In July of 2012 I visited Brazil and Argentina for the first time. My name is Mark Fischer, and my wife, Bridget, and I were guided by our sons Paul (in Brazil) and Carl (in Argentina). Our middle son, David, also traveled with us along with his friend and future spouse, Zhi-Ning. 

After getting caught in the rain, we took refuge in the “Girl from Ipanema” bar.

Paul had spent the school year 2011-2012 at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, and that is where we began our trip. Paul created our Brazilian itinerary, negotiated with taxi drivers, and translated restaurant menus for us. We were relieved when, on July 11, he met us at the Rio de Janeiro airport. He was our guide throughout Brazil.

After arriving in Buenos Aires, we went to the Plaza de Mayo. The “Cabildo” is in the background.

Carl met us at Puerto Iguazú in Argentina on July 22. Since he had lived in South America for a couple of years and speaks Spanish fluently, he was our guide during the Spanish-speaking part of our trip. We were also grateful that he knew Buenos Aires well.

So if you want to come along for the ride, click here for some memories of Rio de Janeiro.