I arrived at my new place a bit later than planned, but already with a nice impression of the city (is that an appropriate word for a metropolis of 11.1 million people in the city and 20,5 million in greater São Paulo?) just from the quick taxi ride into town.
It’s huge, but looked quite well-off, lots of high rising apartment buildings, and various different neighborhoods.
My hosts Guilherme and Egnaldo greeted me, showed me the house and my room and then took me on a whirlwind tour through the neighborhood (more good bars and restaurants within the next few blocks than days in town).
Then they took me to Praça Benedito Calixto, where every Sunday the Feirinha Gastronômica takes you on a culinary journey.
Spain, Italy, Turkey, India, Korea, Brazil, waffles from Holland, drinks and beers….
I hadn’t eaten anything all day and could have gotten something on every stand.
I will be back next Sunday. On Saturdays, on the same plaza there’s a flea market with stands for books, records, clothes and handmade items. I’s on my agenda.
São Paulo could not have made a better impression than this.
My hosts quickly introduced me the São Paulo’s Castro Street, with bars and little restaurants and the guys and girls drinking beer on the street to slowly end the weekend…
Final discovery: a 24h Bakery called Bella Paulista that serves delicious bread, sweets, desserts, ice cream, pizza… you name it.
São Paulo and I are off to a good start.
Now I want to visit São Paulo!
It’s a cool place. Very different from Rio in it’s vibe, but interesting. I’ll see if I can make a comparison at the end of the trip… seems like there’s an eternal rivalry between those cities…. What happens if there’s a football match between the two??