JE 51

Buenos Aires to Florianopolis, Brazil

Tim

Tuesday, March 3 – Buenos Aires

A return to Armenia today! The Armenian neighborhood in Buenos Aires, that is. Not a whole lot to write about unfortunately. Another leisurely day of roaming and hanging out in a park, reading and observing.

Passed by this cool apartment building on my way to Armenia…
…and this cute car!
It’s a vintage Fiat though, so it’s more than likely been abandoned here due to mechanical issues!
Two countries you don’t typically see intersecting!
Stopped at this Armenian restaurant last year. Happy to see they’re still around! I’ll definitely have a sit-down meal here before I head back to the States.
The perfect place to hang for a while!
This was interesting. Four guys are playing a combination of doubles tennis and soccer. Basic tennis rules, but with a soccer ball and that sport’s method used to get it over the net (feet and head!).

Today’s pictures were rather lame, I know. Sorry about that! It was another good day though!

Wednesday, March 4 – transit from Buenos Aires to Florianopolis, Brazil

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Florianopolis. I know it was off my radar. But thanks to the suggestion of my friend, and native Brazilian, Fernando, that’s my destination today.

I was looking for something off the beaten path as I traveled in Brazil. Frankly, the crime associated with the typical destinations in this country is a turnoff (shocking, I know!). Florianopolis is considered safe by Brazilian standards, and has a population of around half a million, which puts it near the bottom of the 50 most populous cities in the country. And did I mention that it has 42 beaches!

Florianopolis (also know as Floripa) is located in southern Brazil and is a popular summer vacation spot for Argentinians, but fortunately for me most schools went back into session this week. Perfect time to be here!

I elected to take a taxi to the airport. Very un-cheap of me, I know! Basically, when I’m going to the airport I want to be confident I’ll get there in a timely manner. And to take the bus, like I did on arrival, would require the use of a taxi for part of the trip anyway (from the hotel to the central bus terminal). So, the ride ended up costing me about $25 (ugh!).

The departure hall at Buenos Aires International Airport. My trip consisted of a short two hour non-stop flight.

This is painful to say, but I ended up taking a taxi from Hercílio Luz International Airport in Florianopolis to my hotel. Twice in one day, come on!! Basically, there were no other viable options (although, I have since discovered Uber is in play here, so maybe I’ll try that when I depart). So there’s another $15 to one of my least favorite service industry groups (although, to be fair, the performance of both drivers I had today was commendable).

My hotel
A mini-apartment
$65/night, including a nice breakfast buffet

Thursday, March 5 – Florianopolis

Most of the beaches here are not within walking distance of my hotel, so today I decided to concentrate on exploring the city center (with its many examples of colonial architecture) on foot.

Palacio Cruz e Sousa, an 18th century palace that is now a museum
Historic city center
Our Lady of Exile and St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral, ca 1908
I had another lucky timing moment today! Walking through Praça XV de Novembro (a park adjacent to the cathedral), I noticed this trio setting up their equipment, so I sat on a bench and waited for their performance. And what a backdrop. That tree is amazing!
They were awesome (even if I couldn’t understand the lyrics!)! I took these two pictures early in their performance. The area was soon packed. The guy on the right is a drummer; he’s sitting on his kit! It was pretty cool. There’s a microphone inside the box, and tapping near the top sounds like a snare, while banging lower mimics a bass.
A pedestrian street next to the park
Igreja São Francisco
Mercado Público de Florianópolis – Central Market with shops, stalls, and restaurants
Inside the Central Market
Outdoor stalls
Ponte Hercílio Luz – bridge connecting Santa Catarina Island (where Florianopolis is located) to the mainland
The north shore of Florianopolis…
…it has nice pathways for bikes and pedestrians

6 thoughts on “JE 51”

    1. Thanks Holly! I’ll be back in BA at the end of next week, so I’ll probably head back to Armenia then!

      Reply

    1. Thanks Kari! When I was there last year I had sarma, pilaf, and baklava. It was all very good, so I’ll likely go with the same when I return.

      Reply

    1. Nice to hear from you Ed! Thanks for the comment! It has been a pretty low-key trip so far, and I plan to keep it that way!

      Reply

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