Day Five: Ilha Grande

Departing on the catamaran from Angra Dos Reis.

On day five (I am losing track of what day of the week, and the date like a true vacation!) we traveled from Paraty to Angra dos Reis where we got a boat to Ilha Grande. Ilha Grande is just that - a very large island just off of the coast.

The island is only accessible via boat, and it takes about 45 minutes on the faster catamaran to get there. You could see why they call it the Costa Verde - the water was a beautiful shade of blue green.

We arrived in the Vila do Abraão on the northern coast of the island (facing the mainland), and walked to our pousada - Pousada do Anambe, which was a little off the beaten path.

A view of the street beside the pousada.


A view from the balcony by our rooms.

The first afternoon we did a 2km hike around some of the state park, where we saw an old abandoned hospital (it used to be a quarantine for people suffering from cholera) which was later a notorious prison for political dissidents in the 1940's and 1950's. There was also a very old aqueduct that was on the trail. It was all very beautiful!

The Trail.


A window into the old abandoned hospital/prison.


Inside the abandoned building...you are not allowed in because of hazard of collapse.




A sign describing the history of the building.

We moved past the ruins and walked further on toward the aqueduct and a small portion of the river with a natural pool. Everything was so verdant! Here you can see Felipe and I at the aqueduct.




When we got to the natural pool, there was a portion of the trail that broke and we had to cross the large rocks that the river passed over - very slippery rocks!


Fortunately we all made it over safely, and enjoyed a bit of the refreshingly cool water!






We had a great time walking around the forested trails, which I think was perfect because the day was very overcast and rainy at times. I think it really made the green that much more impressive! After the walk we all went back to the pousada and changed/rested. We spend the majority of the rest of the evening walking around the small village visiting the little shops, eating pastels (very large empanada type food), and enjoying the scenery. We had dinner at a little restaurant called Rapala, where the food was terrific and the service not so much. Are orders all came out at different times and at least two or three things were brought out wrong. I might be guilty of enjoying it the most as I had most of the luck - all my food came right away, and it was super yummy! All was made up for by grabbing some treats from the man selling them in the cart on the street afterward.

Day Four: Paraty

Day four was great - we started out in the morning with a good breakfast at the pousada. My favorite part was the watermelon juice and felipe was happy to have some super fresh papaya.

After breakfast we all walked to the shore near the historic district. Here is where Felipe's dad and uncle bargained for us to have a boat take us around the coast for swimming. In the end we had Maestre Antonio of the Paraiso do Sol! We spent the next five hours boating from beach to beach around Paraty.

Felipe and I on the boat.




At the first beach, the water was this amazing shade of turquoise green.

Thankfully Felipe had the foresight to bring snorkeling masks, because there were some areas that had some amazing fish. Just throw a bit of crackers in the water and there were tons of them!



Ana and Sergi enjoying the "sun deck" on the top of the boat.

Unfortunately the sun didn't last the WHOLE time we were out on the boat. We weathered a few very heavy downpours. Below is a photo of the group huddled under the overhand of the boat's roof.



Although not as fun as sun, the rain did make for a really beautiful scene.

I especially enjoyed the way the water looked with all the millions of raindrops falling...


In the end we took advantage of the rain - we were all wet anyway from swimming! so we just had fun!

Felipe coming in after a rainy swim.


One last group photo after the rain let up a little bit. Our guide for the day, Antonio is in the red and blue jacket.

After five hours of swimming and boating around, we went back to the pousada for a bit of a rest. Then again in the evening we walked around the historic center, and felipe found a treat he'd not had in a long time!


Corn ice cream!!!



Sunset (kind of - it's there behind the clouds).

Day Three: Paraty, Brazil

A view of the Paraty shore.

Day three saw our arrival to Paraty, a small colonial town south of Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately most of our time in Paraty was slightly marred by rain, but it always allowed enough breaks in the rain to enjoy the town!

We stayed at the Pousada do Principe, it was a short walk to the historic part of town, and a very nice little place to stay.




After setting our stuff down into our rooms, we took a stroll around the historic portion of the city.

They had some beautifully colored doors - not just some I suppose, but all over.


In front of the Capela de Santa Rita (Chapel of Saint Rita) - built in 1722, and it's the oldest church in the town.


Because it was raining so much, there was water flooded into the streets. This seems to be not abnormal - as they have platforms that cross the streets at some points to keep you from having to walk through the water. This was designed for when high tide hits too.

Here it was day three of my trip - and I had yet to have a coconut or see a beach! So this was my first coconut and my first Brazilian "beach" ;)



This is the man who cut the top of my coconut off with a machete. This is apparently a very popular after-beach refreshment. My first sip was less sweet than I had anticipated, but still good!

That night we went back to the pousada and just relaxed. We had dinner at the little bar they operated in the common area and talked for a few hours before going to bed.

Rio Day One: Merry Christmas (Eve)!

What a day! We spent the night on a very old, and very very cramped plane - but after 10 hours we finally made it to our destination! We were greeted at the airport by Felipe's dad and Uncle and officially started celebrating our vacation. It was very exciting to know that I had just landed for my first time ever in South America, and I knowing how much excitement lay ahead.

We had a nice lunch at a little cafeteria/restaurant/buffet in the neighborhood that Felipe's Aunt and Uncle live in (Flamengo). Felipe immediately filled his plate with all the favorite foods he'd been missing (sorry - low quality iPhone photo):


We relaxed much of the rest of the afternoon, awaiting the arrival of Felipe's sister Ana and her fiance Sergi. It was a good thing too that we relaxed a bit, because we had a Christmas eve party to go to last night. We arrived around 10:30pm, and had dinner served around 12:30am. It was a LONG night, but we had a lot of fun!






The conversations in Portuguese were hard for me - I love to talk (as you all know very well) and it is difficult not to be able to participate as everyone else is. Fortunately my Spanish got me by, as many people understand Spanish as well, doubly fortunately many people spoke English as well. All were very friendly and happy to be sharing the special occasion together. Sometimes I stop and remember, or someone points it out, that I am the sole "Americana" in the crowd. Political conversation ensues...

You will be hearing more, but in the meanwhile...enjoy your Christmas holiday!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Outside the Christmas windows at Tiffany's in NYC

Wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but I know my sisters are keeping things fun for you! Happy Happy Birthday :D

Is that Tornadoes in the Forecast?!

Looking at the symbol for Thursday, Friday, Saturday...kind of looks like a tornado icon...fortunately it's just their version of a "thunderstorm" icon.

Keep your fingers crossed that we don't experience any tornadoes! ;)

If Santa's Big Red Bag of Gifts Were Instead....

A BIG red suitcase!

Okay, so did some packing today for our trip to Brazil, and it turns out our largest suitcase is filled almost entirely with gifts! Which means we better get a few good gifts to fill that suitcase up on our way back!

I'm getting super excited for the trip, although at the same time pre-missing the cold Christmas Eve feeling...

We still have a load of things to do to prepare to leave and make sure our apartment isn't a nightmare (for when we get back AND because we have friends staying here while we're gone).

Hope all of your holiday preparations are going well!

Two years...

It has been two years now since I lost my dad, he passed away December 17th, 2008 from Burkitt's Lymphoma. Not a day goes by where I don't think about him, or miss something about him. It's easier now than it was before, the conditioned behaviors like reaching for the phone to give him a call are becoming less frequent. I miss him the most when I have something fun or important that I want to share, wouldn't it be great if I could show him what I'm doing with the family history project! Or miss him when I go back to Madison and cannot visit him (visiting a grave is just not as warm - and the grave site won't do a crossword puzzle with me!).

My dad had his faults, but he had his great qualities as well - he was caring, smart, and he challenged me. It's strange sometimes to stop and truly realize that he's no longer with us, that he's not just "away" somewhere, or not answering the phone - but that he's really gone for good.

I will always cherish the time that we had with dad, even when his health got bad - as I am sure it makes me a better person. But if I had to share anything with those of you who still have both your parents, it would be this - cherish every moment you have with them, ask them questions - questions about who they are, what they were like when they were younger, what they wanted to be, and what they want to be remembered for. I had dad for 26 years and still wish I knew more about him....

I will miss him always, but will carry him in my heart much longer than always...

Snapshots Catch Up - Autumn in Central Park

This autumn has been busy with all sorts of visitors, travel, and general happenings. Today felt like the first cold winter day...the start of what I am sure will be a very long and dark winter season. And I thought I would take a chance to upload some of my autumn photos that I hadn't yet shared, before the snow starts to fly around here.

I took these while walking around with my aunt when she was visiting. I love Central Park all year round, but Autumn is when it is at it's most spectacular. I hope you enjoy these snapshots as much as I enjoyed taking them.


I love the couple just beyond the bridge...

I know you are, but what am I?!

Pee Wee and I...friends for 21 years and counting.

With mom in town, and Pee Wee in town...there was only one logical thing to do. Sunday morning mom and I took a trip down to Times Square (yuck!) to wait in line at the TKTS booth and see if there were any tickets to the "Pee Wee Herman Show". It was our good luck that there were (not so sure if it was good luck for Felipe too...but he was a good sport and came along!).


Mom and I in front of the theater.

We've been huge fans of Pee Wee for the longest time...of course as a kid I watched his show religiously every Saturday morning. And then of course you have Pee Wee's Big Adventure, classic awesomeness. So we were both stoked to see his broadway show, and we were not disappointed!

The set is just as the television show, as garish and bright, filled with shiny, colorful, and retro. Of course, all the favorite characters were there too...Chairy, Pterri, Jambi, Conky, Magic Screen, Clocky, Mr. Window, Globy,Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis and so on, and so on, and so on....hahahaha. I think one of my favorite moments (and man how I wish I could have gotten a photo) was when Pee Wee came on stage in a fully bedazzled suit. Just terrific! The big foil ball even made an appearance.

We had such a blast, I'm very glad we went and I think in the end, Felipe gained an appreciation for the crazy that is Pee Wee. The only room for improvement that I could see was if the theater could have had a little heat! It was freezing in there, I'm sure colder than it was outside! I highly recommend the show to anyone in NYC...it's running through December 31st. Can you imagine...New Year's Eve with Pee Wee?!