Contemporary Art in Brazil

Is in Inhotim, MG

It is a huge space suitable for huge installations (usually one per building). Big names are already there. All this is in a amazing garden partially planned by Burle Marx.

In Brazil

Sabará, near Belo Horizonte, where is Igrejinha do Ó (not in the picture).

Season change

Few days ago we were with one meter of snow packed in the sidewalks, almost impossible to get out of home and we were obliged to drive for 2000km to get our plane in time.

Now we are in summer, t-shirt and shorts (or skirt or dress) all the time in Brazil. We are visiting Lorenza, my brazilian friend from the time I lived in Finland. So, for me back in Belo Horizonte and for Eva a first visit to the brazilian culture.

Also, this season change obliged us once more to re-arrange the backpack, from winter mode to summer mode. A big deal, the backpack which was just 10 or 11kg in winter mode (we were dressing the rest of the weight) is now with 14kg, as the jacket, fleece, shoes, long-sleves are all inside. We have also decided not to carry anymore our winter clothes that we bought and got offered in Chicago (thanks Hannah!). Just that there is no space and we are affraid we will not get again to as cold as it was in North of the United States. So, this just to tell that like at home, we too have to move winter and summer clothes from one place to another. Just that in the backpack is only inverting the stack.

Brazil, here we go.

Passing through Switzerlad

On our 2000km drive down the East coast of the US we passed by two "Switzerland" villages. Was a bit like going home in a flash of time.

Hotels in United States

We stay always in big hotel chains (Super8, Motel6) or in small motels. The quality is aceptable, they are clean and cost between 45 and 80USD, depending on the location and day of the week. Sometimes it includes continental breakfast (cofee, cereals, bread and jam). The rooms have one king-size bed or two queen-size. The price is for the room, accomodating up to 4-persons. Sometimes there is microwave, fridge and coffee machine. There are always two towels per person and the shower is fixed (no hand hoose) and you cannot choose the water pressure, only the temperature. They are usually motels by the roads, not pedestrian accessible.

Washington, Margaret, Brad, Christina and Marc

They are the family that hosts us in Washington area. They live in Alexandria, Virginia in a 3-floor house. The parents are around 50 years-old and the sons are 16 and 13. Margaret and Brad are both graduated on health and they worked for one year in the Thai-Cambodia border dealing with the refugees. Is the most comfortable couchsurfing place we found so far and we sleep six nights there. Not as an option but because we arrive at the beginning of a historical snow storm which stops all the public transports and schools. Margaret is very energetic and at home is always cooking or willing to go out to do some activity. We go with them to a SuperBowl party at some friends place and the day after to their church to watch the beginning of the SuperBowl game. Only once we go to Washington, taken by Margaret, but the excess of snow makes the walk very tiring and uninteresting. The museums are closed. We walk twice by the streets of Alexandria, we cross-country ski on the streets full of snow. I help to clean the snow around the house and from a roof; Eva makes bread and I make hot wine. From Friday to Saturday night it snows around 60cm and Tuesday night and Wednesday some 30cm more. Without a better solution we rent a car from Thursday to go until Miami. The familiy house is big. The ground floor has an office and a living room on the left of the entrance, a dining room, the kitchen and another living room on the right of the entrance. On the top of the stairs there was a bathroom, the parents room and the rooms for each of the sons. Some more stairs and there was our room, a space for games and a paiting room. Around the house they have a small green house, a tree house and a garage.

New activities

Since Friday, when we arrived to the area of Washington DC that a couple of historic snow storms is changing the life of people, including ours. We are staying with a nice couchsurfing family in Alexandria, state of Virginia, just couple metro stations away from downtown Washington. Since Friday that school is closed and since Saturday that museums and public transport do not operate outside downtown Washington. Today is Wednesday and wind is blowing very strong, together with a good amount of snow (25cm?), which is going above the 60cm of snow that fell down during Saturday. Here in Alexandria not every year there is snow and when there is, usually it falls just couple of centimeters, that are cleared out in a couple hours. This means that people do not have winter tires neither there are many snow clearing machines. On the sidewalks all the snow is cleared with shovels.

So while Eva did a nice bread yesterday and today she is solving a puzzle, I helped out to shovel in front of the house and to remove the accumulated snow over their greenhouse which roof was starting to feel the weight of 70cm of snow.

On Monday we went to downtown, mostly walking, but sidewalks were full of snow and wet snow, making walking an horrible activity.

Maybe I should go back and ski like on Saturday...

ah, and hopefully we will be leaving Washington tomorrow... by car. No trains operate, half of airplanes do but are fully booked. Without other solution, three days of driving is what expect us. We expect that few hundred miles south the snow here was just rain there and roads are clear!

Couchsurfing reenconter

In New York City we met Liuba, our Couchsurfer host in Yaroslavl, Russia. In June 2009 she was at her family place to renew her passport and hosted us. We did not forget her and now we made to meet Liuba again at her new city. Just like this. She could not host us this time, but we visited two art galleries.

Snowstorm paralyses Washington DC and eastern US

Basically... we are there!

News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8501246.stm

And our photos (today taken during a walk and a cross country ski ride on the roads):

Eva skiing on the street of our hosts

A car is hidden in the snow!

The Washington Post, February 5th 2010, Movie Reviews

The Last Station
Contains a scene of sexuality and nudity.

From Paris with Love
Contains nearly constant violence, pervasive obscenity, drug use and brief sexuality.

Fish Tank
Contains profanity, smoking, teen drinking and some sexuality.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: the squeakquel
Contains mild crude humor and slapstick violence.

Broken Embraces
Contains sexual content, language and drug material.

Creation
Contains intense thematic material.

Journey to Mecca
Contains brief swordplay during an attack by bandits.

When in Rome
Contains some mildly naughty still photos and suggestive art work.

The Princess and the Frog
Contains nothing objectionable.

The United States
Contains pervasive obesity, extensive bag-controlling, nearly constant pollution by paper cups, and presence of gun material.