First Impressions

It's been just over a week since our departure from Cuiabá. It seems like a lifetime ago! Now on day 8 we are in Rio do Sul in the colonia state of Santa Catarina, a region that I personally knew very little about apart from it being full of Germans.

So, it came as no surpise to find that the cities here have far more in common with my heritage than Mato Grosso. The state of Santa Catarina is truly beautiful, the scenery here reminds me very much of The Black forest and southern regions of Germany. The recent cyclone in the south of the state has also left the rivers swollen to the point of bursting which only adds to the dramatic setting. The region has also had a very posiive effect on our music making. The cities here have helped to produce some good concerts with music making getting better by the day. Yesterday's show in the "Wily Sievert" concert hall was definately our most compitent so far. The acoustics were excellent and allowed the orchestra to really show its potential.
After the concert I didn't eat a thing beacause during the afternoon I ate all the pies (cakes) in the local colonial cafe. If there is one thing the ermans do well it's cake and doesn't my stomach know it. A mixture of cake gateaux and Villa-Lobos makes for an excellent days work. Tomorrow is our 6 hour journey to Xanxere in the west of the state. I'm looking forward to seeing more of what is turning out to be a real eye opener for a gringo in Brazil.

As I am still waiting for Cris to bring my digital camera I thought it would be appropriate to include some regional photos and one of Snoopy my dog!