Sunday evening at Ribeirao da Ilha

Sunday evenings can be a boring time everywhere in the world.

But my nephew, niece and I had an amazing end of weekend at Ribeirao da Ilha.

Ribeirao da Ilha is the second oldest neighborhood in Florianopolis, after Santo Antonio de Lisboa. This area was colonized by the Azoreans in the second half of the 18 century.

The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and it was just impossible to ignore it. After visiting the little village, we had dinner on this deck, at a locally owned restaurant.

This is the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Lapa (Our Lady of Lapa Church) opened in 1806. It was built by land owners and slaves with rocks, lime and whale oil, coming from Armacao Beach (a place not too far from here, where whales used to be hunted).

The church and the houses around it, typically Azorean, have been preserved since 1975, by a municipal cultural preservation law.

The kids loved playing on the trees!!

It really feels like a magical little town.

This is one of the best places to see the Azorean influence on the island.

It is like going back on time when cars didn´t exist, men used to fish and women did everything else in the house.

During high season, Ribeirao da Ilha receives many tourists.

Besides the history, they come for good food.

Like Santo Antonio de Lisboa, this place is also known for its mussels and oysters production.

This Sunday evening the streets were quiet, making it even closer to what I imagine this place was almost 300 years ago.

Another little monkey...

The only restaurant opened this evening was "Ostra da Ilha."

The place was magical with a deck and rustic lamps hanging over the tables.

Great decoration!

We chose to seat at the end of the deck, listening to the water moving and watching a couple of fishermen catching their food at night.

We had this wonderful fresh fish fingers...

... and my favourite seafood ever: marisco ao bafo, or steamed mussels.

My nephew Vitor and I ate 1kg in a few minutes. This plate costs only R$14 (CAN$7).

I could seat here eating fresh mussels all night long!