Kings of Leon

Went to the Kings of Leon concert last night. While we were at the Bud Light Lounge waiting for the concert to start, we saw some kids sneaking in by climbing the fence. I decided to have fun with them by asking to see their ticket and eventually talked them in to climbing back over the fence to leave. I will give the kid outside the fence credit for quick thinking, though. When I asked what he was doing out there, he said, "Some douche threw my phone over here."


The view from the seats:

Anniversary Gifts

We never shared what we got each other for our anniversary (back in June). The 2nd anniversary gift is cotton so Angie got a photo tapestry and Derek got Irish Cotton monogrammed handkerchiefs.

Blast from the Past

We found an old roll of film and decided to develop it. After searching multiple states for a lab that could process APS, here is what we found.

The Moodys in Florida, circa 2002:

Cleveland Heights World War II Memorial

We visited the Cleveland Heights World War II Memorial (in Cumberland Park) to see where the Cahill brothers were listed.

Garge Sale

One of the downsides of the corner lot is that your neighbors use your yard to post advertisements. I had to look it up in Urban Dictionary but if you need somebody to kick you in the nuts, there's a sale going on!

Marmaduke vs. The A-Team

Hollywood's next blockbuster must be filming.

Little Things in South America

The little things are what make travel so interesting.

South America has tons of Volkswagens. They still produce the old hippie bus in Brazil (although it has a water cooled engine as of 2006) and the Bugs were produced until a few years ago.

"Real" Coke (with sugar) is the norm and it comes in glass bottles.

The worst restroom you've ever seen in the U.S. (and I'm counting Port-a-Potties at concerts) is not even in the same league as the standard in other countries. At first, you may worry that there are no lights but you'll be thankful once you're inside.

Everybody is on the take. Exclusive taxi deals at the airport to the bus driving contract that turns a 10 second walk to the plane into a 3 minute ride are just some of the crooked deals you'll see.

Every restaurant in Brazil uses these little plastic cards with a barcode. Every time you order something, they scan your barcode and add the item. When you're done, they scan your card and then you pay.

Washington

After squeezing the car into this space (there is a ramp behind it and no room in front) with some crafty slalom driving, we were off to the Metro.

More of the Subways of the World series:

Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures in the Capitol as the security kept us from hauling too much equipment around but we did get a nice tour of the Library of Congress and the Senate. I even got to ride on the Senate-Mobile and Angie saw John McCain.

Churrascaria

What trip to Brazil would be complete without a visit to the churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse)? Unfortunately, the nearest steakhouse to the hotel was Outback.

We went to Bovinu's and had a great experience. The food was excellent and the only disappointment was when we finally had to flip the sign to Red.

Sao Paulo at Night

The view from our hotel room:

Buenos Aires (dia 2)

9 de Julio (July 9th) is Argentina's Independence Day. Most of the shops were closed and it is a 3 day weekend here.

More pictures!


Our hotel is right by the bridge at Puerto Madero.


There are coffee and tea houses all over the city. It's hard not to stop.

Buenos Aires (dias 1)

Buenos Aires is indeed amazing. Plenty of shopping and wandering to do. Some things are expensive compared to home such as camera lenses that are 3-4x the price.

On the other hand, you can get a shoe shine for 5 pesos (about $1.25).

Cafe Tortino has been in operation since 1858 and is a hotspot for tourists and celebrities alike.


Beautiful architecture inspired by the French Revolution.

Colonia del Sacramento

Yesterday, we took the Buquebus fast boat to Uruguay.



Buenos Aires is very modern but Colonia is very historic.

Even the cars are historic.

Little outdoor restaurants everywhere. The exchange rate is very favorable. For dinner, we had two jars of house wine plus two hot sandwiches. Total was $15.

And we fed the birds. Angie was freaked out when I held a french fry up and one came to the table to get it.

It seems that you can drive anything in Uruguay. Even major name car rental companies such as Thrifty were renting golf carts, mopeds and dune buggies.

Little America

On our first night in Buenos Aires, we headed out to Little America/England. Despite no Disney World, Walmart or McDonald's, I'd say they got it mostly right.

All English music including some Christmas songs.

Here's the Irish pub where we had dinner:



There was a pirate themed bar.


One for Caroline & Rusty (even if it is spelled wrong):

Angie picked a drink and found out that it must translate to Scope-flavored vodka tonic.

Rio de Janeiro

Arriving early in the morning, we headed out to Christ the Redeemer.



Here is a view of Rio de Janeiro from the top.


After that, we went to the Copa Cabana beach and had lunch.

Our taxi driver was excellent and spoke English very well. If you're in Rio de Janeiro (perhaps for the 2016 Olympics), ask for Flavio at Transcootours.

Taking the Bus Across South America

Plane tickets were expensive so we did what anybody would do... head to the 2nd largest bus station in the world in the middle of the night.

The bus station has restaurants, an arcade and even a drugstore.



Here we are on the midnight sleeper class to Rio de Janeiro.

Check back after midnight for more pictures!