Serra da Estrela
We have been spending the last three weeks at a writer’s retreat in Cunha, Brazil—a small town between Sao Paulo and Rio. We are so happy: Rachel is working on her novel furiously, and Adam is playing music and composing songs, which he later hopes to record. When we’re not arting, we’re cooking—fresh veggies from the garden—on our wood-burning stove, or we’re taking photos for a book we’re compiling for Serra da Estrela’s owner, former journalist, Charles Barclay.
Rachel’s also got a new job writing articles for an online magazine on Getaway homes, a great gig to have while travelling the globe!
Hard at work!
There are cows, chickens, horses, and two dogs, one of which has adopted us as his new parents. Every evening he follows us back to our cottage to stand guard. Adam spends his mornings practicing Portuguese lessons, and while we’ve found some great books in English lying around, (The World According to Garp and Blindness), Adam has been devouring crime novel and suspense thrillers. He keeps asking Rachel, “What’s this guy’s angle? Does he have a broken past and a thirst for blood?” every time they meet some unsuspecting and innocent local.
We spent New Year’s Eve with a family of 28 from Sao Paulo. They were the nicest, most welcoming bunch of people we have met on our travels thus far. They served us hand-made pizza and grilled bananas in condensed milk (sprinkled with cinnamon), among other delicious things, and we stayed up until the wee hours singing Beatles songs.
In a week and a half, we’re meeting the Kushners in Cape Town for an African safari. The promise of family will be the only way to tear ourselves away from this paradise!
