I Introduce To You, Fitzgerald

Yes, we have expanded our family!  But probably not in the way some may think - not a child...a CAT!  And not just any cat, a Bengal cat.

Fitzgerald is his name and high energy is his game.  The little guy never tires but is such a great cat.

He loves paper bags, feathers, straws, pretty much anything that he can get his paws on.  He is now realizing he can climb, so climbing he does!

But we do find him sneaking a cat nap from time to time too.

More Bengal adventures to come!

Food Cart Frenzy

A visit to Portland over Easter was made even more fun with a walking tour of... no, not the top architectural buildings, or historic landmarks, but FOOD CARTS!  We learned a lot of cool facts about the food cart world in Portland, and tried a lot of great food.  It was a gorgeously sunny weekend, so sun + delish food + family allowed for a great weekend.  We began at one of the largest "pods" on 10th and Alder.

"Pods" are groups of food carts which are most often set up in parking lots.  There are over 14 food cart pods around Portland, amounting to over 400 total carts within the city of Portland.  At our first stop we tried dumplings and then soup a few carts down.

Ok, I know you are thinking that the soup looks like, well, some regurgitated something, but it was excellent.  It was a risotto, curry hot soup.   Next, we made our way a block down to 9th and Alder, and visited a medatteranean cart, as well as a German Bratwurtz cart.  These were the two weakest carts we tried, but still good food.

Food cart number FIVE and SIX was a Cuban cart where we sampled fried plantains, and then a french cart, Euro Trash.  Euro Trash has been featured on a few TV shows and sure does have some odd cuisine.

At Euro Trash we had whole, fried anchovies.  All I can say, is some people may fancy these, but I could not get them down.  Yuck!

Around the block, still in the same "pod" we hit up a waffle stand.  Oh boy, these were DELICOUS!!  They make them with large sugar crystals in the batter that stay whole when cooked, so there is a crunch as you devour the waffle.

Yes, you read that right...they have a bacon and maple one for all you bacon lovers.  The chunky monkey caught my eye, but I will have to try that next time - we were given the powdered sugar one to try.  But it was still wonderful.

After a wonder down the street, we rounded out our tour at 5th and Oak St.  The. Best. Food. Cart. we visited here.  Korean Twist and their Korean Boolkogi Taco - words cannot describe this delicacy.   Yum. Visit this place.

 

Last, but not least, we tried some salmon chowder at another food cat in the 5th and Oak St. pod.  Unfortunately the good ole' camera died, so no pictures.  But this place was good.  Really good.  

Bottom line, if you are in Portland and looking for a fun time (your tongue will love you!) visit the food carts!

Brazil Part III: Paraty

Last but not least we made our way to Paraty.  Paraty is a preserved Portuguese colonial town, so there is a lot of culture, colorful architecture, and history.  It was such a great stop on our trip, and I would recommend everyone visiting Brazil try to make their way there.  It's a good time.

One of my favorite characteristics about the town were the colorful window and door frames.  

     

And one day we got a ton of rain...and I mean a TON (being from Seattle I know rain, and this was crazy).  The streets flooded, but fortunately it happens often so they have good drainage.

A major highlight of our visit to Paraty was taking a cooking class.  Yes, we are officially Portuguese cooks, and surprisingly the dishes turned out pretty well!

If you are going to Brazil, go to Paraty!

BRAZIL part II: Ihla Grande

After four days in Rio, we took a van about 2.5 hours south and boarded a ferry to Ilha Grande.

After about 45 minutes, we arrived at the island...

And what an island it is!  Gorgeous!  We stayed at Pousada Naturalia and I highly recommend it.  The owner and his staff are incredibly nice and helpful.

And our balcony was to-die-for!

Ok, I know you are getting tired of all the chatter, so let's roll with just pictures of the island and our adventures.

(The Aqueduct on the island was built in 1893 and is still in use today.  It is about 40 feet high and 450 feet long.)

A momma monkey and her two little ones!

BRAZIL Part I: Rio

Brazil, oh Brazil.  One word clearly defines you - AMAZING!

Bottom line: If you have never been to Brazil, GO!  And go ASAP.  The beaches were clean and top notch, water warm.  I have never encountered such nice people, and the food and drinks weren't too shabby.  So, with all that rambling, I hope you finally believe me that Brazil is truly unbelievable.

And now, since pictures always explain much better than words can, let's roll the pics.

We stayed in the Ipanema neighborhood of Rio, which I highly recommend.  Far less touristy than Copacabana, great restaurants, good shopping and it felt safe.

Rio's Botanical Gardens are worth checking out.

Travelling to the top of Corcovado to see the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue which provides for beautiful views and a close up view of one of the "new seven wonders of the world" (the "Christ the Redeemer" statue).

Another set of great sights can be had by taking the tram up to the top of Sugarloaf.  High above Rio, you can see for miles.

  

The Escadaria Selaron (Selaron stairs) are incredible.  Selaron, a local artist, took it upon himself to fix up the long set of stairs near his house.  He began tiling each stair and continued for years.  He would take tiles from visiting tourists and place them among the thousands of other tiles on the stairs.

Finally, we did a lot of relaxing.  Champagne at sunset on the beach was one of our favorite ways to reminisce about what we saw that day and relax.

Good times in Rio, and this was just the beginning of a great trip.  More adventures to come...