Day 18 - Está chovendo.

21:30
We wake to leaden skies. We’ve both slept well, but the weather is not going to be our friend today. We mooch for a couple of hours, and head out for brunch around 11:00. It’s trying to rain as we walk up to the road to our new favourite café. We sit outside (it’s covered), but as the rain starts to fall, it quickly becomes quite chilly. Breakfast is, however, a triumph. Vicki walks a mile in my shoes, ordering the Ovos Beneditinos that I so enjoyed yesterday, and declares them excellent. I branch off into a new field of research, and have a kind of hybrid between that Mexican breakfast staple, Huevos Rancheros, and a spiced Middle Eastern Shakshuka. It’s tremendous.

We get a little soggy on our walk back to the guesthouse, and make vague plans with Tam to head into Florianopolis later this afternoon. An afternoon of further mooching occurs.

We grab a cab around 16:00 into the city centre. Florianopolis is bigger than I’d realised - a population a little bigger than Manchester’s. We’re dropped off at the Catedral Metropolitano in yet more rain. It’s not particularly heavy, but it’s persistent. The church is very pretty, and has some particularly striking stained glass. There’s a shrine on one of the altars to a young man called Carlo Acutis, who tragically died at the age of 15 from Leukaemia. Once we’re out of the church (and feel it’s appropriate to use our phones) we discover that he has been beatified by the Catholic Church, typically the first step towards Canonisation. The church has also recognised two miracles performed by this kid, which looks set to assure his sainthood in the coming years.

We walk down through the Praca XV Novembro park, passing by the beautiful historical musueum of Santa Caterina, which is closed until Wednesday. The park has some of the coolest / strangest looking trees. There are some that are covered in parasitic plants that make them look like their roots are all above ground. There’s a tree that seems to have grown entirely outwards instead of upwards, with large branches close to the ground supported by metal frames.

We amble on to the central market, the hub of cuisine in the city. The fish stalls in particular are spectacular. Countless species I’m either unfamiliar with, or would not recognise on sight. We settle down for a beer at a bar on the periphery of the market, and people watch for a while…

We’re getting peckish, so head towards the bridge that connects this side of the city with the mainland. We’re at a Portuguese restaurant called Tabierna Iberica. The food is sublime. We have some garlic prawns and salt cod fritters to start. The fritters are the best version we’ve had on this trip - just brilliant. The prawns are delicious. The chef has used a mixture of toasted and roasted garlic rather than raw, and it pays off. Delicious. I have a braised rabbit dish for my main, which is outstanding. I wish rabbit was more widely available, and more widely eaten back home. It’s a fabulous meat when it’s cooked well. This is braised in red wine and tomato, and is a warm and comforting dish on an overcast day. Tam and Vicki share a MASSIVE baked cod dish - a giant slab of fish, covered with sliced potatoes and onions. I liken it to a potato boulangere, and I’m not far wrong. The bill is the biggest we’ve had so far on this trip, but for food of this quality, it’s great value. Just a sensational meal.

We jump in an Uber back to Campeche. Along the way, we see someone being arrested - there are perhaps 10 police cars and 20 officers for the arrest of one fairly innocuous looking guy in his 20s. We wander out loud whether this is a drug arrest, but our drivers thinks it’s more likely car theft. Seems like a bit of a big reaction for a joy-rider…

The rains have returned by the time we get back to our guesthouse, putting paid to any fleeting thoughts of heading out locally for a beer. We reason that tomorrow is moving day, we’ve packing to do etc etc.Leer más