As regular readers may know, for a significant part of our travels we had been experiencing these amazing new places with a fellow blog and much more than that, now the closest of friends; Everyday Somewhere. Being from Brasil; they knew their country rather well and in an incredible act of kindness and generosity, had arranged for us to spend almost all of our time in the largest of the South American countries staying with their family and friends. This act of friendship and kindness was a taste of the welcome we were about to receive, and continue to experience in this vibrant, inspiring, energetic and blossoming country. So before we go any further; thank you from the bottom of our heart Everyday Somewhere – we were touched and overwhelmed by everything you, your family and your friends did for us. Mutio obrigado!
Before we continue with our adventure into Brazil, we need to take you back to ourlast post and continue with the tale of forced-starvation-through-incompetent-banking, not that we’re bitter and won’t let it go of course, but making it through the day and night to eventually reach the airport, board the plane and land in the capital of Parana; Curitiba was a real achievement for someone who had been nicknamed ‘Gordinho’ by Everyday Somewhere for a somewhat…healthy appetite!
The flight from Foz do Iguacu to Curitiba took just over an hour and upon landing and making my way through the arrivals, I was on the hunt, the look-out for a smile, a familiarity to a face, a shared trait, something that would help me recognise the Brother of Mariah from Everyday Somewhere…Guto…thankfully I had seen many pictures of him so that removed the drama pretty quickly. Embraced like an old friend I was greeted with an enthusiasm, interest and warmth that was infectious and energizing and to be honest; hugely comforting. What a welcome, and we hadn’t even got out of the airport yet!
Communications were good between the Silva family as word had reached Guto that this gringo he was with was a man who liked his food and had been kept away from his favourite hobby of; eating, for far too long and so we were heading to the old-town of Curitiba where there was a market and a particular collection of food stalls that served what was to be my first sample of something that Brazil has grown a healthy (and totally justified ) reputation for; food, by trying a ‘pastel’. It was like biting into heaven (cheese in this case) wrapped in thin pastry and deep-friend in oil…ok, we know we were hungry so would have enjoyed a mud sandwich at that point, but seriously; it was delicious!
The first thing that struck us about the old town was how colourful and vibrant it was. The main influence in the architecture being Portuguese in origin, as you would probably expect, however, talking with Guto, who was well-educated in the history of Brazil and particularly the southern regions explained to us just how diverse the heritage of Brazil is. Like us, most people make the assumption that the only influence from Europe across this vast land is from the Portuguese; however that is rather far from the truth. Did you know that Brazil has the largest population of Japanese in the world, outside of Japan? (OK, we know Japan is not part of Europe, but it was an interesting and punchy example!) Particularly in the South, you can find influences from Germany, Holland, Italy and Poland to name but a few. It is for this reason (this could be a controversial one – wait for it Everyday Somewhere) that it is said that in the Southern States; anyone can look ‘Brazilian’.
Picture care of ‘Everyday Somewhere’
Quite without intention, it was a stroke of luck that we had arrived on a Sunday as there was a market (called; ‘Largo da Ordem’) being held in this historic area of the City where a variety of arts, craft, food (ahhh food) and other products were being sold; it was lovely to walk round the market talking with Guto and learning about the area from someone who lives here and is knowledgeable about the area, and Brazil as a rapidly developing economy and world power. Spending time with a politician added an additional level of interest: People who go traveling often say how it is beneficial to spend time with local people if you really want to learn about the area you are staying in and my word did this fact ring true!
We were being treated to a rather lovely lunch in a town which was a relatively short drive away called ‘Morretes’, however we won’t say too much about that now and leave it for our next post as the drive, the town, the food and the company are deserving of their own separate post.
That evening, after returning from Morretes, Guto, Karina and Karina’s cousin, Luizo, took us to a traditional Brazilian bar/restaurant where we were once more about to sample some more fantastic food. We’re not sure if this dish had a specific name, but after Guto had ordered it we were graced with a large plate of what looked like chips covered in onions and a large pile of beef. When we bit into these ‘chips’ we soon learned that we had actually been introduced to a traditional Brazilian food and something I had never even heard of, let alone tried; ‘mandioca’…oh my word, we had fallen in love! Forget chips people, this stuff needs to be introduced worldwide; it is simply delicious! As an accompaniment to this dish we were also served a bowl of another traditional Brazilian staple; beans and they were amazing too, especially when sprinkled with a toasted manioc flour called ‘farofa’ (is that right my Brazilian friends? Did we remember that correctly?) It adds not just flavour but a really interesting, crunchy texture – very nice indeed. Another new culinary experience was a cheesey-bread called ‘pao de queijo’ – small balls of bread with cheese running through it – fantastic! Obviously with all this food, there had to be something to wash it down with and Guto had taken care of this by ordering us a few beers and, as any Gringo new in town must try, the traditional drink of Brazil; cachaça (a sugarcane derived alcoholic beverage). This stuff, or this brand in particular, was strong and although we were just able to identify the sweet notes through the sugar, it was mostly just a burning sensation. However, don’t take that as any sort of expert critique – we’re not big drinkers of spirits…it was really nice with a mixer though! It was truly a lovely evening, in a bar with a fantastic atmosphere and fitting decor as they were celebrating the Festa Junina (June Festival), also known as ‘festa de São João’ (festival of St. John the Baptist) so there was bunting throughout the place. Our music background was also well catered for with Luizo introducing us to an…interesting…style of music known as ‘brega’…I guess we would describe it as ‘cheesy-dance hall-pop’, perhaps, or for more of a direct translation; ‘chav pop’! We have to mention the dessert we were treated to, again, a traditional dish of Brazil; ‘Brigaderio’. Oh my word, lovers of rich chocolate – this is paradise for you; made with condensed milk, butter and cocoa powder it is delectable and can be served warm or cold – this one was warm and eaten out of a small cup with a spoon; heavenly!
The following morning I was greeted with an amazing breakfast of ham, cheese, bread, fruit, juices and various other delights and after a thorough attempt at building ‘casinhas’ (small houses) with one of the most entertaining kids we’ve ever met; Francisco, we were collected by Luizo for a tour of Curitiba, starting with the ‘Jardim Botânico de Curitiba’ (Botanical Garden of Curitiba). This park was fantastic, with the large greenhouse being the focal point, yet not overshadowing the many fountains and smaller gardens dotted around. It also afforded you a really impressive view of the City.
From here we continued back into the City using a means of transport that is rather famous in Curitiba; the bus system. The reason it is famous is that it was (or was one of; need to look into that) the first systems to introduce ‘bus only highways’ through the City and surrounding suburbs. You could liken it to the metro and underground systems found in other big Cities, only rather than being subterranean and trains, they are above the ground and made of long buses. They also have some of the coolest bus stop designs we’ve ever seen; being more like futuristic pods then a bus-stop.
Waking through various districts of the City you can see a variety of architecture from the older buildings through to the more modern as well as artistic pieces which keep you company wherever you go. From churches and monuments through to large sculptures of a naked woman and man (more of a caricature in truth), Curitiba has something for everyone. There are ‘squares’ and parks everywhere; particularly in the various squares you get to see influences from other cultures; particularly European and in fact, the City does have a European feel about it. The University of Parana is an impressive building with large columns and whitewashed stonework; it wouldn’t look out-of-place in ancient Greece.
For more information and ideas on where to visit in Curitiba, please click here.
Next on our places to visit was a little left-of-centre for me as Luizo suggested we take a look at the City cemetery on our way to another district which might have been described as a slightly more ‘hipster’ area. From our experience of cemeteries, they weren’t the most impressive places to visit, often being rather, well; depressing – justifiably we feel. However, this turned out to be a fantastic suggestion by Luizo as this was unlike any cemetery we had been to before; there were astonishingly elaborate designs to the crypts, almost like mini houses as we learned that it was not uncommon for entire families to use the constructs throughout their generations and to be, effectively, buried together, or rather; in the same place. This could have been a museum of art, design and culture in its own right.
That evening Guto took us to a bar with his cousin; Tiago. It was a popular bar as we had to queue for over half an hour before getting in (not even Guto, the president-to-be…watch this space, you heard it here first…could accelerate our entry) but it didn’t really matter as we were already sharing stories and laughing together even before we got in. We couldn’t get over the incredible generosity and hospitality of Guto and Tiago as they kept the beers coming as we chatted into the night, and it was a lovely evening listening to the guys tell stories of their family as they were growing up, their opinions on where Brazil is heading and on a personal note; we were blown away by their knowledge of music – put us to shame!
After a morning spent catching up with a bit of work, we were looking forward to meeting Guto with Karina and Francisco for another new lunch-concept for us; a buffet paid by the kilo…this could be dangerous! We were heading for the municipal market where after eating we were going to take a look round the stalls. Once again, the food at lunch was immense – Brazil was kicking a**e at the moment as far as food was concerned – but what truly impressed me was the array of foods available from the market; the colours and the smells were unbelievable and we could have easily spent two or three days just walking round sampling various foods; absolutely amazing.
That evening we were out for food once more and were introduced to yet another new concept in dining out; pizza rodizo. The ‘pizza’ part of the equation was good – we knew all about that, and had known for a fair few years, but this ‘rodizo’ was completely foreign to us, but once we learned what it was; we were converts. In a nutshell, the ‘rodizo’ element is when waiters continuously roam the restaurant bringing you a variety of pizzas of which you can choose whether you want a slice of that particular flavour or not…it is endless! Being the talkative kinda person we are, we soon had a chat with one of the waiters who had learned English through playing computer games! Amazing! His name was Clayton and he always had something new to say or to ask with each new pizza he had to offer – lovely guy. After about 76 slices of pizza, it was time for us to go; I was being dropped off at a bar where I was meeting Luizo and also two friends of Mariah’s; Bruno and Sheila. Once more it was a fantastic evening and a chance to learn more about mutual friends and their histories together – really lovely. Both Bruno and Sheila (who lived in London for some years) spoke perfect English so the fact we didn’t have to rely entirely on impressively poor Portuguese was a relief! Thank you for looking after us guys!
Our final day in Curitiba and it was time to venture off on our own and visit the ‘Museu do Olho’ (Eye Museum) which actually has very little to do with eyes, it has been nicknamed this due to the fantastic and unique architecture which focuses your eye as it is in fact the shape of an eye. The official name of the museum is the ‘Museu Oscar Niemeyer’ named after the architect who designed the building, along with many other famous constructions across Brazil. It truly is an imposing building and it certainly captivates you on the approach walk.
As we entered the building, we started to wonder whether the term ‘museo’ had the same definition as ‘museum’ in English as this felt a lot more like an art gallery. Not to immediately contradict ourselves; there was a section that covered architecture which felt more like it was covering the heritage and development of the internal design and construction of Brazil, but for the most part; the ‘museum’ consisted of several rooms that were displaying different sorts of art. We really enjoyed walking round the ‘Eye Museum’ and would recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Curitiba as a tourist – well worth it.
For lunch, Guto and Karina had arranged to take us to a ‘chuhascaria rodizo’ which, it turns out, means ‘the definition of meat heaven’ in our language. Oh my word, this would be a restaurant we would never leave. In a rough translation, the Brazilian chuhascaria is a traditional ‘steak house’ (or more accurately – meat house we guess) and the ‘rodizo’ part we’ve already met at the pizza section earlier in this post, so picture many waiters walking round the restaurant with a variety of different meats, various cuts of meats, sausage, ribs and grilled pineapple and banana (meant as a palate cleanser). Not only do you have the meats, but you also have the salad bar which serves a lot more than just salad – this place was incredible! In truth, we were aware of such restaurants thanks to Everyday Somewhere and we took on board their tips of not rushing with your choices of meats as you have to wait for the better cuts, particularly picanha! We need to spend a quick moment specifically on picanha, as picanha is going to be with us forever! Technically this cut of beef is the ‘rump cover’ but we had never had this before and are still completely confused as to why it is not a cut of meat embraced elsewhere as, quite frankly, it has more flavour and a more interesting texture than any other cut of beef we have ever tried – just magical! Go to your butcher and ask for this cut of meat…please!
After lunch it was time for our goodbyes as we were moving on to Silva-family-member-number-two and another new City; ‘Itajai’. We were going to catch the bus and settle down for the journey to the area of Brazil which is fast being designated as the ‘Ibiza of Brazil’.
We cannot thank Guto, Karina, Francisco, Mariana, Luizo, Sheila and Bruno enough for making our time so special, action-packed, humorous, interesting and welcoming in Curitiba. We have never, in our lives, experienced such generosity, kindness, patience and well-meaning, especially when you bear in mind that we were relative strangers. It was also magical to spend time in the company of Guto – politicians across the world have similar reputations and stereotypes imposed on them, no matter what their actions and to learn about the community, the ambitions, the ideologies, the development and the needs of the people from someone so obviously passionate, knowledgeable, connected and genuine in their desires for the pursuit of an ever-improving country was, quite honestly; inspiring. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and thank you again Everyday Somewhere for letting us into your family’s lives – we are indebted to all of you forever and it’s a debt we cannot wait to repay.