Practicing Portugese in Porto Alegre

´Rua Lima e Silva,´ I repeat for the third time. ´Por favor!´ The cab driver understands and we set off.  ´American?´ He asks. ´Não Búlgaro,´ I say. ´Eu sou da Bulgaria´. The cab driver turns round in astonishment, ´Sêrio?´ - we almost crash and I grab the puta merda handle. ´Sim,´I reply. ´Da Sofia´… I smile to myself, now I have a captive listener to practice my Portugese on. In the following 10 minute cab journey, I manage to articulate the enormous differences between Brazil and Bulgaria in the food, weather and geography all in my best pigeon Portugese! The cab driver is genuinely interested as I tell him my own story of how orphaned in the Great War I grew up in a forest, making a living as a chess hustler until I was given a place at the prestigious Sophia University of Espionage. All lies of course, I´ve never even been to Bulgaria and am pretty sure their currency isn´t Dumplings, but we´re not talking English, we´re talking Portugese, the language I´ve spent the last 2 years learning and until I invented my alter-ego Englebert hardly ever got a chance to use.

Typical reaction when I try to speak Portugese

You see being a native English speaker in Brazil is a blessing and a curse. One´s as surrounded by friends wanting to practice their English as a lightbulb besieged by moths. You´re held in very high esteem: you´re an ambassador, a philosopher, a wordsmith and raconteur. You´re all these things and more, while you´re speaking English. When you open your gob and mangled Portugese comes out, then you can see the smiles drop, interest snap, you´re suddenly a dolt, a burden, a malfunctioning robot. How many times I´ve had my friends beg me to ´Speak English!´?  How many times do they let me get halfway through an anecdote before detonating my grammar mistakes, leaving its ending hanging in the air? I have one friend with superlative English who translates everything I say in Portugese back to me in English. ´Me passa um copo´ ´Pass you a cup?´  Yeh, thanks mate.

Oooô lariá laiô obá obá obá

One night I was invited by some friends to watch them play Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, surprisingly, it´s as popular over here as say football. For five hours, I listened and understood almost everything they said to each other in Portugese. For five hours, I journeyed through towns of vampires, battled giant worms and watched spells being cast and mice having sex. All in Portugese. The only time the magic of the roleplay was interrupted was when one of the gamers would speak to me, and when they did they spoke in English! Come on guys, what the hell? 

Some of my friends have begun humoring me with the odd five minutes here and there, and for those brief spells my shackles are lifted and I can see the light of day, but then it´s suddenly over and it´s back into your hole you wretched troglodyte. And thus Englebert was born, the bane of shopkeepers. As myself I would shyly mumble for paracetamol only for the shopkeeper to look in a bread oven and tell me ´no more´, leaving me to shuffle off dejected. But Englebert doesn´t give up, he talks over those who would speak English at him. He wants not your pity. ´Uma maça´ ´An apple?´ ´Não eu quero uma maça, droga!´

People here seem taken aback that you´re trying to learn Portugese. In London, we´ve developed a facility for understanding peculiar pronunciations of the Queen´s.  Porto Alegrenses and Brazilians will also need this listening skill because while English is now the world language, many non-English Engleberts will descend in great waves upon this city in 2014 and 2016. Moreover, they need to be considerate of the few lonely expats who already live here and see grasping the lingo as the key to a richer life in this wonderful city.

Some tips for practicing your Portugese:

- Go to the church, synagogue, mosque or espirtualist temple and join in with prayers out loud

-Teach English to beginner students where a bit of translation is acceptable

-Find a Brazilian girlfriend or boyfriend, preferably someone who has never tried to decipher the lyrics of their favourite band

- Go to Subway or a supermarket where you can assemble your own sandwich

-Commit to memory the following volumes: dungeons and dragons – livro do jogador and livro dos monstros

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Brique da Redenção in Porto Alegre

Every Sunday from 9AM to 6PM the Porto Alegrense (those who were born/ or live in Porto Alegre)  walk and relax in their favorite place: Brique da Redenção. It is located on Avenue José Bonifácio -Parque Farropilha. Here is a map [Link in maintenance]. To create a more relaxing atmosphere, the avenue is closed to cars all Sundays.

 Brique da Redenção is a fair where you can find dozens of booths with crafts, fine arts, antiques, and food.  It was created in 1978 because the Municipal Administration of Porto Alegre decided to develop an antiques fair modeled after  San Telmo in Buenos Aires and Mercado de Pulgas in Montevidéu. Its first name was Mercado das Pulgas, but in 2000 the name Brique da Redenção was registered and it is what we have called it ever since.

In the area of fine arts, there are paintings, artist who create caricatures, wooden art, and sculptures. You can find crafts made from various materials such as leather, silver, wire, wood, resin, iron, plaster, glass, and porcelain. The fair is ideal for antiques collectors seeking rare objects. This is one of the best parts of the fair, because you can find things like old phones and drawer knobs, and other beautiful things . There is also a variety of foods, ranging from snacks to pastries, cookies, pies and various juices. If you are into  honey, biscuits, and other homemade delicacies, you will be at the right place. Currently, there are 180 exhibitors of crafts, 70 of antiques , 40 of fine arts, and 10 of culinary items.

In this traditional fair, you can also find rustic toys, kits for chimarrão, miniature cars and souvenirs for your friends. The vendors are friendly and you can touch most of the objects while you are looking at them. The prices are not bad. It is always worth it to check out the Brique da Redenção for gifts, for example, instead going to expensive stores at the mall.

However, don’t think the Brique da Redenção is only a place to shop. Going there is always a surprise, because you will never know what you will see. Sometimes there are clowns juggling and people cheering. Other times, you can get lucky and watch an art show by those who want to enrich the fair by bringing cultural events. It is really fun for  the whole family! Don’t forget your camera because pictures are allowed.

Another way to enjoy your day there, is visiting the Parque Redenção. It is a huge park where you can find a lot of trees (incidentally, Porto Alegre has many of them), shade, and grass where you can just sit and talk. There are also some activities for the kids, such as swings and slides. Balls are allowed and the children are always playing.

Brique da Redenção is full of people walking, talking, drinking chimarrão, and just relaxing, especially on sunny weekend mornings. If you want to stay all day, don’t hesitate to have a lunch there and enjoy the park Redenção in the afternoon. Here is a good tip: bring a blanket or towel because after lunch you will want to take a nap. Believe me, it is so peaceful, you can´t resist an afternoon nap.

 Have a great time, I´ll see you there

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Beer in Brazil Part Deux

An English man, a Scottish man and an Irish man walk into a pub in Porto Alegre…. The joke´s on them, there are no Pubs, no real pubs, in Porto Alegre as far as I can tell after 2 years here.  Not pubs as we would understand them in any case. This is not a slur just an innocent observation as there are some inextricable differences in atmosphere, method, blah and blah. That said, there are lots of good, some great, Pubstitutes. Some of them are even called Pubs as opposed to Bars to make them easier to spot.

Say you fancy a liquid lunch, pubs in Porto Alegre don´t usually open till about 6pm so you´ll find yourself having to sit in a neon-blanched lanchonette sharing a midday drinking sesh with retirees. To get a good beer at that time of day the best place I know is Café Cantante in Bom Fim. The staff are nice and you´ll never be alone as there are other lonely people sat in close proximity to you sipping their coffee, reading the paper and wobbling about on the dainty furniture.

Kerouac- Best English night in the city

After 6pm on a Tuesday (the beginning of the drinking week for most locales) you can find a variety of botecos, bars and pseudo-pubs in the area of Cidade Baixa. All of the pubs have table service which means you rarely get up save to go to the bathroom but makes it difficult to mingle.  When you enter these establishments you are given a comanda, a slip of paper on which your orders are tallied and which you lose under pain of a billion R$ fine. The fine is only to spook you, there´s no legal way they can make you pay it. The real problem with the comanda system is when you miscalculate your own funds.

Sadly, the vibrancy of cidade baixa has been coming under attack from a neighbourhood coalition demanding curfews. This has cut off the life blood to some smaller, newer pubs who depend on live music to keep going. The new pubs that don´t have an immediate buzz around them find themselves skittering around like Bambi on ice and are soon dead. The longevity of a pub is one of the deeper differences between back home and here. If you get the chance before it slips off the edge of the world then I heartily recommend the bluesy  beatnik bar the Kerouac Rock Pub in Cidade Baixa which has live music and a kick-ass English pub quiz (see Pub Quiz POA on facebook for info).

Bier Keller - where mugs defy gravity

Some other places I recommend:  First, the Bier Keller is a mysterious tavern hidden somewhere in Porto Alegre. It´s beautifully decorated and has a giant walk-in fridge stocked full of beers from around the world. Entry is by invitation only and it´s a little pricey but the atmosphere is wonderful. Second, the Malt Store in Petropolis is a shop offering a vast array of beers. It has a few tables for degustaçao, meaning you can drink yourself merry until about 10pm. Third, Imperial on the corner of Rua Santana, is a great, great boteco with ninja-fast service, top food and a real buzz. Last and my favourite pseudo-pub is Lagom. A brew-pub in Bom Fim where you can be served draught beers in pints and listen to Maiden!

Some places to avoid: It´d be unfair to name names. Certain irish bars near Redenção with their no havaiana policy (isn´t this Brazil?); an eponymously owned pub on Avenida Mariland where they´ll try to convince you that their sound system isn´t malfunctioning and that Robert Plant raps as fast as Apache Indian while simultaneously telling you that Baden on the menu means Baden Crystal and not Baden Golden which is 5r$ more please; a Bukowski joint which would be amazing if it had about 10 more floors to fit all the sardines in. 

I haven´t been to all of the so-called pubs here, whole streets and neighbourhoods are missing from my experience, and I imagine there´s many more wonderful surprises in store, perhaps even a real pub with London Pride on tap and KP nuts and Sunday roast. 

Sharing my experiences of beer in Brazil, how it´s served and where to find it! (Read part 1)

Now, if you're looking for bars with latin music in, try here.

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A question of transport.

A foreigners guide to navigating through the Porto Alegre gridlock.

I have a fear of flying, so much so, that every time I board a pressurized cabin, I have to tranquilize myself with the hard stuff. No other mode of transport has ever really had the same effect on me - until now.

And after yesterday's near death experience with a truck, which accelerated while I tried to cross a road, the second incident of its kind this week, I wondered: Is being a pedestrian in Porto Alegre any safer than, say, being a motorcyclist in South East Asia?

Upon moving to Brazil, a languagebarrier was something to expect, but the vast cultural differences were something I was not prepared for. I have had to rewrite the rules of almost everything I know, but crossing the road was something I hadn’t considered, until now.

Pretty quickly, I realized that the traffic here has a different set of rules. Cars in general rule the streets, pedestrians are a nuisance. Avoid motorbikes like rats. Never expect drivers to indicate. As for red lights, footpaths and pedestrian crossings, they’re just for aesthetics.

So the question is, how does one get around in Porto Alegre? Cars perhaps? Only if you are rich, very tolerant of road rage, and happy to be carjacked. Cycling maybe? With a distinct lack of cycle lanes, extremely hot weather and, cyclists being sworn enemies of drivers, cycling is for the very courageous at this moment in time.

As options were thin on the ground, I decided to give public transport a go. Admittedly, I hail from a city where the public transport has a lot of room for improvement, but Gaucho public transport is a world away from what I’m used to.

For starters, the only real extensive mode of transport in the city is buses. There are bus stops, but timetables or an indication of which buses actually stop at a particular pointdoesn’t exist. POA buses are a bit like the end of rainbows. I know they go somewhere, but the exact location remains an enigma.

Bus stop in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

Brazilians do love their stamps, documents and pieces of paper, so if you want to obtain a bus pass its not a simple as buying it in a shop. It’s communist style bureaucracy on Speed. Give yourself a good month, plan for a number of ‘certified’ documents. Then go to one place to apply for the pass, pay for the fares in a specific bank, and then get the fare credit added to your pass in another place. Easy.

So, If you’re unwilling to bus it -standing in 35 degrees; squeezed up against a stranger, have the cash and nerves to drive, or pay gringo taxi fairs, what’s the best option to get from A to B? Possibly cycling, if there were sufficient cycle lanes. As for me, I will remain a pedestrian warrior for now, fighting for my share of city space. Perhaps in decades to come this will change, and Brazil will up its game.

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Beer in Brazil

My first close encounters with beer in Brazil were ordering pints of Brahma, Nove Schin and Kaiser and being given a Choppy instead. I couldn´t understand why I kept being given girly half-pints, half-full with espuma (head).  The beer was cold, so cold I burped ice cubes, and undeniably refreshing but basically tasteless and in lilliputian measures. What was going on?

Soon though I was to discover bottled beers and the strange and shady  world of casco-recycling.  Authentic churrasco is one of the wonders of the world, but unlike the Taj Mahal it goes better with a cold beer.  Big brown bottles of the stuff: Original, Bohemia, Serramalte, their labels slipping off from condensation. When you buy these beers from the shops, you´ll notice that each beer has two prices. That´s because if you bring your empty bottles back to the shop you just pay for what´s inside the casco! Not every bottle is recyclable though and if you build a collection of empties hoping to cash them in, be careful the grateful shopkeep keeps a proper tab. The charitable thing to do is to leave your empties on the street. Here selective littering is a form of charity, as hard laboring poor folk collect cardboard, cans and cascos for recycling.

One of the hardest things to deal with in our different drinking cultures is the Brazilian musketeer approach: All for one and one for all. A 600ml bottle of Original, roughly a pint, becomes property of the collective and is shared equally into pesky little half-pint glasses. The beer evaporates faster than agua com gas, it´s close cousin. Normally if I know my pint is about to be gang-banged,  I try to drink just a little bit faster than everybody else and be sure that I serve the drink, giving plenty of head  to Brazilians who see a lot of espuma as a mark of quality. Here there is no thumb-rule, draught beers from the Shamrock Irish bar to the boteco chopp dispensers are served as if it was bubble bath.

In London, we have a great range of craft ales, we even donate to CAMRA, a society to protect this endangered species. We care more about ales than we do pandas, by and large. If I was to survive Porto Alegre, I knew I would have to find something a little more palatable than thirst-quenching Original. Fortunately, Brazil is at the beginning of what I feel is a beer revolution. The economy is fermenting, people´s salaries are rising and with the world cup brewing, new pubs, breweries and shops are being opened. Yeast is so in right now, that even my wife has dropped out of uni to become a beer sommelier!

Generally, there is a huge mark-up on imported ales. Alas-alack-a-day, you can buy a Bishop´s Finger here but it costs an arm and a leg. Instead, rather than drink expensive imports you can find brilliant national beers.  Seasons, Coruja, Eisenbahn, Way, Helles, Colorado, Rasen, Bamburg and Backer all make good beers. Beers you´d gladly risk walking a mile at night to find.

The well-stocked ´Malt Store´ Cervejas Artesenais - Petropolis

Sharing my experiences of beer in Brazil, how it´s served and where to find it! (Read part 2)

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Renting bicycles in Porto Alegre

In my opinion, if you really want to enjoy a city, then take a day to ride a bicycle there. And you can do it in Porto Alegre!  Riding bikes is excellent exercise and you also avoid the traffic that all big cities have. Save your time and don’t get stressed out!  Starting in September 2012, now you can rent a bike in Porto Alegre. You just need to do a registration on this web site www.movesamba.com/bikepoa or by the app “BikePoa” for smartphones, or by voice portal for phones. The service costs R$5 per day or R$10 for monthly payment.

The system started with 50 bikes, but the goal is to have 400 by April 2013. The service operates daily from 6am to 10pm. The bike trip must be made within one hour after renting. After this time, there is a range of 15 minutes to allow further trips. There are five stations to pick up/drop-off, all in downtown Porto Alegre: Largo, Public Market Square, Customs, Culture House, and Usina do Gasômetro.

The person already registered, may withdraw the bicycle in two ways: by application of the smartphone or the voice portal on mobile phones. The self-service system is responsible for releasing and confirming the return.

Porto Alegre´s new  bicycle service is not the first of its kind in Brazil and it has been proven successful . São Paulo already has 25,000 registered users and there have been over 1 million trips made in Rio de Janeiro using the same system Porto Alegre has recently adopted.

My favorite place to ride: Usina do Gasômetro is my favorite area of Porto Alegre. Riding a bike there makes you feel so good because it has an appropriate path for bicycles and beautiful sights. There, you can ride seeing the water of the Guaíba River. Stay until the late afternoon and you will see one of the most beautiful sunsets in Porto Alegre.

 More about Bicycles in Porto Alegre

 Since we are already talking bikes,  I think is important to say that if you have your own bicycle, there is the called, Program Cyclist Trensurb, operating since January 2008. This program allows the users to carry their bikes on the subway gaucho.

There are specific times for entry with bikes to ensure comfort for all. Weekdays and Saturday schedule – 9AM to 11AM, 2PM to 4PM, and 9PM to 11:20PM.

In addition, during Sundays and holidays, Trensurb extended the allowance of bicycles on the subway for all operating hours. Trensurb runs between 5AM to 11:20PM every day.

If you have any questions, call Trensurb: (51) 3363-8477 - Monday to Friday, 7AM to 8PM or go on the website. On the site you have the option of having the information in English or Spanish.

Thus, there is no excuse for you not enjoy the city riding a bike. It can be a rented bike or your own. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle and keep yourself hydrated. Sunblock is also essential. Respect the traffic rules and give your kids some advice before you start riding bikes. Following all these tips, you will be more than ready to have a fun time in Porto Alegre.

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Porto Alegre's Airport + tips

Salgado Filho International Airport

(29:59:39S, 51:10:17W, Elev 11 Ft)

International Civil Aviation Organization - ICAO: SBPA

International Air Transport Association - IATA: POA

Porto Alegre (Brazil) has a perfectly modern airport that attends national and international flights. Compared to major European airports, it is, of course, small, but just as well planned and just as beautiful. Unlike the European airports I know, it has a cinema, where you can watch a movie for a very good price, if your flight is delayed.

The Salgado Filho International Airport has a site in English and in Portuguese that you can find here, thus I am not going to repeat all the ways you can get to the city or what kind of services are available in the airport – I thought it would be much more fun to give some insight information for those of you traveling on budget!

Useful information for backpackers 

Porto Alegre is a relatively small and safe city (I can’t believe I am saying this, considering I grew up in a city of 15 thousand people in the safest country in the world), compared to many places in Latin America. Thus, the last thing you need to do is worry about being kidnapped or worse.

To get to the city, take the bus T5 (the airport site doesn’t mention that line for some reason, but it goes from right in front of the airport arrivals exit). The ticket currently costs 2,85 BRL (about 1,40 USD our 1,15 EUR), kind of pricy for Latin America (or even Europe), but a reasonable price in Brazil. The bus will not take you to the center, unfortunately, but quite near. Check the route here.

Another option is to take the train (or call it metro, it’s the same thing here in Porto Alegre). It costs about the same and will take you to the bus station or to the center of the city (Mercado Público).

About the taxi – if you take the taxi to the center, it should cost you (at the moment, July 2012) around 25 BRL. With bad traffic conditions, perhaps 30… If they ask more than that, look at them with angry eyes and say “gurí, que sacanagem!” (it’s something like “you’re trying to fool me!” but in a funny and Brazilian way). The airport taxis and the regular taxis all supposedly have the same rate, and you can find one anywhere in the city at any time. Don’t worry, it’s ok to take one on the street. I do this all the time, at any hour.

In Brazil it is not common to sleep at the airport, or bus station, or in the metro (Trensurb Company), or in the park, like backpackers might do in Europe. Here, this is considered a behavior of the homeless (and for the locals here there is no other reason for why anyone would want to camp out in such a place), and is forbidden in middle and high class places, such as the airport. In other places, it is simply dangerous.

Reference: Procempa Map

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La Rouge Bistrô - Vegan Food can be Fancy (and Delicious!)

I'll be the first to admit that the idea of Strict Vegetarianism (a.k.a. Veganism) is a foreign one to me. I'm used to this Gaucho culture that surround us in Porto Alegre, with the Barbecue in the weekends included. However, the world of vegetarian food has been interesting me for the last few years, since I decided to give it a try.

This time I went with my girlfriend to a relatively new place, called the La Rouge Bistrô. It's funny to see how a Cow is in the logo, but it does make sense: they love the animals, so much that they won't harm them. The place is run by Gunter Filho and his wife Roberta Kleber, both of them used to hunt japanese boats in the Sea Shepherd and that is impressive by itself.

The menu is simple, but it offers some interesting options. I choose the Kebabs as an opening to our meal.

I'm not into the Satay Sauce (made with peanuts) but other than that it was a really good dish, I was surprised to discover that the "potato" in the end was actually a pineapple, the taste and the juice of it caught me with my hands down.

After that my girlfriend got the Tagliatelle with "meatballs" and I got the mixed-grains Risotto. The pasta and tomato sauce was very fresh and went very well with the pasta, but it was the "meatballs" that stole the show. Probably the best part of the meal, they are made with all kinds of nuts and grains, are crunchy in the outside but soft inside, you can ask for them in a separate dish, for a snack, and I couldn't recommend it more.

My dish, the Risotto, did hit the spot as well, with a lot of flavor going on, thanks to the spinach cream all over it.

If you are searching for something different to eat, or are a Vegan looking for somewhere to go in this city of "Churrascarias", this is a great option. They have a website and a FanPage where you can discover more about the menu and what they can offer to you.

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Latin America in Porto Alegre

I like Porto Alegre most for its pure identity. Almost everything in the city exists for the locals and because the locals feel a connection to it. Therefore it’s hard to find anything here that is not Rio Grande do Sul.

However, lately I started taking salsa classes. While you can find several teachers who can teach you to dance a rhythm that is not Brazilian, there are very few places to actually go and practice.

So, I am taking it upon myself to introduce the two places that I found that play Latin American music, such as salsa, merengue, bachata…

Pub Insano (only on Sundays) in Cidade Baixa

Sunday nights at Insano have become legendary for the salsa schools and their students. Although you will find “normal people” (also known as “beginners”) dancing there, it is usually packed with semi-professionals and genuine dance gods and goddesses that will make you want to give up on your dancing efforts in 5 minutes. They have a band and the music is truly good!

Bar Sierra Maestra in Cidade Baixa

Sierra Maestra is a Cuban bar that has salsa playing every day of the week. On Fridays and Saturdays they bring in a band, on other days the music comes from a CD player. The owners are a Cuban-Brazilian couple who have the most fascinating life stories to tell. When you go there, make sure you ask them about how they ended up in Porto Alegre, and bar owners. This is my favorite place to go out at night in Porto Alegre. Despite it being completely charming, well-priced and in a convenient location, the place is almost always empty. Which is a good opportunity to chat with the owners!

Does anyone know of another place?

Read about other bars in Porto Alegre, by Barry Flynn.

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First impressions count

Before setting foot in the Happy Harbour I hadn’t fully pictured how the city should appear. Given the German/Italian immigration patterns I imagined a little Latin colonial, maybe a historic quarter with brightly painted houses, cute cafes, wine bars, cobblestoned streets and historic churches. Perhaps packed with sleepy bars by the river that come alive at weekends, and food vendors concocting aromatic fare on every corner. There are remnants of that Latin colonial place I had visualised in my head, but it’s altogether a different place.

 Porto Alegre is an industrial city for work rather than play, capital rather than culture. A city full of beautiful women but no supermodel itself. Along with the 60’s and 70’s structures and pedestrian unfriendly wide roads, the city applauds modernisation. So generic gated high rises are replacing its once historic buildings, which are vanishing.

 Architecture may not be Porto Alegre’s forte, however it does have one redeeming feature; a tree for every season. Porto Alegre is unquestionably a Dendrophiliacs paradise. It’s is hardcore tree porn for nature-lovers around the globe. Palm trees, fruit trees, colourful floral trees, pine trees, overhanging trees blanket an otherwise urban concrete jungle. They make the city feel green. The scent of Guavas is tantalising in summer, a riot of orange star like flowers decorate the city in autumn, and plump mandarins can be picked off the trees in winter.

Beautiful flowers that adorn the trees in POA

However the jewel in the cities crown blossoms in spring. The Jacaranda (a vibrant purple bell flower tree with twisted branches) give the city a carnival like feel during the months of October and November. Internationally recognised Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho is probably the most famous street to spot these in bloom. Without a doubt, the Jacarandas are the cities number one treasure and should be cherished.

Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho

Given its stunning climate, it’s surprising that more doesn't happen outdoors. Revitalisation of the waterfront, plus more outdoor cafes and establishments would enhance the quality of life. And a festival with lots of street vendors and events on Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho, for instance would surely be nice way to pay homage to the cities undeniable natural beauty. If that ever happens is anyone’s guess. In the meantime, charming mountain towns and the wine region are only a drive away.

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Green Porto Alegre

A local newspaper, Zero Hora, published an article stating that Porto Alegre has more green areas than stated as ideal by the World Health Organization.

According to the article, there are 14,78 m² (17.6% according to Wikipedia) of green areas for each inhabitant in the city, while the ideal is stated to be 10 m². This is altogether 31% of the city’s area. The biggest park, Parque Farroupilha or Redenção, which also happens to be conveniently 2 blocks away for my home, is 37-hectars. 

Portoalegrens can be even more proud, though. Because this statistic doesn’t take into account the number of trees in the city. 

Anyone who has ever visited Porto Alegre, has noticed that most streets have more trees than pedestrians on them.

Since the architecture of the city, in my opinion, has an inconsistent, sloppy feeling, these trees really help to make the place look charming and homey.

This photo was made world-famous by the 9gag community:

This is the view from the street:

 

Indeed, there are approximately 1.3 million trees in the streets, almost 1 for each person. 

As the seasons change, so does the face of the city. Here is a spring view from someone Carlos Kazeu:

Perhaps, besides experiencing the not-so-Brazilian Gaúcho culture, this is another interesting reason to visit the city.

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Surviving the Winter with humor

At this moment, the whole state of Rio Grande do Sul is complaining about cold. Take a look at a photo that was taken by Ronaldo Mendes near Santa Maria this morning:

Yes, Porto Alegre gets cold, very very cold.

I come from the north of the planet. I witness temperatures like -35 degrees almost every single year. That’s why people are so surprised when I tell them that the winter in Porto Alegre is the coldest I’ve ever experienced. 

But it’s true.. The houses are as cold as the streets (2.2 degrees this morning). And it is so unbelievably cold that I spend full weekends in the sleeping bag, under a pile of blankets and curse the day I decided to stay for yet another winter.

In Estonia the houses, buses, cars, schools, and supermarkets are heated. This is not the case here (except for some supermarkets and a few offices).

In 2011, our co-blogger Virgina posted (click on the link) the questions: "But why is POA like this? Why are buildings so ill-equipped to deal with colder weather? It’s not as if this scenario were new. Presumably winters have always been chilly in southern Brazil.Are the engineers hoping for some kind of genuinely warmer global future?" Believe me, I have the same questions!

Let’s take a look at the positive side – this has taught me some funny lessons:

• Even though there is no snow here, you still need separate pairs of shoes for the winter – 2 numbers bigger to fit 5 layers of socks.
• I’ve learned to make horse noises, due to the fact that it’s “prrrrrrrrrrrrrrr so cold” to leave the shower.
• Sometimes it makes sense to wear a full ski-suit underneath the pajamas.

You have to have an excellent sense of humor and a whole load of positive thinking to survive the winter in Porto Alegre (Or in Rio Grande do Sul). These are some of those things that make the Gaúchos so particularly special!

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My Favorite Things I

Lately I’ve been reflecting on my routine here in Porto Alegre and thinking about what things I like most about my life here that I did not used to do back home.

Going to Mercado Publico
I love to go there and spend hours learning about gaucho handicraft and souvenirs. Typical things you will find there are gaucho outfits (look like cowboy outfits), stuff for the kitchen (plastic bag collectors, hand painted towels, all kinds of containers), chimarrão equipment. I've taken a true interest in cuias - the sort of cups where you drink chimarrão (or mate) from.There are no two cuias exactly the same and as I've learned to love the ritual of drinking chimarrão, I've been obsessed with finding the perfect cuia.
Mercado Publico is one of the oldest buildings in Porto Alegre (currently almost 142 years old) and is located in the historical center of Porto Alegre.

(Picture from Coletiva.net)

Sundays at part 'Redenção'
followed by drinking fresh juice at 'Lancheria do Parque'
If it is a sunny Sunday, this park is full of people. There is a handicraft fair happening there every Sunday from morning until late in the afternoon. The place is filled with street musicians, vendedores, and local families walking around. You can try foods from different parts of Brazil and later sit down with friends for a chimarrão. What I love most about this park, compared to for example Parcão, is that Redenção attracts people from all social classes. I am deeply disturbed by such division of people because I had never experienced that before in my life. But on Sunday and in Redenção park they are all there, doing exactly the same things - playing with their kids, walking with their boyfriends/girlfriends/dogs and enjoying chimarrão. Black, white, Indian; poor, rich; gay, straight, confused - everybody!

Sunset at 'Usina do Gasômetro'

Porto Alegre is famous for its nice sunsets. On a clear evening, the sky gets red, orange, pink and purple. I suspect it has something to do with how polluted is the city, but nevertheless, the view over lake ‘Guaiba’ as the sun goes down is priceless. It was used to produce electricity between 1928 and 1974. Nowadays it is an architectural example and an important cultural center that hosts fairs, exhibitions, and other events. The street that takes you from the center to ‘Gasômetro’ is a very nice walk as well.

Porto Alegre is very rich in culture so it is impossible for me to list all my favorite things in one single blog post. Stay tuned for when I describe my favorite places to go at night. Maybe you’ve already heard some rumors about the nightlife in Porto Alegre, maybe not… all will be revealed soon.

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Traveling

Lost in translation. Or a literal equivalent that is slightly unsettling, like two clocks ticking out of sync, or a picture hanging crooked on a wall.

As great as POA (Porto Alegre) may be, everyone always seems to want to get away from it, at least for a short time. ‘He’s traveling this week’ or ‘I will be traveling then’—I hear the word in this context on a daily basis.

But for me, ‘traveling’ brings to mind backpacking through Europe, or hiking around South America—something longer, more involved, perhaps even exotic. It’s not a visit to the seaside or a weekend in the country. I anticipate tales of foreign adventure, to find the topic is merely a visit to a relative in Curitiba or a beach house in Torres.

(Of course the pedant will say that ‘traveling’ denotes the act itself, and of course this is true, but you and I both know that is not the spirit behind its use in general conversation.)
Regardless, the weather has turned momentarily glorious, and the winter break is upon us, so we might as well do some traveling. (When in Rome, and all that…).
Up the mountain to Gramado we go. My in-laws have a history here, and I first knew it many years ago, before the expensive shops, restrictive parking and indulgent hotels. I prefer Canela these days; it feels more relaxed, and I’ve always liked the name.

And there’s a Festa Colonial! Who needs overpriced gift stores when there are homemade jams and local products? When there are artisan craftspeople and lively musicians? When you can sample creamy chocolate, cinnamon cachaça, freshly-pressed fruit juices? Where the steaming quentão (a kind of mulled wine) is elegantly-spiced and silky smooth (unlike a sickly-sweet syrupy version I had last month at a Festa Junina).

We had dinner at the festa—there are several caseira restaurants set up in the feira hall itself. Traditional, local, hearty dishes, served with a welcome as warm as the iron pots atop the wood burning stove. We bought jams and juices, chocolate and cachaça, and local wine, so pungent and grapey it was almost unreal.

Traveling? Yes please. I know there’s no place like home, but it is wonderful to get out and about now and then, even if it’s just a quick trip up the mountain.

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Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy. Red Tape. The System. Or ‘burro-ocracy’, as I have also heard it called—no one feels it quite like a foreigner in Brazil.

It starts out easy enough. If you come from a country that doesn’t need a visa to enter Brazil, you just turn up at the immigration desk, your passport is stamped, no questions are asked, and no information is given.

But how long can you stay? Are you allowed to work? Can you extend your visit, or what happens if you overstay your welcome? These are the mysteries of the tourist visa.

My situation is different, as I am married to a Brazilian, but I have met many others in this situation. And the answers to the questions above, in case you are wondering, are, in order: 3 months; no; yes—although you cannot be here more than 6 months in 365-day period; and at the very least you will be fined R$ 8 per day of your ‘illegal’ time.

OK, but back to me. I could write an entire novella on my dealings with Brazilian bureaucracy, but I will just share one or two of my favorites so far. Firstly, as we were married in the UK, we knew we had to register the union here in Brazil. We also knew that no one would be too impressed by our ‘foreign’ marriage certificate, so we had it translated—word for word—by a ‘juramentada’.

At the cartório we were told this wasn’t sufficient--the document would need to be returned to London for certification by the Brazilian consulate there. Sigh. Several weeks and more money later, we returned with the marriage certificate, and its shiny new stamp on the back.

The woman looked at the paper suspiciously. She turned it over, and then back again. Where is the translation, she wanted to know. We handed her the one we had. No, she told us, you need a new translation. To include the new stamp. ‘But the stamp is in Portuguese’, my husband cried in disbelief.

And so it goes. A new translation, more money spent, and then the federal police get to do their part. You can work now, the official tells me. Fantastic! And I can finally get a bank account too? He shook his head sadly. Unfortunately, not until the full residency papers are finalized, perhaps 1-2 years. It’s a quirk of the system, apparently. You are allowed to work, but not to open a bank account. And many jobs require you to have a bank account into which they can deposit your pay…

You have to laugh, as they say, or else you cry.

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