Brazil brings Beaches, Buns, and Buddies

The first obvious sign that we were in Rio was the buns, not the cheese buns for which Brazil is famous, called Pao de Queijo, but the tanned variety on the Copacabana Beach!  (cue Barry Manilow)  Luckily, the kids were more interested in playing in the sand, and didn't notice the cheeks everywhere.  The water was cold, but the beach was hot, in more ways than one!  Along the beach is a famous black and white tiled walkway that has a pattern to represent the beach itself.  Each beach in Rio has it's own pattern, in order to distinguish each from the other.

Vendors walk along the beach selling all kinds of wares, including these skimpy little bikinis.  I figured I'd better have one as a souvenir, and now I have the toasted buns to prove that I was brave enough to wear it the following day.  Only my sister and a few dear friends will lay eyes on the photo I made Elizabeth take of me baking on the beach, and they have been sworn to keep it off of Facebook!!  (You know who you are, and I know where you live!)

While we were anxiously awaiting Mark's arrival, the kids and I found some fun things to do around the city.  We have been reading The Secret Garden as our bedtime story on my Kindle, so our visit to the Botanical Gardens (Jardim Botanico) was a great way to tie in an authentic field trip.  The kids snuck through the lush passageways searching for bugs, birds, monkeys, and anything that caught their eye.  They were like explorers in their own secret garden, and even took on the names of the characters, Mary and Dickon, as they wandered.  When we stopped at a fountain near the play area, we immediately noticed two little boys speaking English.  As we've traveled, the children have developed English radar, and can pick up the language from miles away!  The four kids were quick buddies, and the family was nice enough to invite us over to their house for a play date the following day.  Turns out the parents are international teachers, and have been working at a school here for over 2 years.  You can imagine, I had a lot to ask them and the kids were thrilled to play with new kids and their toys! They were yet another blessing along our path.  Reminding us how small the world is once again.

Brazil is Bliss!