Pretty Paraty

It was a full travel day from Iguazu Falls- flying out early in the afternoon to Sao Paulo and then driving a few hours to Paraty (or Parati). The flight delay didn't help and the windy roads at night in the back of a bus were too much for my tummy to handle. Imagine my surprise, after getting in at midnight, we awoke to this beautiful view out our window.

Mountains make me melt.



Since it was Valentine's Day, we decided to do our own thing. We made the 30 minute walk into the city, passing by normal Brazilian life along the way. We walked through the town center and straight to the water front. Everywhere, there were people selling coconuts to drink.




Since they were cheaper than water, H and I decided to share once since neither of us had ever had a coconut. I was really surprised, and the water had a slightly sweet flavor.



The town of Paraty is set back in the Ilha Grande Bay, but it is surrounded by beautiful green mountains and numerous islands.

Paraty is also a UNESCO world heritage site, with many old buildings dating back to the late 1600's and some great architecture including Capela de Santa Rita.

The cobblestone streets and neatly arranged grid of buildings take you back in time.

My favorite thing about Paraty was the doors. Each owner had a unique and fun set of doors, all full of bright colors and fun designs.

The stark white buildings offered a great contrast to the funky doors that lined every street.

The bay and waterfront itself were also beautiful, with several pieces of history to remind visitors of the former fort.

Luckily, we weren't there during a full moon, when the cobblestone streets are flooded by high tide.

I took these pictures while we were out on the boat, but I loved the crisp white buildings surround by mountains and forest.

This was the main square by the piers where all the boats docked

After our day around the bay, we dropped into the first restaurant/bar/bathrooms we could find.

This unique restaurant was on the corner by the docks, so we had full window-doors on both sides and could watch all the local activity while eating our Brazilian pizza lunch and sipping in a Caipirinha.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Things are picking up at work and I've got lots of travel coming up.