By Laura Gorecki, University of Nebraska – Lincoln and Jenna Vculek, North Dakota State University
The International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership (I-CAL) team started our journey of Brazil with an action packed day touring museums and eating way too much good food! We arrived at the airport in Rio de Janeiro at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. The weather was unusually cool for a fall morning in Brazil and of course we expected the humidity. We were greeted by our local hosts and translators, Alfredo and Marsha Navarro from the U.S. Grains Council. We are extremely excited to spend our time in Brazil with them and are grateful for their expertise and humor. After loading up our bus for the week we drove to Petropolis where we stopped for breakfast at Pavelka before we got into town. The group ordered sampler platters of fresh breads, meats, cheeses, sausage and papaya.
We toured the Imperial Museum located in Petropolis. The Imperial Museum was once the summer home to Brazil’s royal family. It was neat to see the rich history and the influence of other cultures in the design of the home. We enjoyed touring the gardens and watching folk dancers perform in the courtyard outside of the palace. We made a quick stop at a Catholic Cathedral just as Sunday Mass was concluding. The church’s architecture was breathtaking and set an example of the large role of Catholicism has played in Brazil’s history.
After eating lunch we toured the Bohemia Beer Museum of Brazil. We were all surprised to learn about the history and process of beer production in Brazil. We ate, once again, at an Italian restaurant with the choice of a pizza buffet, pasta dishes, or salad and soup. It is time to call it a night so we can rest up for another Brazilian adventure tomorrow!The group then had lunch at Bordeaux, a French restaurant set in a rustic refurbished horse stable. The restaurant was on the grounds of a historic house built with seven architectural errors. Lunch was extravagant and gave us a taste of the European influence on food in Brazil. The group could choose from bacon wrapped filet mignon or fish filet with authentic French side dishes and desert.
P.S. We may be coming home with a couple stray dogs! They seem particularly attracted to American tourists and love to pose for pictures.