"Tall and tan and young and lovely....." (Ipanema Beach)

"Traveling is almost like talking with men of other centuries." -- René Descartes


I decided to take a trip to Ipanema Beach. I took the bus from Vidigal and got off in Leblon and walked along the beach until I arrived at Ipanema Beach. Now you all know the song and the fame Ipanema has acquired because of it (or is it vice-versa?). Well, I decided to see if the famous "Girl from Ipanema" was anywhere in sight. I walked and I looked and I stopped and I looked some more, and then I realized that there was not "a" girl from Ipanema but "many" girls from Ipanema. I decided that when I got back to New York, I would brush off my dusty legal 
skills and try to take advantage of this in some way This was a fabulous revelation and made me hungry, so I got some lunch at a nice cafe (which by the way has the best "sorvete" (ice cream) in Rio. I then walked some more after lunch and sat down and waited for the beautiful sun to set over Ipanema. Ipanema surely deserves its reputation because it is a beautiful beach, full of beautiful people. All in all, I would say it was a good day or as we say in Brazil, "OPTIMO"!

Could this be the girl from Ipanema?

Or one of these?

Everyone exercises in Brazil: walking, running, biking, soccer, volleyball, swimming, surfing etc.

Since I was feeling happy, I found a place for lunch which fit my mood

The tiled mosaic walkways of Ipanema

Ipanema with the "Dois Irmaos" (Two Brothers) in the background

A nice shot of an even nicer beach

Winter in Brazil never stopped anyone, especially when it is 80 degrees!

Could I really add anything to this picture!

Walking back to my hotel (tall white building on the far left) in the late afternoon

Ipanema Beach at sunset

Dunes of beautiful white sand

The sun is setting!

and setting

The sun has set and another beautiful day has ended in Rio-let's see what the night has in store!