Gotham City has the largest Japanese community in the world. Therefore many habits, products and foods were brought into the Brazilian society. One of them is Melon ice cream: Melona. It is so refreshing and tasty... the Dutch would say: heerlijk ! I wonder why it is not produced in other parts of the world. I would have one everyday during summer. 
On the photo: me and Mrs. Jane Murback during our breakfast at La Table. In a very Mediterranean sphere we enjoyed tropical fruits, muffins, scones and brioches disguised among the rich and beautiful of São Paulo.
Jane has posted today a hillarious text about our meeting in her blog.
We also made arrangements to meet next year in Holland. I suggested them to come during spring, when they can enjoy the bulb fields and it is not (freezy) cold.
Next to the restaurant there is a shop from L´Occitanne. After breakfast they gave us a ride to MASP and after a visit to the museum we took a metro to the Japanese district of Liberdade and later the Ibirapuera park. 
The night I arrived in Rio we took a taxi to Niterói. My family doesn´t live there but I do prefer spending one night or two in Niterói than in Rio, before going to my family. Why ? Because it is beautiful, there are great restaurants, amazing beaches, fewer tourists, fewer economical contrasts and much much less crime. Actually, people from Niterói never like other people spreading these facts. Then I stop praising about the city here.
After having breakfast the following day two friends of mine met me hubby and kids on the beach. Niterói faces Rio and has stunning views. The kids were having a great time jumping in the trampolines ont he sand and later drinking water from coconuts with straws. We then all decided it was time to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art to check some expositions.
I was walking around in Leblon, Rio, when I spotted this Dutch bike embelishing the entrance of a shop. Indeed, it belongs to the shop owner. Perfect pic for a a post in this blog ! 
Finally I´ve found some time to blog. I have come to Brazil especially for my brother´s wedding and also to visit my family and friends. However, blogland is a curious space. As I mentioned before here in this blog, I also write (in Portuguese only) to another blog called Inteirativa. It is a cultural blog made by a group of women journalists, designers, public relations, publicists, one famous actress... from all ages. I was invited to take part in it by a friend. Finally now during my vacations I had some time to go to Rio and meet the president director of the blog in flesh: Monica Angeleas and her mother Maria Lucia as well. Yes readers, I hadn´t met them personally before. Curious, huh ? They toured me and hubby in South zone of Rio (actually only the Leblon district) for an afternoon. But first there was lunch in botequin Jobi (see photo bellow. Ceci and Monica are happy about the choice of dried meat in flakes with pumpkin purée). The following day we met up in Maria Lucia´s place in Ipanema. You see her on the photo on the top of this post. 82 years old and very busy with body building, samba and salon dance lessons ! She also is an avid news reader and internet expert, always checking the last news about her relatives´lives via the net and discovering how things and gadgets work on the blog. She blogs also in Inteirativa. We discussed about improvements for the blog and how do we feel about certain subjects and comments. I think Monica still didn´t introduce her mother properly in the blog. So I do it now. An active woman who is also very aware of what is going on in the world and her community. And she uses the blog as a tool to express her disagreements, share good news and bring her life experience and perspective to everyone in a very democratic way.
1- It is the fifth biggest country in the world.
Um traço cultural estranhíssimo dos holandeses é como valorizam o aniversário de 50 anos das pessoas. Um homem ao fazer 50 anos é chamado de “Abraão” e a mulher de “Sara”. Também ridicularizam de forma humorística os aniversariantes colocando faixas e cartazes diante da casa, ou fotos da pessoa pelas ruas da vizinhança de onde mora . Acham engraçado, se divertem durante dias antes do acontecimento. As vezes colocam ate um boneco em frente a casa da pessoa, de óculos e barbicha branca. Eu hein ? Quero isso pra mim não !
Since the temperature has gone higher I have noticed these ads at bus stops. In a first moment I did not pay much attention and even did not get the picture. Early in the morning, a bit asleep to go to work, no patience to check posters or small letters of texts... Then I started to see it more and more. It is a bubble gum. A chewed buble gum on the floor with a lovely fucsia bow around it. The text says: "do not make of your trash, a gift to other people". Mmmm. Summer means more tourists and more people celebrating life on the streets... therefore more trash.
"Do not make of you fag a gift to someone else". I like such campaign A LOT because it is very visual and goes straight to the point. It is well humoured and calls a lot of attention - however I think it could be more useful to tourists if it was also in English. 
