Homage to the Past

We all slept in today, and we needed it after yesterday! It was rainy and a bit cool, so Mike and I decided to take "the kids" into Centro. We were a bit unsure because it's Corpus Christi (ie. a holiday) and Centro, being used only for business, can be dangerous when deserted. But fortunately there were many tourists about and the students got to see the Cathedral of St. Sebastian and the Candelabria. The street in front of the Cathedral was full of gorgeous murals made of sand and stones (reminded me of the felt banners we made for first communions) honoring Corpus Christi and World Youth Day (which will be hosted by Brazil in 2013 I think).

Also very fortunate, my roommate is in town and is staying with some very nice Brazilians she met through couchsurfing. They met us in Centro and took us to the very excellent Confeituria Colombo- a gorgeous restaurant lined with mirrors that serves some very wonderful doces and salgados (but the deserts go FAST. I was drooling over a tray full of strawberry tortelletes but by the end of lunch, they were all gone.) I think the IRES students enjoyed it, even though we didn't get to the museums as planned (I think only Mike was disappointed about that). And they got to talk to a "real live Brazilian!" :) Tonight is another night of rest. It feels like Saturday somehow.

Oh, I should also note... I got distracted by the things that happened today... with this picture I wanted to highlight the pretty buildings in Centro (reminiscent of NOLA perhaps? Wrought-iron "porches" and pretty colors) as well as the old Polaroid one of the students brought with him. He let me take some pictures- it's a very mechanical type of camera and perhaps relatively expensive ($10 per 10-photo film pack) but a lot of fun. I just thought it was cool.