Celebrating Father’s Day (in Brazil).

Betty at Seward Co Op

Heading to the “beach”

16 mile bike ride through Minneapolis

I simply loved Minneapolis! The city was so green and organized, on my Standards, for a big city. I hadn’t noticed until then, I love nature and all, but I love the city and its excitement too. Big modern buildings blending in with historic architecture, and the hot summer night air blending in with the smell of street food.

By the time we had arrived in Minneapolis, the sun was setting, so we just parked somewhere and strolled around downtown in search for a restaurant. It was around 9 pm, but most of the stores were still open and there were so many people out in the streets. A city that offered as much options of entertainment during the night as during the day. We all agreed on sushi, which was excellent, and watched Brazil vs. some-other-team play soccer. We ended up sleeping on a neighborhood that night.

Next morning was extremely hot and sunny, so we went on a bike ride around town, mom and I were supposed to meet up with my sister and dad, but we accidently got lost and only found them two hours later. While biking through the park´s trail, which extended through Minneapolis, we noticed how many trees there were. Also, there were tiny creeks and lakes and the day was hot and much more humid than I´m used to(since I moved to WA state). It was just like Brazil and it felt so good. The trail kept going, edging the Mississippi River, which separates Minneapolis from St. Paul(the capital of Minnesota), until we ended up in the University of Minnesota. After a kind couple helped us, my mom and I finally met up with my dad and sister at the Seward Co Op for lunch. Well, while I was grabbing a salad, this lady approached me and asked “você é brasileira?” or “are you Brazilian?”. I just smiled at her and we talked for nearly an hour. The Brazilian lady, Betty, invited us to go to a Brazilian church later that night. After lunch we proceeded to bike, crossing the Mississippi and riding around the first neighborhoods of St. Paul. Luckily we found a great RV camp, with a pool (yaaaayy) and pretty much everything we needed. The showers were great and there was a laundry too (what a blessing!!), we quickly got ready for church. It was great to speak and hear Portuguese again and everyone was so nice and welcoming.

Next day before leaving Minneapolis, we parked by this park and walked to a swimming spot. It was pretty much a beach in the middle of a big city,n the water was super warm and the dark-yellow sand reflected the sun. After a couple of hours, we went to Whole Foods to go grocery shopping, which is honestly one of my absolute favorite things to do.