Trip Highlights

After downloading and trading photos with everyone, I found a few more to include on the blog. Here are some random highlights from our visit with Ron, Julie and Linda!

 Vacation postcard!

 Calling for a taxi...which apparently showed up to get us 45 minutes after we arrived downtown!

 E, A & K with the Galo da Madrugada

 

 Ron going great distances for the perfect shot!

 Autumn and Kylie lookin' cute!

The Flying Dick!

We found this amongst a heap of last-minute discarded items at the cash wrap at the grocery store, and had to have it. 

By the way Krissy, I agree that the hilarious t-shirt contest must be expanded to include all manner of overseas ridiculousness!

Linda's horde of sarongs!

Thanks for a great time guys! See you again soon!

Forte Das Cinco Pontas

This morning Ron and I headed over to the Centro Historico / Barrio do Recife to look at the Forte Das Cinco Pontas. It had a small museum, but mostly just housed government offices. I'm not sure that this will make the to-do list for future visitors.

Bemvindo!

Que fort-y!

More jungle trees

Ron and a cannon.

I agree that you need one for your deck at home!

View through the courtyard.

Churrascaria Spettus

Tonight, we headed over to Spettus for churrasco - a Brazilian barbeque / steakhouse restaurant. The food was excellent including lobster, all you can eat meat and fantastic desserts. Highly recommended!

 Meat!

 Say - cafezinho!

 Say - picanha!

 Say - all you can eat lobster buffet!

YUM - O!

Kylie's First Food

Kylie got to try her very first solid food today, with a full audience! I mashed up a bit of avocado for her to try. Let's look at the results!

 YUM!

 Happy... and then

WHAT THE ...!?! - MORE?? - BLECH!

Let's check the instant replay from another angle!

Oh well. We'll try again another day...

Casa da Cultura

Today's activity was shopping! First we headed downtown to the Casa da Cultura which is an arts and crafts mall that was converted from the old town prison! Each former cell is now a cute store! Que coisa! Afterward, we headed over to the mall (or the "Shopping" as its called in Portuguese) for lunch and more shopping!

On our way to the jail / shopping, we saw an amazing chicken made entirely of Skol beer cans!

 Julie and Linda

A weird flower

 A shop, a bathroom or a cell, your choice!

 Autumn as a ... um... Carnaval something!

 The door's open! Let's escape!

The eye of the Illuminati!

 More fun with head cut outs!

This time we are traditional soldiers from the Sertão!

 The inside of the jail was actually pretty cool! 

...all decorated for Carnaval

 More Carnaval decorations!

Linda as that ... uh.... Carnaval thing!

Beach Day!

Today we just relaxed at the beach and had fun hanging out together!

 Autumn and Kylie!

 K relaxing in her own beach chair!

 Learning to play at the beach!

 Linda captured the many items for sale at the beach including:

1.) Some kind of snow-cone? (this one plays music, so you could probably buy his CD too!)

2.) Shrimp (probably best to avoid)

3.) A variety of nuts and hard-boiled quail eggs.

4.) Açaí products

5.) Ice cream - finally a good one!

6.) Sunglasses

7.) Hats!

Ron trying on a seaweed toupee!

On our way home, we saw party-goers from the Police & Fireman's Carnaval coming down Boa Viagem!

Huge brawling crowds! 

Just another day in Recife!

Olinda

This morning we loaded up in the Dobló minivan and drove up to Olinda. It's kind of the colonial sister-city to Recife. We parked the car and started off on our day of touring about town. After climbing about 1000' in elevation up the cobblestone streets, peeping churches and shopping through the junkerias, we had lunch at one of the best-rated restaurants in the state, Oficina de Sabor - translation the Workshop of Flavor! The food was good, and it was nice rest in the shade from an otherwise very hot day. Linda picked up a few more sarongs to add to her already extensive collection, and we bought a tiny frevo umbrella for Kylie!

 

 Tour guides Eric & Kylie

 So many churches to peep!

Convento de São Francisco

Tons of gold and imported Portuguese tile!

  Igreja da Se

 Cheese!

Junkerias!

A&E as frevo dancers and R&J as the King and Queen of Carnaval!

 View of Recife from the top of town

 Kylie's expression of the week...not sure if she's happy or not!

 Shady ladies!

Igreja Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia

 Finally! Lunch at Oficina de Sabor.

1.) Yum! Moqueca de camarão de coco!

2.) A & K

3.) R

4.) Hands in for Casio watches!

 A post Carnaval decoration-taking-down-mobile!

 I like the Carnaval spirit of this convenience store, but I'm not sure what I think of the "box of nuggets".

Carnaval mural

 Graffiti including:

1.) The eye of the Illuminati!

2.) There's love in Olinda" (written in scary movie / crazy person  font).

3.) Beware of ferocious rabbit!

4.) A cute painting!

 Monkeys and jungle trees?!? In town!

Whew! That's one tuckered out baby!

Time to go home!

 Yikes! It's a puppet trailer!