Florianopolis – feels like home for Australia Day

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After the fairly aggressive tourism we’d completed in Rio, we were keen to head to Florianopolis for a chilled out week with Tad (a São Paulo native who used to work with Courtney in Manly) and his girlfriend Marcela. The island is ringed with beautiful beaches and features a lake, creating a laid back paradise perfect for us to relax over Australia Day and to plan our final assault into Argentina and Chile.

Reuniting with Tad after 2 ½ years and meeting Marcela for the first time felt just like chatting with friends we’ve known forever. They were stunningly welcoming as we (and our massive backpacks!) intruded in their lounge room/workspace for the week. They planned activities to show off their town and made us feel like true locals by the time we left. We met their friends, shared the traditional Brazilian BBQ and cachaça caipirinhas, swam everyday at the beach, took walks along the lake and headlands, took Tad for his first ever stand-up paddleboarding, cruised the lake, and ate delicious foods. What a week!

Part of our motivation for structuring our trip the way we did was to be able to spend Australia Day with Tad and the day did not disappoint. An early wakeup call to be at the beach for a sunrise run/swim/surf was a great start to be followed by a big brekkie replaying the Hottest 100 then heading out for a lovely walk along the shore to a boat cruise on the lake featuring a slippery slide! (Needless to say we acted like children and had a marvelous time!) The afternoon was a little less energetic with beers and introducing Marcela to the Australian classic that is “The Castle”.

We were incredibly lucky to have hosts that could take time off to entertain us (Marcela and Tad run their own clothing label: Mar e Soul), and by the end of our time there none of the 4 of us wanted it to be over! Hopefully one day we’ll meet up again, whether back in Brazil, Australia, NZ or Bali – who knows! For those planning to head to Brazil, Floripa (as the locals call it) is a great spot to escape the big cities and relax, just make sure if you’re visiting that you stay closer to the lake than the main town, much prettier and more laid back with access to everything you need for the perfect beachside getaway!

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