Stay cool in Brazil with açaí and granola

Meet Monike, a Brazilian who now lives in Ireland. She's from a small town called Santa Maria in the south of Brazil, about four hours west of Porto Alegre.

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Name: Monike O’Reilly

Role at Homestay: UI/UX Designer

Nationality: Brazilian

Hometown: Santa Maria

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What’s your favourite thing about Santa Maria?

Santa Maria is a university town so there is a nice vibe and a young atmosphere. A lot of people move there to study and the university campus itself is really nice. I studied there before moving to Ireland.

What’s your favourite bar or thing to do when you are there?

In Portuguese we have the word 'churrascaria', which is a restaurant that serves barbecued meats. In Santa Maria there is a restaurant called Bovinus which I love. After getting married in Ireland, my husband and I had our second wedding in Brazil in this restaurant.

Santa Maria is quite a small town surrounded by countryside so it’s great for getting outdoors. There’s lots of great places to go camping, fishing and walking.

What's the best meal you’ve ever eaten?

My husband is actually a really good cook so I’m fortunate that I get to eat well a lot of the time. He makes particularly great stir fries. My favourite dish he makes though is pasta with mushrooms, chicken and a white wine and cream sauce. It’s pretty fantastic, I’m a lucky girl.

What’s your top insider tip for anyone travelling to Brazil?

Brazil is really hot so wherever you are going make sure you stay hydrated and use sun screen!

Go to the beach and be sure to try açaí with granola. Açaí is a type of fruit which is frozen to make it into a slushy served with granola. It's really popular for keeping cool by the sea. The barbecued sweetcorn that’s sold on the beach is pretty amazing too.

What and where was your most memorable holiday trip?

In 2012 I went to Kosovo with my husband and father-in-law who at the time was a political advisor there. My husband was also making a documentary about the Prime Minister who had been accused of war crimes. When we think of Kosovo we tend to think of all the negative things that have happened there but the capital Pristina really surprised me- it's such a beautiful place! There were so many lovely different cafés and the food was amazing. There's a really nice mix of old and new in the city and oddly it didn’t feel like there had been a war there because it just seemed so energised. In the countryside it was different, there was definitely a legacy of war, but it was still a really memorable experience going there.

Is there any advice you'd have for anyone thinking of going to Kosovo?

If you ever get the chance to go there, try as much of the food as you can, it’s really great. Also they have a traditional drink called rakia, which is a kind of spirit made from grapes. It’s lovely but it’s so strong that a drink of it is like a punch in the face!

Where in the world is your next trip to?

Amsterdam: my husband is going for work so I’m going to go spend my time going to all the museums! I’ve been before but I never got a chance to see them so this is my opportunity.

At work I spend a lot of my time looking at amazing homestays all around the world so I have a long list of trips that I’m planning!

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