This past Saturday we went with a group from the Consulate to the Strawberry and Flower Festival in Atibaia. First, we went to see a flower farm that sells locally here in Brazil. This was an interesting experience since we went to a flower farm in Colombia. The Colombian farm was much larger and focused mainly on the exportation of flowers. However, the greenhouses looked similar and the beauty of the flowers was just as unforgettable.
A greenhouse for roses.
After lunch, we went to the festival. There was a tent with incredible displays of flowers and fruit. My favorite flowers were the orchids. It is worth noting that the large Japanese immigrant population here in Sao Paulo has heavily influenced this niche market and therefore much of the celebration revolved around the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil. The next part of the festival centered on strawberries. It looked kind of like a county fair in the U.S. except the air was filled with the scent of strawberries (instead of something else!). The strawberries were absolutely amazing. There were rows of vendors selling strawberries in a variety of different ways. The kid’s favorite was the chocolate “soup” with strawberries. The least favorite was a Japanese treat called Moti – I think. They pounded some sort of starch with strawberries into dough and then filled it with chocolate and strawberries. AJP, who will eat anything with strawberries and chocolate, asked if he had to eat any more after just one bite.
1 comment:
Beautiful!
Also, I saw Anthony Bourdain covering Japan a little while back and I watched it because you said you liked him. I enjoyed it. (Much better than Rick Steves...)
And I haven't forgotten about your entry-way, though you're probably already past that. You really do have a tough situation. I think I would want to put in a small bench (it looks like there's one wall in the octagon that's big enough) and hang a large chalkboard (or paint on some chalkboard paint in a pretty color and nice silhouette). Then, I'd leave a couple of pails of chalk for the kids to use for coloring. You can make your own chalkboard paint (I'll send you instructions if you want), or buy some in either green or black (at least in the US). If you make your own board, you can put it behind a really cool frame. Anyway--I think it would personalize the space, and entertain the kids as well as guests. You could even make the chalkboard magnetic, but if you start hanging things it might start looking too cluttered. When we own, I want to paint a chalkboard onto a wall in our house in some kind of cool shape... I've seen trees in magazines.
Post a Comment