Sao Paulo

We are in town for my friend’s wedding. Great couple of days so far in Sao Paulo. We had no problems on our flight here. Although many of our companions had issues due to the brazilian airline Varig going out of business. When we arrived at the hotel we were to call our friend Fe’s mom. When we called the phone we would keep getting some standard Portuguese message and then ended up “obrigado” and hung up. After many tries, we just decided to eat dinner around the block from the hotel. We ordered a recommended dish off the menu. It was a greasy chicken with cheese on the top. Not a memorable meal so far…
The day before the wedding a group of us americanos decided to take a van tour around Sao Paulo. It was set up by Fe’s relatives. The guide requested was an English speaking guide. A few minutes into the tour we realize that the guide barely knew any english and our brazilian portugese was very poor. He referred to things as the “big church” and called the market “big mac”. It actually became quite funny with the group. He kept trying to speak spanish to me and kept telling my friend Kevin that he spoke good portugese.

Futbol on everywhere

That evening we attended the bridal shower for Fe. It was at a family members condo (if I remember correctly). The condos were nice and highly secure (I guess they have to be in Sao Paulo). We were buzzed into a secure holding area and after the doors shut firmly behind us, we were let into the grounds of the condos. Note: At the time there was high crime in Sao Paulo – Fe, Fe’s mother, and cousin were robbed of their cell phones and purses at a traffic light prior to our arrival – thus explaining why were were unable to contact them.
The shower was co-ed and attended by all of the family and friends (grandparents and kids alike). After attending the shower we attended a bar together.

Secure gate

The next day the wedding did not begin until 8 or 9 in the evening so Carlos and I did some wandering around alone. At some point in the trip we ended up at a typewriter museum??? Our attempts to speak Portuguese were useless. No one could understand a word we said. Even pointing to pictures on a menu wouldn’t work because there were always more questions to be answered after we pointed.

The ceremony was in a beautiful church. The pictures I took did not do it justice.

Following the ceremony was an all night reception with a samba band and dancers. It was loads of fun. Unfortunately we booked and early morning flight to Rio so we only stayed until 4 am.

Note some of the wedding pics provided were actually taken by Kevin’s friend Chris, another guest at the wedding.

Second Running attempt

This Saturday I ran another race. I completed the 2 miler in record time for myself. I still cannot run the entire course yet but I am improving so that is all I can ask for. I will be taking a break from races this week because I will be off in Colorado attempting to ski and snowboard. This trip should prove to be very challenging for me. I have had a total of 2 hours skiing time and 4 hours snowboarding time in my whole life. I think lessons are in the near future :). I am excited though, don’t get to see much snow in the Sunshine State. Before my trip, still have much to do. Have personal trainer session today, volleyball playoffs tomorrow and I have to pack sometime. Later…..

Note: This post was transferred from an old online journal but helps chronicle my fitness journey.

I beat my time!!!

Last Saturday I completed my first 5k on my own. No distractions so I was able to go at my own pace. I was hoping to at least match my best time on the treadmill which is 45 minutes so far. I wasn’t really timing myself except when they called out the times at each mile markers. During the race I kept repeating what my trainer had told me on Friday, “You need to work on your endurance”. I repeated this while pushing myself to run more and more. I sprinted at the end and discovered that I had not only met my 45 minute goal, I had actually beat it by 5 minutes. So happy!
I have been trying to get into running all the local races as a means to get constant exercise. Previously I attempted to keep in shape by playing team sports a couple times a week. I found that softball and volleyball were not giving me level of exercise that I need. Who knows if I will keep up with this running thing. For now, running races gives me weekly goals to work at. This upcoming Saturday, I will be running a 2 mile – time to start training 🙂

Note: This post was transferred from an old online journal but helps chronicle my fitness journey.

Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

Just got done making my “spread” that I am bringing to Christie and George’s Party tomorrow. It is so yummy. I made it at the last party that I had at my home. It was a big hit so I decided to post the recipe for everyone.

Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, oil reserved (My publix has them in the produce section)

3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 cup fresh parsley leaves

2 to 4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup pine nuts (usually in the Asian section of publix)

Fresh ground pepper

Crackers or bread rounds (I prefer cut fresh publix Italian bread)

1. Combine tomatoes, olives, parsley, garlic, and pine nuts in bowl of a food processor. Pulse to blend. Add enough reserved oil to achieve spreadable consistency. Season with pepper.
2. Serve with crackers or bread rounds.

3 cups about 12 servings
Calories: 70, Fat: 6 g

You make this, you will be popular at your next gathering.
Enjoy.

Villa Cimbrone & Ravello

Today we visited the town of Ravello. Ravello is not too far above the town of Amalfi but due to the curvy roads required to get there, it is about a 30 minute trek. We walk along narrow streets like we had seen before in Capri. Although the streets here are more narrow and have much more character than Capri which is highly commercial and crowded with tourist shops. I took pleasure in walking the streets that contained many villas and hidden restaurants. Gardens are every where. Vines with ivy and flowers line many pathways. During our bus ride there, I viewed many lemon trees, many of which used to make Italy’s famous Limoncello drink. We were able to sample this drink today from a store that produced it. Limoncello is at the same time bitter and sweet. We are told that it is made from the seeds of lemons and then fermented.
A woman sitting next to us at lunch recommended that we visit the Villa Cimbrone. The villa is surrounded by many gardens. A trail through a wooded area in front gives a spectacular view of the water. At the end of the path was a statue of a man with a little boy on his shoulders. We soon reached another courtyard – a beautiful rose garden. We pass two more gardens, one with two statues and another with a fountain one end and another with a huge covered patio. The greatest of all was a rainbow of flowers that appear along the path back to the house.
After the villa, we take the bus back to Amalfi to catch the ferry to Salerno. From Salerno, we catch the overnight train to La Spezia (6 hour ride!). Could spend at least 5 more days here.