Field Trips, Futsal, and Farmer's Market... (Ribeirao Preto)

It is here: our last and final stop on the "See Brazil Through Tiffany's Eyes" tour -- Ribeirao Preto.

This "small city" by Brazilian standards (although quite large by mine, at 600,00+ inhabitants) is ranked at number four for best places to live in Brazil.  I do not know what the first three are, but I can tell you that Ribeirao Preto is quite proud of this ranking as they made sure we knew about it, whether through billboards or magazines.  And I can see why. 

Although it is far from the beach, it has a nice pace of life going on.  The streets are not congested, there is a lot of green as far as cities go, and for the most part, it is kept up pretty well. 

My favorite place in Ribeirao Preto, as with any Brazilian town, really, is the farmer's market.  Going to the feira livre on Friday mornings for pastel and caldo de cano (sugar cane juice) has become a weekly ritual for my husband and I whenever we are here.

And if you can't find what you are looking for here or in one of the many grocery stores around, you can always head over to the public market.  It may not be as impressive as the one in Sao Paulo, but it is worth a visit.

It might not be a hot-spot tourist destination like Ubatuba or Rio, but for a place to call "home", as my husband did for many years, it is just right.