Mexican art form that date back to the time of the conquest. They are handmade, durable, and beautiful. Talavera tiles have been used in many ways including floors, walls, and furniture. Nowadays one of the most used designs are the Moroccan style Talavera tiles which are well known for their high relief of the Arabesque style. These Arabesque tiles were created in Spain from…