28 Oct WITMARSUM – 27 OCTOBER 2017 – TRAVEL DIARY

Talking to friends and family, I realized that there’s this confusion: the capital of Brazil is Brasilia and of Bolivia is Sucre; that, in case you we going to answer in an instant that they were Rio de Janeiro and La Paz.

Now that this is settled, wait to see what’s next. By now we must have traveled around 1000km in Brazil, in wonderful state Parana which is a big natural park. Everything is green, nothing is arid. Free parrots, butterflies, birds, I’ve already told you about all these.

As we were driving today going to see a waterfall, we made a left turn and we entered Germany. German supermarket with German products, restaurants, bakeries, it all looked like a little town up North in Germany.

We bought sauerkraut and borsch, in Brazil, if you believe that. We want to cook a ciorba de perisoare (meatballs sour soup) on Saturday like my mother-in-law cooks.

Not that I praise my mother-in-law, but my Mom really doesn’t cook that good. She is so bad that the kids avoid to visit her lest she should give them anything to eat 🙂

I am sorry, Mom, I know you read this, you know I love you! And it’s not your fault, you know! 🙂

Let’s get back to our groceries in Witmarsum. Out of the supermarket, we head to the tourist info point. We cross the little square and enter the little Bavarian house that was under repair.

We ask what we could visit around here and we find that the museum is closed, only opens on Saturday, but we could try the restaurants in the area, they are of German – Russian – Ukrainian – Polish influence and also a little Dutch flavor!

We could use a little gourmet so we entered the town’s confectionery, famous in the area and with a tradition of 25 years. Waffles, apple strudel, pineapple / maracuja / mango/ chocolate cakes… what a treat. The children found wi-fi so they skype’d their grandmother who asked baffled:

“I thought that in Brazil people have darker colored skin and since you’ve been there for a month when I talked to you I haven’t seen one such person”

“Grandma, neither have we!”

On our way back we saw that the museum was open for a group of students. As in our family we talk, we say what’s our minds and each has the freedom to choose, Carla and Lavinia entered the museum together with the students for a spoonful of history while I and the rest went to try a spoonful of gastronomy.

Some are hungry for information while some are hungry for real.

Carla found very interesting the history of Mennonites that she had already met in Paraguay and liked the teacher – character that told them all about the Mennonites since their beginning to present days. The tour took around 4 hours!

With full tummies and minds we headed back to the riverside, we were exhausted after our walk into town.

***

Tot vorbind cu prietenii si familia de pe acasa, mi-am dat seama ca exista o mare confuzie. Capitala Braziliei este Brasília iar capitala Boliviei este Sucre; asta in caz ca ati fi sarit cu doua degete in sus cu intentia de a rosti Rio de Janeiro si La Paz.

Daca am lamurit-o pe asta, stati sa o vedeti pe urmatoarea.

Pana in prezent sa fi tot parcurs vreo mie de km  prin minunatul stat Brazilian, Parana, care este de fapt un mare parc natural. Totul  este verde, nimic sec, nimic!

Papagali liberi, fluturi, pasari, v-am mai povestit de minunatiile astea deja. In fine, cum iar am facut stanga astazi pentru  a urmari o cascada, pac, iar ne trezim in Germania.

Supermarket cu produse nemtesti, restaurante, cofetarii, brutarii, ce sa mai parea un mic orasel de prin nordul Germaniei. Am cumparat varza murata si bors daca va vine sa credeti.

Vrem sa ne delectam sambata cu o ciorba de perisoare ca la soacra-mea acasa. Si nu ca o laud pe soacra mea dar mama, chiar gateste groaznic, credeti-ma. Gateste atat de prost incat copiii nu vor sa o vizitam de frica sa nu-i serveasca cu ceva!

Scuza-ma mama, stiu ca citesti, te iubesc mult. Sa stii ca nu e vina ta! 🙂

Sa revenim la muraturile noastre cumparate din Witmarsum. Iesiti din supermarket, ne indreptam atentia catre punctul de informatii pentru turisti. Traversam piateta si in cativa pasi intram in casuta bavareza in curs de reamenajare.

Intrebam cam ce s-ar putea vizita si stangaci ne spun ca muzeul este deschis doar sambata si ca am putea incerca restaurantele din zona; sunt cu specifig germano-ruso-ucraineano-polonez cu atingeri olandeze!

Nu spunem ca nu duceam lipsa delicateselor asa ca am dat iama in cofetaria oraselului, cica celebra in zona si cu o vechime de 25 de ani in prepararea propriilor creatii de patiserie/ cofetarie. Waffles, strudel cu mere, torturi cu ananas, maracuja, mango, ciocolata, pfiu… ce desfatare.

Copiii cum au prins net, hop pe skype cu mamaie, care surprinsa intreaba: – Mama, dar parca in Brazilia erau negri sau mulatri iar de cand vorbesc cu voi de o luna, nu am vazut unul!

Mamaie, nici noi!

La intoarcere vedem muzeul deschis pentru un grup de  studenti. Cum la noi in familie se discuta, se comunica si avem libertatea sa alegem in functie de curiozitatea fiecaruia, Carla cu Lavinia au intrat impreuna cu studentii pentru un polonic de istorie timp in care eu impreuna cu restul copiilor  am plecat sa incercam un polonic de gastronomie.

Pe unii ii paleste foamea de informatie pe altii chiar ii paleste foamea la propriu! Carlei i-a placut foarte mult introducerea in lumea menonitilor cu care se familiarizase deja in Paraguay si i-a placut foarte mult de profesorul-personaj, care a povestit toata istoria Menonitilor de la inceputuri si pana in prezent. Vreo 4 ore cu pauza!

Cu burtile si mintile pline ne-am  retras langa rau, pentru ca ne-a obosit orasul tare rau!