Every Brazilian LOVES soccer!

At a very early age every Brazilian has to make a huge decision that is supposed to last for the rest of their lives: to choose the soccer team that he or she will support forever.

And when I say forever, it really means following that team for better or worse until the end of one´s life. In my family is not different. I was born into a Figueirense family.

On this island you can either be Figueirense or Avai, and whichever you choose you have to hate each other on the field. Figueira and Avai´s rivalry has been going on for over a century. And believe me, it is the healthiest rivalry that I´ve heard of.

Well, but lets leave Figueira and Avai aside because that´s not the case for this evening. Last Saturday, my father took us to a Figueira game against Juventus, from Jaragua do Sul, a city north of Florianopolis.

Most of us (my dad, Mike, Ana, Vitor and I) have been to a stadium to watch soccer games many times before. Actually, my dad does not miss a Figueira game on the island.

But for Rodrigo (my nephew who was visiting from Blumenau), Marcia and Carol (both from Floripa), it was the first time ever that they went to a live game.
Check out their enthusiasm...

It doesn´t matter how small or how weak the competitor is... it is nerve racking right at the beggining!

There is an old Brazilian saying: "Soccer is a box of surprises," meaning anything can happen!

Going to a soccer game is much nicer now than when I was a kid. Back then the stadium was a place for "machos" and definately not a "family activity."

But now parents and grandparents are very comfortable to bring their kids to experience this amazing and loud event.

These ladies sitting in front of us even created their own Figueira support team - just for women- whose uniform is pink.

Today soccer brings all ages and people together to the stands in Brazil!

The fun part is to "push" the team! It works!

A very common scene in stadiums: the little radio glued to the ear, playing the local radio station´s announcer narrating every move of the game.

Normally the person who brings the little radio shares information with people around him, since there are no replays when soccer is watched live!

If Figueira wins today, it will be the leader of the State´s championship for now.

The kids follow it with lots of attention.

Finally the most anticipated moment: the gooooooaaaaaaallllllllllllllll!!!!!

Figueirense 1 x 0 Juventus

And again...

Figueirense 2 x 0 Juventus

By this point, the supporters are going crazy!!!

And before the first half ends, another goooooaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!

Figueirense 3 x 0 Juventus

More celebration!

It is the second half and the kids have another reason to jump up and down and yell:

Goooooaaaaalllllllllll!!!!!!!!

Figueirense 4 x 0 Juventus

This is Wilson, our goalkeeper.

He is the hero of the evening because Figueira gets a shutout and just before the game was over he makes us jump with excitement one more time.

Wilson scored the last goal and the kids had one of the best evenings of their lives!

End of the game:

Figueirense 5 x 0 Juventus

The fantastic result calls for a celebration.

Doto Ney (my dad) is so happy to see such an spectacle that he is buying "churrasquinho de gato" (shish kekab) for everyone!!!!

Figueeeeeeiiiiiiraaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

We all got home very tired and fell asleep right away.

Figueira has a long way to go to become the State champion again.

Marcia and Carol (remember they´ve never been to a stadiun before this) can´t wait to see Figueira´s next match!

Santo Antonio de Lisboa

Another beautiful day... another beautiful beach...

Mike and I took Thursday afternoon to visit one of my favourite places on the island, the community of Santo Antonio de Lisboa, about 15 minutes by car from downtown Florianopolis (about 13 kilometers). This is a very quiet and small neighbourhood with lots of character.

The construction still preserves the influence of the local colonizers, the Azoreans. And the area attracts many artists who make this place even more special with their ceramics, paintings, and many other kinds of art. Sitting by the water, drinking a beer and eating mussels makes you feel at least 10 years younger. It is so relaxing...

I enjoy it even more off season.

This community was one of the first settlements when the Portuguese immigrants, coming from the Azorean Islands arrived in the middle of the 18th century. Back then, Santo Antonio de Lisboa was the most important part of the island, since it had a harbour and goods were traded here. Today, only the architecture still tells a bit of that time. Local residents are really proud of being able to save part of the community´s history through some of the buildings.

There is a huge artistic community here. Artcraft stores are everywhere.

Tourists are also happy to bring home something pretty that reminds them of this magical place.

The place is also known for its great seafood restaurants.

Many families still rely on fishing as their main source income.

If you ever come to Florianopolis, I highly recommend an evening in Santo Antonio, with oysters and mussels, their best seafood.

And I don´t have to say it, but beer is always a perfect compliment.

I could spend hours photographing these old buildings.

Even though the Azorean colonization happened more than two centuries ago, people here are extremelly proud of their roots. Peharps places like this are "more Azorean" with its roots than the Azores. I guess what I am trying to say is that old traditions have been kept here over many generations. Maybe some would surprise the residents of today´s Azores.

This is an everyday scene: fishermen in action.

It is just so nice to see locals still doing what they have been doing for over 250 years, without being hassled.

But it used to be better, they say. Fish were more abundant here.

Today they have another way of making their living, cultivating mussles and oysters.

Santa Catarina State is the biggest mussels producer in Brazil.

This photo bellow shows some of the mussel culture in Santo Antonio.

How do you like their office?

If they are not out there fishing, the fishermen are either cleaning their catch or working on their nets for the next day. A very long and precise art.

This fellow here had enough of the heat.

He deserves a break in the shade too, right?

Saint Anthony is everywhere. It´s his place afterall...

One of the world´s best combinations: beach and Havaianas.

And off he goes, looking for another one.

I can´t get tired of watching him...

I actually envy this gentleman.

I wish I could be as content as he looks doing the same ritual everyday!

Lagoa and Barra da Lagoa

Happy anniversary, Florianopolis!

On March 23 Santa Catarina´s capital celebrated another anniversary. The city is 284 years old and we commemorated with Floripa´s best: going to the beach. Since the kids were out of school, we all went to Lagoa da Conceicao (the island´s biggest lagoon) and Barra da Lagoa, on the eastern coast of the island. Here are some pictures of these two pieces of paradise:

View from Lagoa´s Hill of Lagoa da Conceicao and Joaquina beach further in the back.

A quiet day at Lagoa da Conceicao.

Rendeiras.

An artesan doing "Renda de Bilro", a very popular art in Florianopolis. It´s been in our culture for a couple of hundreds of years and it used to be passed from mother to daughter. Back then, the men were fishermen and the women used to stay behind, waiting from them, doing "rendas" and socializing.

But with the industrialization, the art started to die. Now the piece of "rendas" and the "rendeiras" (the artisan women) are along the Rendeiras Avenue in Lagoa for tourist to see. It takes too long and too much effort to do a piece of this art, therefore it is not worthy for the women to sell them. Too bad, because it is a beautiful art and huge part of the island´s customes.

Vitor and Carol enjoying this beautiful day!

FROM WIKIPEDIA:
It is a district located within a large lagoon of the same name near the centre of Florianopolis. The area has a small town centre, with a medical clinic, post office, pharmacies, supermarkets, boutique stores and specialty shops. The town gets particularly crowded during the Brazilian summer vacation month of January and February.

Still the lagoon, seeing the other side.

After Lagoa, we drove by Mole Beach, famous for its good surfing conditions. Down the hill we encountered Barra da Lagoa Beach. This is a more calm one, perfect for families. There are a variety of shops and restaurants and this beach gets pretty busy on weekend and holidays.

The Canal da Barra is a channel connecting the lagoon to the ocean.

Pleasure fishing with "tarafa", a net to catch fish.

This is still a very popular practise on the island.

Althought today was the first autumm day in Brazil, the temperatures were high: almost 30 degrees.

Pousadas are the cheapest way to stay here. They are like hostels, generally owned by local families. The prices go from $20 to $100 a night and the places normally serve breakfast. Great deals!

Another fishermen using a rod.

Another view from the Canal (channel).