Valentine's Day

It's Dia dos Namorados in Brasil (Day of the Lovers, our version of Valentine's Day). If we had 50 rooms available, we'd have 50 couples to deal with, plus a waiting list. As we are still in a pandemic, we are only receiving two couples. We prepared their bedrooms this morning and left them a few treats (some Ferrero Roche, some petals, little cheesy love balloons, wine glasses and cork screws.)

We've had the pousada for 15 years now and some guests proudly tell us their children were conceived here. Some are now teenagers!

The Friday Five: Books

Via thefridayfive:

1) What is the best book you've read?
For the longest time I felt that Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha was the best one, but if I'm honest with myself it has to be Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It's perfect from start to finish.

2) What is the worst book you've read?
The last terrible book I read was Agatha Christie's Passenger to Frankfurt, which she wrote very late in life, and which was her attempt at a James Bond style thriller. It's poor all the way through, often not making sense. Someone should have kindly said "no" to her.

3) What is a favourite book from childhood?
I loved a brazilian young adult book called A Morte Tem Sete Herdeiros (Death has 7 Heirs). It's an Agatha Christie pastiche, written as a game between two authors, Stella Carr and Ganymédes José: one of them would write a chapter and send it to the other, who then had to continue the story from that point. To my young eyes it sounded really clever, and the final product was very enjoyable.

4) What is a favourite book from adulthood?
Alastair Humphreys' Great Adventurers, illustrated by wink_martindale. Not only a beautiful and inspiring children's book but it was dedicated to me! :)

5) What is a book you've read a number of times?
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I'm overdue another re-read.