Kiaora

Fernanda went to work today and we are carless! So we cabbed it to the Ibirapuera park and saw the German (yes, German) exhibition Body Works. For dinner we went to Lelis, which is an Alfinito favorite. The boys appreciated their after dinner drinks!
To seal off the evening we went to Kiaora. Live American rock! Not what the German's expected. It was fun. Especially all the girls trying to have a go at my husband! Well, poor ladies. I can't blame them, can I?

Mercadao

Today we took the boys to downtown Sao Paulo and the Big City Market (Mercadao). We had the typical cod fish fried ball (bolhino de bacalhau), beef jerky puffed pastry (pastel de carne seca), and beef sandwich (sanduiche de carne seca). We also drove through Avenida Paulista, Sao Paulo's financial district.
In the evening we went to a bar called Sao Bento and again indulged in some more food, beer and caipirinhas!

Fernanda's Flat

Let's just say... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It's cold in Sao Paulo. About 10C, but it's close to freezing in Fernanda's flat. Don't forget that in a tropical country no one has indoor heating. Also, all is build from concrete (which seems to trap the cold indoors) and the windows have no seal! Stefan and Michael never wore so much to bed! We also became very close having to cuddle under blankets on the sofa, where Michael and Stefan enjoyed Brazilian television. Thank Godness for cable! At least they could watch re-runs of American shows in English and enjoy the eventual soccer match (eventhough it was narrated in Portuguese).
Today we went dress shopping. Fernanda needs a dress for the wedding. We also went to the mall in Higienopolis. We had lunch at the America restaurant (where Stefan was finally able to pay for a meal with his card!).

SP - the arrival: Michael's view

After spending 11 hours on the plane in relative discomfort it was a bit surprising to see that it was still dark. Quite a long night with only little sleep. Stefan and I took it easy through customs and even took the time to freshen up a little, brush out teeth etc. Arriving in baggage claim we thought it was odd that our luggage hadn't come out and there weren't many people waiting. There WERE a lot of people at the lost baggage counter .... please, please let our luggage come out. Stumbling around not knowing what to do we found our bags sitting neatly next to the conveyor belt. Lucky escape. So we walked out to meet our pick-up. No Rosie in sight. No Fernanda in sight. What to do? Don't worry, have a cigarette (only Stefan of course). We left the terminal building and sure enough after 2 minutes Rosie came running from the other terminal ... On our way we were to Fernanda's flat.

Sao Paulo - the arrival

I arrived in Sao Paulo on May 25th. Michael and Stefan joined on May 27th. Fernanda and I got up at 5am to pick them up! But, it was worth it. The boys were treated to a typical Brazilian breakfast of french rolls, cold cuts, fruit juice, and coffee. Then we rested, so we could undertake on the biggest Brazilian Sunday tradition... Churrasco (i.e. all you can eat Brazilian BBQ). Erika and Gustavo joined us. The boys tried, but in the end, no one could beat Erika! At last count we esstimate she had about 12-15 sausages beside all the meat and fried bananas!