Category Archives: Places

Back home!

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Leticia | Leave a comment

Today it marks exactly 2 months since we arrived in Florida. So much has already happened that even though it feels we have been back for a while, we still talk about the trip every-single-day. It is either an event, a type of food, a place, someone we met, anything that reminds us constantly about the trip. We certainly hope that these feelings and memories will stay with us for much longer!

We have been settling well at home. After a few weeks of staying with friends, we moved back to the Monkey House on July 1st. One week after we arrived from Rio, kids left for Camp Dudley and Camp Kiniya, which was really their return to a “normal” life, while also gave us time to put the house back together and start looking for jobs. Chris hit the ground running and within just a few weeks had already a couple of job offers at local schools. I started consulting for one of Palo Alto’s distributors while looking for more permanent opportunities. Thankfully, we came back in a good time and there are plenty of *great* opportunities out there.

Our 10-month luggage

Monkey House

Chris and I took a road trip to pick up the kids at camp. It was very special, I had not been to camp in 4 years and missed the farewell celebrations before. We drove North with our friends, Matt and Jamie Ferrelli, and stopped to visit Baltimore, Brooklyn Heights and Burlington (VT) on the way there. It was wonderful to see the kids’ happy faces as we arrived at camp. Louisa even mentioned that she missed our trip more than she missed home. Chris then flew to San Francisco and I made the drive back with the kids. Fortunately, we got to visit with several good friends in the East Coast: the Baileys in Greenwich, CT; my Kellogg friend Carini, in Wake Forest, NC; and the Dickinsons, in Charleston, SC. It was a great bonding opportunity with the kids, they both excelled at being co-pilots and we enjoyed listening to good music and comedy shows at the car.

Baltimore with DWIII

School is about to start and we made the decision that both kids will continue the Florida Virtual School for one more year. They were very excited and happy when we told them, both want to get involved in more sports and other extra-curricular activities. We have enjoyed seeing all of our friends too. Also starting to work on a list of projects around the house, which is a lot of fun!

As we look back and realize how easy it has been to slide back into life and jobs, Chris and I are thankful for following our guts and making the decision to take the year off. We would not have done anything differently and only wish that everyone can have the courage to follow your dreams. It is easier than you think!

What’s next? Well, we look forward to starting working full-time soon, welcoming a new puppy, touring high schools for Sebastian, attending our friend Ricardo’s wedding in Portugal, and having both sets of grandparents visit this Fall and Christmas. And of course, we can’t wait to plan the next family trip!

Brasil, the last stop

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Leticia | Leave a comment

By design, the Bossa Travelers decided to finish the world tour in Brasil, where we would visit my family. The interesting part is that for the kids the trip really finished in London. They both mentioned that Brasil is like our second home, so they wouldn’t count as part of the world trip. Regardless of the emotional tie with the country, it was a really nice visit, filled with wonderful food and quality time with family and friends.

We were fortunate to have good weather in June (winter) and there were some awesome beach days in Rio. It has been 3 years since our last visit, way too long. Everyone was craving some rice and beans. Chris and I also went to our favorite meat restaurant in Rio – Plataforma – which never fails to impress us. We visited my best friend Karina, who lives in Petropolis, and spent a very nice weekend with her family, enjoying the mountains and playing volleyball.

Karina, Filipa, Leti & Louisa

Our Welcome to Brasil feast!

Chris and I had a side trip thanks to my parents. It was our first time to Iguaçu Falls, boarding Argentina. We stayed at the fantastic Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, located right inside the National Park. Wow, it was so special, we felt we were in our honeymoon. Incredible nature surrounding us, these massive falls in the middle of a jungle! It certainly made me realize how big Brasil is with so much beauty from North to South. The National Park is very well conserved and clean. We went on early morning hikes, where we were face-to-face with the falls, just the 2 of us and pure nature. We also did 2 recommended activities: the Macuco Safari, which is a boat tour that goes under the falls, and the helicopter tour, taking it all in a 360º view of the park and falls (Brasil and Argentina sides). Iguaçu Falls was certainly one of the highlights of our world tour and we are very glad we got to visit this special place.

We also had Christmas in June as my parents showered us with bags of gifts from Christmas and a number of birthdays – yes, all together. We caught up with several friends that we have not seen for many years. Rio is always special to visit, despite a chaotic traffic, it continues to be the Cidade Maravilhosa for us!

Next stop – back home to Florida

Familia Cabral

Cousins in Rio

Copacabana Beach

London marathon

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Chris Gammill | 1 comment

DSCN6567

I don’t recommend a London crash course weekend! Yet, that is exactly what we did thanks to my poor planning. We flew from India to London for 3 nights/2 days before our final destination, Brazil. While we maximized our feet walking 26+ miles and seeing some wonderful history and culture, London deserves more respect and I hope that someday we may stay longer.

Double-decker Bus

Take a deep breath, put your power walking shoes on, and enjoy the snapshot. We essentially took 4 walking tours in 2 days:

During a typical London fashion rainstorm, we trooped through with our free guide (but not so free) who entertained us with royal history on Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and a canceled changing of the guard – when it rains…

The second tour was a night trawling for the grim reapers of London’s dark side. Sebastian & I saw criminal history including Jack the Ripper.

Our third was a self-guided walk of Kensington Palace & Gardens where the most talked about royals, Prince William & Kate, reside. This included a lovely fashion exhibit showing the royal styles over the years including many Lady Diana dresses.

Nice hips!

Kensington Garden

Fashion Rocks

Finally, London would not be complete without a Tower tour. The fortress that guards the Crown Jewels and has kept many a DSCN6555 criminal jailed as well as queens and consorts that fell out of favor. The Nepalese Gurkha guards happened to be on duty which reminded us of our times in India and the shakes of Nepal’s earthquake only weeks earlier. We walked across London Bridge to Borough Market for a fantastic lunch on whatever your heart desires. Louisa and I shared a meat pie from The Pie Minister while Sebastian and Leti chowed down on pulled pork and dogs.

Nepalese Gurkha

London Tower Ladies

Borough Market

For our big night out, we went to the Royal Drury Lane Theater for Charlie & Chocolate Factory. Despite our nosebleed seats from above, the show was fun and entertaining for the whole family. And if that’s not enough, we did our best to eat like kings. We dined on burgers and beer at famous Patty & Bun – something we all craved. Leti ate her favorite meal – chicken livers while I enjoyed a classic fish & chips at the Royal Automobile Club where we stayed. The girls had a chance to spend an afternoon shopping and English tea at 5 star Brown’s Hotel while the boys climbed Monument that is like a lighthouse in the center of the city with great views!