Blogs from Santa Catarina, Brazil, South America - page 2

Well one thing I have learned so far travelling in the south of Brazil is that my preconceived ideas about this country were absolutely wrong. Brazil is not only about Samba, football and Rio’s famous beaches; Brazil is a country that has many surprises like all these cities and towns tucked away all over the place where European cultures survive and thrive in a way I would have never thought possible. And to show me more of this Carla wanted to show me the state of Santa Catarina….. Carla really dragged me from one Germanic settlement to another. But Blumenau, and especially Pomerode, was something special. It is not every day that you are in areas so far from Germany where people speak Portuguese and German dialects. But let’s start where I finished the last update. ... read more

On Sunday 30 November, we moved a beach house, about 40 Km north of Floripa in a place called "Armaçao da Piedade". Located on a peninsula, it offers a variety of beaches, some with agitated waters with big waves and others with waters as calm as in a swimming pool. Different friends came to see us there and each time it was an opportunity to enjoy the culinary talents of some of us. Among others, Rita's paella was a great succes. On 8 December we then moved to Rio Grand do Sul.... read more

Florianopolis is a big island with allot to offer. The north of the island, around Jurere, Canasvieiras and Ingleses, is busy, built up with infrastructure and has narrower beaches. If you want a more authentic experience and prefer wider, quieter beaches head south and visit areas such as Campeche, Joaquima and Lagoinha do Leste. The public transportation on the island isn't the greatest but it isn't impossible to use and if there isn't a bus you can stick out your thumb and hitch a ride. Hitchhiking is very popular and is extremely common but always be cautious! During our week on the island we picked up 3 hitchhikers and were picked up once ourselves. To maximise our time exploring Florianopolis, we hired a car at R$98 per day with unlimited kilometres. But if youdon't have the ... read more

I woke up a bit stressed out over figuring out how to go about visiting my grandmother’s apartment, then the family friends, then having lunch with my cousin while also trying to squeeze a phone call with Janel. We had agreed to talk in the morning around 10am or 11am my time before my day got busy. I ended up waiting until 10:30am my time (7:30am in Saskatchewan) to phone her but ended up waking up my father-in-law. I’m sure he didn’t expect that. Haha I had counted on Owen being awake early but that was not the case. My aunt Gladys then did me a HUGE favour lending me her car so I could do everything I wanted. Just as I was about to head out the door, the phone rang, so I got to ... read more

My first day in Blumenau, my hometown, was great. I got up and renewed my Brazilian ID. It was slightly outdated as the old one had a picture of a 14-year-old version of me. I think I’ve change a little bit in 24 years. Haha Since renewing the ID went well and quick, I stopped by my friend Ruy’s shirt factory. Ruy and I were neighbours growing up, played tennis together, rode bikes, etc... so it was nice to see him. He has an event organized for tomorrow with recent NBA Champion Thiago Splitter, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs. Thiago is from here and went to the same school we did growing up. My friend Jean then picked me up to go for lunch with a bunch of my school friends. They have lunch ... read more