First Night Out

This last week has been exhausting, emotionally draining, stressful, but also thrilling and exciting. 
Saying good-bye to our housekeeper Angela has been especially heart-breaking. She had been with us for five years, helping us out once a week. When I drove her home on our last day in Teixeira, she sobbed all the way, thanking us over and over for our generosity and for treating her as an equal. 
The trip from Teixeira to Arraial was smooth and easy, even with four dogs and two cats on board. We spent our first full day in Arraial unpacking and sweating. Then, at the end of the day, we went downtown to celebrate our arrival with fantastic food and aching bodies. 

Arraial is very different from Teixeira, also very colourful, but much cleaner and more organized. And full of tourists at this time of year. I had no idea where to point my camera. The main photo shows the restaurant we ate at, the first extra is a shot from the front of another restaurant. In the background you can see the church of Nossa Senhora d'Ajuda with a very simple Nativity scene in one of its windows. The second extra shows our "little" daughter.
Everything still feels very new.