Brasil!

To celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary this year, we took a trip to Brazil! We spent part of the time in Florianopolis where Brandon served his mission, and then visited Iguazu Falls. The whole trip was amazing!

We started out in the international terminal of Dulles airport and the Brazilian flag was near our gate!

Layover in Panama!

Travel with all the driving before and after the airplanes ended up being about 21 hours! So after we made it to our rental condo we slept in before venturing out for brunch at Tekapo. Loved the limeade and cheese bread and avocado toast!

We went to Joaquina beach, first to the sand dunes to go boarding

And then to the beach side, so beautiful!

We went to a restaurant in Barra da Lagoa called O Timoneiro for dinner, we had amazing oyster au gratin and fun emoji juices

Sunday we went to church in Rio Tavares, an area Brandon had served in. Twenty years ago the branch had met in a small home, now there is a large ward and beautiful chapel! Brandon was able to share his testimony. The members loved chatting with him, and we also got to meet a family visiting from Chile, who know my mission president from the Santiago temple presidency.

Later we visited Lagoa da Conceição as well as the downtown central market and plazas. There were oversized Easter decorations and mini carnival rides for the kids

One of the plazas had some fun landscaping and topiary as well as an old and huge fig tree that you're supposed to walk around three times for luck -so we did!

This shop right by the plaza looked like Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!

Dinner at Trattoria Carbone-they decorated our table with rose petals and we had delicious food and excellent service. The complex of buildings that is now the restaurant and various shops used to be a lace factory. Some of the original machines are on display and it was very impressive!

Then we went to the famous Hercilio Luz suspension bridge that connects the island of Florinaopolis to the mainland. It's closed to vehicles on Sundays so we walked across and back. Amazing views!

I'm good Floripa!

The next day we went to Armação beach. We rode a boat over to the little island Isla do Campeche. The beach was very beautiful with completely clear water. We spent some time on the beach, but we had to watch out for coatis, little raccoon-like critters who have no fear of humans. We saw at least three coati thefts of beach snacks! Everyone had to keep a close eye on their stuff and shoo the critters away. Besides the beach, the island features a jungle and rock formations with trails to explore. We took a guided hike up and over the middle of the island and saw evidence of the ancient inhabitants. They carved geometric designs into the rock which was cool to see. The hike had some beautiful views of the ocean and the rocks that form the island. 

some Coatis on the trail

Dinner at Vizu Parilla- owned by Uruguayans! We enjoyed delicious Caprese cheese appetizer and steaks and alfajores for dessert!

The next day was our tour of beaches all around the island! We enjoyed sunrise right outside our vacation rental at Novo Campeche beach. There were some early surfers already enjoying the waves!

Then we visited the beach at Barra da Lagoa and then hiked over to the smaller beach and natural pools. Definitely got some good exercise!

We got some breakfast pastries and souvenirs before heading to the next beach, Praia dos Ingleses. It's a favorite beach of Argentinian tourists, so many vendors spoke Spanish! 

Jurerê was our next stop. More upscale neighborhood with an outdoor shopping area with pricey apartments above. We chilled on the Jurerê beach for a little while; this beach was also pretty busy and the water was good for small kids or for people just wanting to hang out without having to worry about big waves. 

Next stop: Daniela Beach! Also a very chill and calm beach. The sand between the water and the bushes is more narrow but the beach is pretty long. One side had a natural baby pool and also some tide pools. 

Final beach: Santo Antônio de Lisboa to watch the sunset. We packed a lot in between sunrise and sunset! This beach was bordered by lots of restaurant outdoor seating to take advantage of the sunset view. The water was very calm and mostly filled with boats! The sunset was beautiful but a little cloudy kind of like the sunrise haha! 

It was a great day of touring the beaches! We made our way back to the center of the island to try  Pizzaria Nave Mãe for dinner. We got one big pizza to share, but three different flavors: shrimp, crab and chocolate strawberry. It was delicious and a great way to end the evening. 

The next morning we left Florinaopolis early in the morning to fly to Iguazu Falls. Once we arrived our tour guide Alex picked us up and took us to the Bird Park and the Brazilian side of the falls. It was so amazing!

We also took a boat ride to one of the smaller waterfalls along the side of the river and the captain drove us right into the falling water! We were prepared with goggles and it was so fun!

That evening we got some sugar cane juice at a little shop and then dinner at a churrascaria rodizio (buffet with the meat on swords served table side!)

The next morning Alex took us to the Argentinian side of the Falls. We ended up walking about five miles of trails to different view points. So many amazing views!

We went to an elegant steak house for dinner with yummy drinks, steaks and desserts

Our final morning in Brazil, we wandered the town before we had to leave for the airport 

More Caldo de Cana!

Very cool murals

This one depicts the legend of Iguazu Falls, where a giant snake god caused a great earthquake when he was denied the sacrifice of a beautiful native woman who ran away with her lover.

This neighborhood had beautiful trees with cacti and succulents growing right on the trunks and branches!

Our amazing tour guide Alex and driver Anastasia

It was fun to see this restaurant "House of Cheese Bread" at the airport! 

We had smooth travels including a layover in Rio de Janeiro, an overnight flight back to DC and a car ride home. We loved our trip but were also glad to be back home with the family. We couldn't have done it without Grandma Carol's help!