Breakfast in America. South America.

We have probably had breakfasts in over 30 different places in the 19 weeks we've been away.  We generally agree the best one was on our very first day in Rio, at a little B&B called the O Veleiro, where we hope to return to watch with the World Cup or the Olympics. The range of choice has been unsurpassed since, albeit some came close.   Papaya, pineapple and melon to start, with fruit juice, then all sorts of toast and breads with interesting jams and the boys' first taste of dulce de leche; great scrambled eggs plus cereal too. 

Yum! just looking at it makes us hungry.

From the best breakfast, then, to the worst, which we have also just experienced in Mendoza, Argentina. To be fair, not because of the food, the toast was lovely, orange juice fresh, coffee strong and really tasty.   No, it was the unwanted accompaniment, immediately adjacent to our table, of one of the owner's dobermans with a weeping boil the size of a ping pong ball on its face. Not pleasant per se, and yes, you felt sorry for him to a point, however the grim picture was exacerbated by a smaller fox terrier who insisted on licking the wound hungrily, and quite noisily, whenever we were eating breakfast. Admirably doggy friendship that may symbolise, but wherever I sat, they were always in my line of sight, the terrier slurping particularly loudly, unless I imagined it, when we were trying to make some faltering headway into the scrambled egg. 

I couldn't bring myself to get a full on boil shot......

I have a strong stomach but can't think of a time when I have been so put off my food.....We are now at a wonderfully peaceful new place near San Rafael, called Andes Lands, a huge old estancia with acres of garden, where they have three lovely dogs and thankfully not a single boil between them.....