Following on from a typical week in Lima, here is a typical week in Vitoria!
This was the building where we lived.
And the view from our apartment on the 12th floor before we moved.
We moved to a new apartment in this condominuim two weeks ago.
We are on the 12th floor of the second tower on the right.
And this is the view from our new apartment. Quite an improvement!
We are very happy in our new apartment. Justin can walk to work and comes home for lunch everyday which is nice for both of us. We don't get any direct sun so the apartment is much cooler which is super important with summer coming up soon. We also now have a squash court, pool, gym, kiddies play area, and beauty salon in the common areas. We plan on playing loads of squash as soon as we can get our hands on some squash rackets! (A lot of blocks have squash courts but you can't buy squash rackets in Vitoria....)
Our weeks look like this: Justin goes to work and I take care of the home admin.
This is the building where Justin works, a quick 5 minute walk from home.
Hooray, no more taxis and traffic!
Justin's corner of the open-plan office with a similar view to home.
Justin and his taxi driver Bruno for the daily commute before we moved.
Bruno is about 1.90 m tall and only just fits into his car!
This is the OK Hipermercado, a 5 minute walk from the previous apartment, where I did all the groceries. I really like this supermarket and still shop there sometimes.
Notice the floor? It's all granite! The state we are in, Esperito Santo, has rich natural reserves of granite. It is apparently the cheapest building material available in this area and is used for just about everything, including the floors of malls, unbelievable!
The closest supermarket to us now is the Horto Mercado, a ~15 min walk from the new apartment. I like this supermarket too but am still getting used to it.
I really like this green grocer 5 minutes further from the Horto.
Pronounced 'ortchi frutchi', their produce is always good and they often have difficult to find items such as fresh mushrooms and asparagus and they have better cold meat options.
And I really like this little organic market, only open on a Wednesday from 3-9 pm.
I'm neither here nor there on organic but the produce is always super fresh and of a good quality. These markets are the only place I can find butternut squash in Vitoria.
Monte Libano is probably the best bakery in Vitoria. This one was a 15 minute walk from the previous apartment.
Pharmacies are one every street corner here, kinda like London and Starbucks. Opposite to most countries, it is cheaper to buy toiletries here than in the supermarket. Pacheco is my favourite pharmacy outlet.
The Herring store!
Fast becoming my favourite clothing store and sort of an H&M replacement.
Vitoria Shopping is the only big mall in Vitoria and is now a 10 minute walk away.
We don't come here too often but it is convenient to have it nearby. We watched our first movie here recently; hooray for original version movies in English in foreign countries!
On the weekends there are usually lots of walks on the beach promenades, ice cream dates, and impromptu get togethers with friends.
Friday night dinner at Rock Burger (pronounced hockey burguer) with Justin's colleagues.
Clockwise from Justin: Justin, Bronwen, Fernanda's daughter Milena, Fernanda, and Isaac.
Bronwen and Fernanda at Friday night Mexican!
Marguerita time!
Cheers!
Justin and Isaac at Friday night steak night at Outback Restaurant.
We arrived at Happy Hour....
Moqueca lunch with Vivian and Niels
Moqueca!
Having your nails done is very important in Brazil. We use this as an excuse for the girls to hang out. Vivian and our favourite nail stylist Sereia. She even comes to you!
Agnes chilling waiting for her turn
The best part of the week: beach time!
One of the local beaches Curva de Jerema at sunset.
Boibs chilling on the beach
Sometimes we go further afield, like this day near Guarapari with Niels, Vivian, Luciana and Alexander.
Those stretches of empty white sand beaches you see on TV.
And in one sleep it is time for a Costa Rica holiday!!!
See you on the other side of fun in Central America and the Caribbean
x x x
