Ahoy hoy,
Good to hear from you post-Nice; hope you're all hanging in there and looking forward to your respective holidays. We had ours last week, taking off to remote Monte Verde for a few days on a whim - mainly to put some distance between ourselves and a constantly yapping dog from our neighbourhood. And very quaint and peaceful it was too: having urged the car up an almost-vertical dirt track, we settled in to a chalet complete with en-suite jacuzzi, fireplace, breakfast in bed and mountain view, napping almost immediately.
During our many ventures into town - basically one main street crammed with fondue restaurants, stray horses, lesser-spotted Brazilian squirrels, wineries, cheeseries, clothes shops and Swiss architecture - we sampled the local apfelstrudel and raspberry ice cream, checked out the eerily empty ice rink, listened in on the dozens of cover bands playing in restaurants and bars night and day (presumably until they pay their debt to society), stopped by the chocolate factory for some "primulas" (basically fancy pão de mel with dulce de leche filling), and ate pea soup from a hollowed out loaf of bread in a tavern full of local brews. A particular source of amusement were the couples who had arrived in the mountains determined to sport their finest woolen winter-wear, despite temperatures remaining stubbornly in the mid-20s.
On the second day there we took in a hungry cat that stayed the night with us; we were thinking of bringing it back to São Paulo for adoption, until it was scared into hiding by someone throwing stones and we had no choice but to leave it behind, to much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Otherwise Monte Verde was a sunny, dog-and-child-free haven of fondue and fun, which I would heartily recommend (although when we go back I want a go on the
zipwire...).
Since then we've been to the in-laws for Brazilian-style raclette - substituting potatoes for MEAT, which I'm all for - and checked out a highly posh café in the Zona Sul, complete with high tea and scones (actually they were out of scones, but still...); both of which would have been headline blog news any other entry, but 'twas no ordinary week. I've also started what will probably turn out to be a very ordinary week back at work, but there are open mics and other such happenings afoot, so stay tuned!
My phrase of the week literally means "furry heart", an almost affectionate way of referring to nasty, spiteful people (or just anyone who woke up on the wrong side of bed). I liked the image, and have included a Super Furry Animals song on
this week's compilation accordingly.
Speak soon!
Fred
