More Floripa

I wander down to breakfast quite late, a little after 9 AM. 

The offering is almost identical to my last hotel.Scrambled egg, omelette, chopped-up sausages, sold meats, cheese and fruit. One big difference - there's much better cheese. Stuff that actually has some flavour.

What to do today? Let's have a think. I should be able to entertain myself easily enough.

After a frustrating attempt at shaving, I decide a visit to a chemists would be a good idea. To get a razor that actually works. I'm sure I'll find one easily enough. There seemed to plenty of them yesterday. I head downtown.

It's weird that Black Friday is a thing here, too. How long has that been? It makes absolutely no sense anywhere but the USA. Everywhere else, it's just a random Friday.

One thing I did specifically check for was somewhere to buy cachaça for the kids. I found some wine shops a little out of the centre. But I'm a lazy git. I opt for a supermarket with a central location.

I spot a suitable chemist on my way. Soon, I'm the proud owner of some cheap plastic razors. Score. Now for the cachaça. 

The choice is greater than in the small supermarket. Around a dozen or so, at varying prices.Not wanting to be a cheapskate, I splash out 50 and 70 reals (8 and 12 euros). I'm relieved to get that done. I return to my hotel to store away my treasures.

I've decided that I fancy seafood for lunch. A quick search reveals that there a couple of suitable candidates in the central market. Perfect. That's a piece of piss to find. Always important when navigating a city without a map.

Fortunately, it isn't too crowded.

After wandering around a bit, I manage to find the two places I've earmarked. they're next door to each other. And one is closed. That's made my decision easy. Rancho da Ilha it is, then.

While I'm looking at the menu, I order an Eisenbahn American IPA. It's oxidised as hell. But at least the hops cover it up a bit.

I choose the cheapest set meal thing. A heap of carbs, some bits of fish, salad and black beans.

The fish is so overcooked it's rock-like surface is difficult to cut. Who cooks fish like this. I'm reminded of some of the meat dishes at the buffet. I assumed they had turned to leather by being kept warm. Now I suspect they were cooked like that.

Good chips, mind. And there's vinegar. Black beans I'm starting to appreciate. Especially mixed up with rice.I can't really complain. It was under 4 euros.

Bayer Bier is my early evening destination. The one in the centre, around the back of the cathedral. I get there just after it opens at 4 PM.

The original Bayer brewery was founded in 1921 and closed in the 1960s. Descendants reestablished the brand in 2015 and presumably get the beers contract brewed.

Tiny doesn't describe it. Café Belgique is spacious in comparison. One table is half inside, half out.  That one side of a table is the sum of the inside seating. All the rest is outside, some in rather perilous looking spots out in the road. I sit at a tiny high table. (You can see it on the left in the photo above.)

Again, I choose an IPA. This one is far better than the one at lunch. No oxidation. That's a relief. It's slipping down quite nicely.

A good job I'm under cover. It intermittently chucks it down with rain. Alternating with bright sunlight. Sometimes both at the same time. After another couple of  Eepas, as most here seem to call them, I'm ready for some food. They're out of my initial choice and I make do with onion rings. Very nice they are. Not overcooked.

I'm worrying about whether I'll need a Corona test to get back onto Holland. Travelling is so much fun right now.

When the sun starts to set, I call it a day and walk home. The city looks magical in the fading light. The giant murals coming to life.

 The cathedral shimmering gold.

 

On way walk back, I make a small diversion to the little corner place. Just a sandwich today. Exactly enough to fill that hunger hole.

Back in my room, I anxiously search through the Dutch government's website, trying to work out what the current requirements for entry are. I'm pretty sure that while they advise that you get a test, it isn't required. At least that's how I interpret it. Very stressful.

I attack the cachaça, seeking relief. There's still a whole lot of it left when sleep comes a knocking.
 

 

 

Restaurante Rancho da Ilha
Mercado Público - Rua Jerônimo Coelho, 60 Box 37S
Centro, Florianópolis - SC,
88010-030.
http://www.ranchodailha.com.br/

Bayer Bier - Centro
R. Anita Garibaldi, 93
Centro, Florianópolis - SC,
88010-500.
https://www.bayerbier.com.br/home