Blog Vivendo Porto Alegre

Paço Municipal - Marco Zero

noreply@blogger.com (Rodrigo) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 22:10:00 +0000

É tido como cultura popular, que toda cidade do interior possui, geralmente muito próximas, uma Igreja, uma Prefeitura e uma agência do Banco do Brasil. Muitas vezes localizada na mesma quadra ou praça. Nelas, geralmente encontram-se o Marco Zero da cidade, que serve como definição da sede do município. Serve também para definir a distância oficial entre cidades.

Em Porto Alegre, nosso Marco Zero não tem uma igreja muito perto, até tem um banco nacional, mas este é o Banco Comercial do Uruguai, mas nele localiza-se o Paço Municipal.

O Paço Municipal é um espaço inaugurado em 1901, com uma praça em frente a, então, prefeitura. Hoje, o espaço também é conhecido como a Velha Prefeitura, o prédio com forte influência positivista, também possui em frente a Fonte Talavera de la Reina, um presente da cidade espanhola Talavera de la Reina, em homenagem ao Rio Grande do Sul, aos 100 anos de Revolução Farroupilha.

Conheça e aprecie as arquitetura do prédio e a Pinacoteca Aldo Locatelli.

Paço Municipal de Porto Alegre

Fontes:
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pa%C3%A7o_Municipal_de_Porto_Alegre
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonte_Talavera_de_La_Reina

Parabéns!

noreply@blogger.com (Rodrigo) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:42:00 +0000

Porto Alegre nem sempre foi Porto Alegre. Mas começou porto. Porto dos Dorneles, Porto de Viamão até Freguesia de Nossa Senhora Madre de Deus de Porto Alegre (ufa!). Mas de todos os seus nomes e alcunhas, seu espirito e alma sempre foi de Porto dos Casais, desde os seus primeiros 60 casais até hoje!
Parabéns a todos nós, portoalegrenses!

Aniversário de Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:00:00 +0000

O aniversário de +Porto Alegre é comemorado no dia 26 de março. A região ocupada por Porto Alegre já foi morada de vários outros povos, incluindo tapuias, mas a cidade foi oficialmente fundada em 1772 (data em que o Porto de Viamão foi elevado à categoria de freguesia).

Naquela época Porto Alegre pertencia à esta freguesia, denominada Freguesia de São Francisco do Porto dos Casais (a maior parte deste território hoje ocupado pelo Município de Viamão, na Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre). Em 25 de julho de 1773 a capital da freguesia foi transferida para a região atualmente ocupada por Porto Alegre, por questões geográficas e estratégicas.

Farol no Clube Jangadeiros, zona sul de Porto Alegre

A cidade tem um potencial turístico muito grande, considerando a quantidade de universidades em Porto Alegre. Algumas destas universidades não têm medido esforços para promover uma maior integração com a comunidade científica de outros países. O resultado disso é um número cada vez maior de estudantes estrangeiros que permanecem na cidade por pelo menos quatro meses. A importância disso, além do fortalecimento da ciência local, é a formação de pessoas com um potencial muito grande para divulgar a cidade no exterior. Fora isso, Porto Alegre sempre foi marginalizada em políticas estratégicas do governo central para o fortalecimento de destinos turísticos internacionais, que sempre investiu em outros destinos turísticos.

É claro que não há como comparar Porto Alegre com as praias do nordeste, por exemplo. Na verdade, o investimento em um perfil de destino turístico não elimina a possibilidade de se investir em um destino turístico dentro das características de Porto Alegre.

Mas Porto Alegre, assim como ocorre em outras regiões do País, parece sempre estar em um segundo nível de importância para a classe política.

Por do sol em Porto Alegre

Mas não foi apenas a interferência externa que impediu o desenvolvimento da cidade. Porto Alegre é uma cidade muito tradicional nos costumes e pouco aberta à inovação. Uma prova disso foi o Aeromóvel: um conceito de transporte público que amarga sucessivas derrotas no campo político.

Porto Alegre precisa urgentemente de investimento, mas acima de tudo de ações que promovam a auto-estima da cidade. É difícil para os portoalegrenses acreditarem no potencial turístico da cidade, quando não há revitalização do Cais do Porto; quando governantes desperdiçam o potencial turístico da Ilha da Casa da Pólvora; quando os mesmos governantes ignoram a riqueza arquitetônica do Bairro Floresta e o condenam ao tráfico de drogas e à prostituição; quando desprezam a rica história de bairros como o da Azenha, que poderiam abrigar museus e centros culturais contando as suas belas contribuições para a formação da identidade cultural da cidade; quando superfaturam obras que talvez não fossem a melhor resposta para velhos problemas...

A impressionante cúpula da Catedral Metropolitana de Porto Alegre

Mas apesar de tudo, vivendo em Porto Alegre sempre se descobre motivos para celebrar um aniversário: o por do sol do Guaíba; curtir um chimarrão na Redenção; caminhar no Parcão; passear no Barco Cisne Branco; encontrar aquele amigo que tu não via a tempo na Esquina Democrática; ver um bom filme no shopping; assistir um GRENAL... Essas são algumas entre muitas formas de curtir Porto Alegre no seu aniversário e nos demais dias do ano! Parabéns Porto Alegre!

noreply@blogger.com (Cadu) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:49:00 +0000

olá caros amigos do blog.. sou o cadu bibliotecário e fotografo , irei postar algumas das minhas fotos de lugares em Porto Alegre, desde já agradeço a todos e façam seus comentários e sugestões de lugares para fotografar. abraços

Como chegar ao Laçador

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:53:00 +0000

A estátua do Laçador é um dos cartões postais de Porto Alegre. O monumento é de autoria do escultor Antônio Caringi. O Laçador é o Símbolo Oficial de +Porto Alegre e também tombado como patrimônio histórico de Porto Alegre. Ele se encontra no sítio O Laçador, junto à Avenida dos Estados, próximo ao número 747 (quase em frente ao Terminal 2 do Aeroporto Internacional Salgado Filho, em Porto Alegre).

O Laçador

Acesso pela Estação Aeroporto

Apesar de se localizar bem próximo ao Aeroporto de Porto Alegre e à Estação Aeroporto da Empresa de Trens Urbanos de Porto Alegre S.A. (TRENSURB), se deslocar até o Laçador a pé destes locais poderá ser bastante cansativo. Usando o Google Maps, a distância entre a Estação Aeroporto e o Laçador chega a aproximadamente 654 metros ou 2145 pés (veja o trajeto na linha azul do mapa abaixo). A distância entre o Terminal 1 do Aeroporto e o Laçador é ainda maior.

Visualizar Sítio O Laçador, Porto Alegre, RS, República Federativa do Brasil em um mapa maior

Acesso pelo Hotel Novotel Porto Alegre Airport, Hotel Ibis Porto Alegre Aeroporto e Hotel Deville Porto Alegre Aeroporto

Estando em Porto Alegre a negócios ou a passeio, a melhor forma de chegar ao Laçador é de táxi. O melhor horário para uma boa foto no local é no período da manhã, em função da posição do sol em relação à estátua.

Acesso por ônibus de Porto Alegre

Para quem já está em Porto Alegre o melhor é chegar ao local de ônibus usando as linhas: B09-1 Aeroporto/Iguatemi; B091-1 Aeroporto/Iguatemi/Anchieta; ou ainda a linha 702-1 Bairro Anchieta.

Não será difícil perceber quando o ônibus se aproxima do aeroporto. De qualquer forma, sente-se próximo ao cobrador e peça para avisá-lo(a) sobre a parada mais próxima da Estátua do Laçador, pois tanto a linha B091-1 quanto a linha 702-1 percorrem uma longa extensão até o Bairro Anchieta após passar pelo local.

A linha de ônibus B091-1 Aeroporto/Iguatemi/Anchieta cumpre um percurso bem amplo, cruzando por avenidas importantes da zona norte da cidade, tais como Avenida Assis Brasil, Avenida Dr. Nilo Peçanha, Avenida Protásio Alves e outras. Seu traçado lembra as linhas transversais da Carris (T1, T2, etc.), pois a linha B091-1 não passa pelo Centro da Cidade.

Trajeto da linha de ônibus B091-1 Aeroporto/Iguatemi/Anchieta. Fonte: Google Maps

A linha de ônibus 702-1 Bairro Anchieta percorre toda a Avenida Farrapos. No final da Avenida Farrapos há uma curva à direita, onde é possível avistar a Estação Farrapos (à esquerda do ônibus). A seguir o veículo passará por baixo do Viaduto Leonel Brizola e a seguir já será possível avistar à direita o Aeroporto Salgado Filho. Neste ponto a qualquer momento o cobrador do ônibus deverá lhe informar sobre o local de descida.

Trajeto da linha de ônibus 702-1 Bairro Anchieta. Fonte: Google Maps

Acesso por automóvel sentido Centro - Aeroporto

A outra opção é ir de carro, pela Avenida dos Estados (continuação da Avenida Farrapos, no sentido Centro - bairros). O Sítio O Laçador possui estacionamento gratuito.

Acesso por automóvel sentido BR-116 - Porto Alegre

Em direção ao Centro de Porto Alegre, passe pelo anel viário do Aeroporto e entre à esquerda, na Avenida Ceará, no cruzamento que se encontra abaixo do Viaduto Leonel Brizola (o primeiro viaduto após passar o aeroporto). Siga pela Avenida Ceará, passe pela Rua transversal Vinte e Cinco de Fevereiro. Entre à esquerda na Rua 18 de Novembro e dobre novamente à esquerda na Rua Edu Chaves. Siga até o final desta rua, no cruzamento com a Avenida dos Estados. Entre na Avenida dos Estados e tome a pista mais à direita, saindo da pista principal.

ショッピングセンター建設による都市開発

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:33:00 +0000

　日本における中規模以上の都市が発展するのは、駅が中心です。

駅にはまず駅ビルが入り、駅周辺にはデパートや商業施設・マンションなどが建設され、街の様々なインフラが整備されます。駅から近ければ近いほど便利であるため、地価は駅からの距離に比例して高くなります。

　このように日本では都市の発展に関して電車が果たす役割は非常に大きいです。

　一方、ブラジルにおける中規模以上の都市の発展の形は、電車が通る駅ではなく、長距離バス用のバスターミナルが中心だと言えそうです。

なぜなら、ブラジルにはそもそも大都市を除けば電車がなく、バス社会だからです。ただ、近年は格安航空会社の参入により、飛行機チケットが求めやすくなっているため、ブラジル国内の長距離移動を考えれば飛行機社会になりつつあると言えます。

しかし、基本的に空港は郊外に建設されるために、都市は空港を中心に発展しません。

それでは何を基本にブラジルの中規模以上の都市は発展するのでしょうか。

私の考えでは、ブラジルでの都市はショッピングセンターを中心に発展しているのではないかと考えています。

２００１年から私が住んでいるポルトアレグレは人口が約１４０万人、ブラジル最南端のリオグランデドスル州の州都です。

私が住み始めた当時も、ポルトアレグレには既にショッピングセンターが何箇所かありましたが、実はここ４、５年新しいショッピングセンターが次々と建設されています。

今日はその中の３つのショッピングセンターを紹介します。

１．ショッピングトータル

ポルトアレグレのセントロ地区近郊には長い間大きなショッピングセンターがありませんでした。そこで、１９世紀から１９９８年までビール醸造所として利用されてきた建物を改修し、２００３年にショッピングトータルとして落成しました。

このショッピングには映画館・大型スーパーといった通常の施設のほかに、比較的小規模のお店が５００以上も入っているのが大きな特徴です。歴史的建造物を再活用することでセントロ地区近郊の活性化を促進したという点で、非常に評価できます。

２．バッハショッピングスル

　ポルトアレグレ市の南部にはショッピングセンターが存在しませんでした。しかし、ポルトアレグレ市内を貫く第３幹線道路の建設を機に、不法占有者などが多く住む同地区の開発に乗り出し、バッハショッピングスルが２００８年末に落成されました。

このショッピングは、敷地面積が約７万平方メートルあり、駐車場には４０００台の収容が可能で、大型スーパー・映画館・プレイグラウンドなどのほか、２１５の店舗を有しています。

同地区には元々何もなかったために、周辺スラム街の住民たちに雇用の機会を提供したほか、同地区周辺のマンションの建設ラッシュ、インフラ設備の整備などショッピング建設による同地区への経済効果は非常に大きく、理想的な都市開発であったと言えます。

３．ブルボン・ウォリグ

　今年４月に落成されたばかりのポルトアレグレで一番新しいショッピングセンターです。同ショッピングセンターの近郊には、既に大型ショッピングが２つあるために、どのような意図で建設されたのかはよく分かりませんが、周辺は道路が整備されたほか、高級マンションが建設されており、一定の経済効果はあったとは思います。

このショッピングが他のものと違う点は、日本のデパートのように縦型の７階建てであるということです。ブラジルは日本の国土の２３倍もある大国ですから、通常ショッピングは土地を贅沢に利用した横長スタイルの２・３階建てが多いのが特徴です。

以上、ポルトアレグレにあるショッピングを３つ紹介しましたが、それぞれ特徴は違うものの、ショッピングセンターを通じた地域の発展という意味では、みんな共通しているのではないかと思います。

ポルトアレグレを訪れた際には、そんな視点を持ってショッピングセンターをご利用になるのも面白いかもしれません。

Evolving Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Barry) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:07:00 +0000

Porto Alegre like all the world´s cities is a ragbag of the great and the dire. I love living here quite like I love Lemmy from Motorhead, warts´n´all, but there´s room for improvement. Much smaller than London it offers many things we Londoners don’t have and we can learn from the way of life here as no doubt Alegrenses learn from our gross and gourdy metropolis. Obviously the first thing that should change in Brazil is the huge gulf between rich and poor which leads to crime and destitution the world over, but apart from that here is my list of things I think PoA could do with and without…

Do with:

garam masala - bring your own or see if you can find it in the public market!

Curry: If an Alegrense says they like spicy food they´re telling black lies, there isn´t one good Indian restaurant in the whole town. Not one. Where are the nosebleed vindaloos? Can I even get an authentic chicken tikka masala? Visitors, bring your own gram masala and colman´s mustard with you. See also branston pickle and cheddar cheese!

Bus timetables – Bus shelters, half-pipes of corrugated iron, line the streets but you learn more about jesus and strip joints than you do the times and destinations of the sadly characterless buses. Import those retro buses from Argentina, they´re far more exotic, and put up timetables.

where are we going?

Cycle lanes – When I first arrived here in 2011, a manifestation by cyclists for better facilities and safer roads made world headlines when a maniac plowed into it with his car. Fortunately no one was killed. Since then there still aren´t cycle paths on the road and motorists are as selfish as ever. Why not go green and replace the lane slaloming taxis with rickshaws or make them solar powered with max speeds of 20mph?

Monkeys – I don´t get why anyone would be proud that Porto Alegre doesn´t have monkeys and think us foreigners ignorant or rude for expecting them. Since when was having cute little monkeys a bad thing? The mata atlantica used to belong to them, species like the blond capuchins are all endangered now so reintroduce them, it´s not like you don´t have enough trees.

More saliva – I love sharing a chimarrão with strangers but why not share ice lollies and cutlery as well?

Others: sound time-keeping, cheaper dvds and snow at Christmas

Things PoA can do without:

Giselle Bundchen – If you blindfolded a newcomer to Brazil and took them from Salgado Filho airport to the centro historico, the shock of so many ugly people would make them think they´d entered the twilight zone by mistake. Porto Alegre has more than its fair share of beautiful women, enticing us ugly expats to your shores, but be honest, you have a plethora of different people of all shapes and sizes and too much body consciousness to sustain them. Be proud of everyone not just the size zeros and vacuous supermodels.

The Beatles and ACDC – Okay, they´re great, I get it. But while universidade sertanejo and Brazilian funk deservedly take the flak, the gaucho mobsession with these two bands is chatissimo (really boring). Putting your baby in an ACDC t-shirt makes ACDC less cool and makes you a moron.

This building –

unfinished since 1956

Maniac Taxi Drivers: If you want to feel like a princess here, take a taxi. Within minutes of hurtling down the road you will feel like Princess Diana. The fast lane in Brazil is whatever lane your taxi happens to be in.

Others: rip-off internet shops, stripclub flyers all over the pavement (use blue tack) and the facebook page for estrangeiros/foreigners in Porto Alegre which is oddly unfriendly and snooty.

But what can we Londoners take from Porto Alegre?... I will blog about that soon!

Practicing Portugese in Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Barry) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:13:00 +0000

´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

Brique da Redenção in Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Camila Mayuri) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:26:00 +0000

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

Beer in Brazil Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Barry) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:14:00 +0000

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.

ポルトガル語はポルトアレグレで!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:54:00 +0000

　日本人がブラジルに真っ先に抱くイメージにはどんなものがあるでしょうか。

　サンバ。カーニバル。サッカー。美しいビーチ。常夏の気候。アマゾン。

　こういった日本人がイメージするブラジルを代表する都市と言えば、やはり世界的観光都市でもあるリオデジャネイロと言って間違いないかと思います。

　私もリオデジャネイロには何度か行き、実際に会場に足を運んで本場のカーニバルを２度見ましたが、その迫力に圧倒されました。また、白い砂浜が続くビーチにはビキニ姿の美女たち戯れているほか、コルコバードのキリスト像やポン・ヂ・アスーカルからの景観はまさに絶景であり、リオデジャネイロは観光客が是非とも１度は訪れるべき場所だと言えます。

　ただ、リオデジャネイロを見ただけで、ブラジルを語るのはちょっと早計過ぎます。

　なぜなら、ブラジルの国土は日本の２３倍もあり、ブラジルの北部と南部では気候も違えば、人種・習慣・料理・文化などが各地方によって全く違うからです。

　今日、この記事で取り上げるお勧めのブラジルの都市は、私が１１年半住んでいるポルトアレグレという町です。ポルトアレグレはブラジル最南端のリオグランデドスル州の州都で、人口が約１４０万人、イタリア・ドイツを中心としたヨーロッパ系移民が多く移住したため、ブラジル全体と比べて白人が多いのが特徴です。

また、ブラジル最南端に位置しているため、１年中温暖な気候のリオデジャネイロと違って四季が存在し、夏は蒸し暑く冬は寒いと言えます。ただ、寒いと言っても零度を下回る事はないため、東京よりは３・４度ほど平均気温が高く、比較的過ごし易いのではないかと思います。

そして、このような気候のせいか、ガウーショ(リオグランデドスル州の住民)の気質は、日本人がブラジル人に抱く陽気なカリオカとは違い、真面目で勤勉な人が比較的多いので、そのギャップに戸惑うこともあるかもしれません。

私はポルトガル語を真剣に勉強したい日本人の学生さんには、このブラジルらしからぬポルトアレグレという町が最適ではないかと考えています。その主な理由を以下に挙げます。

第１の理由は、リオグランデドスル州連邦大学(UFRGS)やポルトガル語の語学学校などの教育機関が整備されている事です。UFRGSには外国人向けのポルトガル語講座が開設されており、中国人・韓国人などのアジア系、アルゼンチン人・コロンビア人などの南米諸国の留学生と一緒にポルトガル語を学べます。また、学生ビザも発行しているため、１か月位の短期間から１年といった長期間に渡ってポルトガル語を勉強したい人には便利です。

第２の理由は、サンパウロ州やパラナ州などと違い、日本人・日系人が少ない事です。前述のポルトガル語講座には日本人学生や企業の語学研修生が多少いますが、街中で日本人に出会う事は滅多になく、アパートやホームステイなどをすれば、周囲に日本人が全くいない最適な語学環境でポルトガル語の勉強に励む事ができます。

第３の理由は、ポルトガル語の発音・方言が比較的標準語に近い事です。サンパウロも悪くはないのですが、リオデジャネイロやブラジル北東部のサルバドールなどで話されているポルトガル語は訛りが強く、ポルトガル語初心者には難しいばかりか、一旦それを覚えてしまうと、ブラジル国内の他地域に行った時にその発音の違い(訛り)を指摘される可能性があります。

第４の理由は、ブラジル人が日本語を勉強している大学・学校が比較的多い事です。同機関で日本語を教えていらっしゃる方は日本人や日系人が主なのですが、もし留学中に何か相談したい事があれば、これらの日本人に頼ることも可能です。また、これらの機関で日本語を勉強している日本に興味を抱いているブラジル人は親切な人がほとんどであり、友達になって交流を深める事もできます。

第５の理由は、ウルグアイ及びアルゼンチンと距離的に近い事です。リオグランデドスル州内にはブラジルを代表する観光都市はグラマードくらいしかないのですが、他州と違ってウルグアイ・アルゼンチンと隣接しているため、ちょっとした休みを利用してスペイン語圏の国を旅行する事ができます。

どうでしょうか。ポルトアレグレでポルトガル語を勉強したくなりましたか。

もちろん勉強目的は人それぞれ違うので、遊びや観光・文化体験を重視している方には、リオデジャネイロやサルバドールの大学や語学学校でポルトガル語を勉強する方がいいかと思います。

でも、もし語学を真剣に学びたい方にはポルトアレグレも選択肢の１つに入れてみてはどうでしょうか。

A question of transport.

noreply@blogger.com (Nicola) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 19:57:00 +0000

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.

Beer in Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Barry) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:46:00 +0000

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)

Renting bicycles in Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Camila Mayuri) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 01:05:00 +0000

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.

Porto Alegre's Airport + tips

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:35:00 +0000

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

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

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:02:00 +0000

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.

Latin America in Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:37:00 +0000

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.

First impressions count

noreply@blogger.com (Nicola) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:39:00 +0000

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.

Dia do Cosplay em Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:03:00 +0000

Em 21 de julho foi realizado o Dia do Cosplay em Porto Alegre. O encontro de cosplayers de Porto Alegre integrou um projeto em escala nacional para divulgar o Cosplay no Brasil. Além do Rio Grande do Sul, outros dezoito estados brasileiros organizaram seus encontros de cosplayers.

Cosplay: arte ou diversão? Se for avaliado o estudo de um personagem (incluindo desde a análise da sua personalidade até o planejamento, investimento e execução do traje), onde cada detalhe se refletirá na interpretação do mesmo, então não restam dúvidas de que Cosplay é uma arte.

A diversão, por outro lado, também é um elemento central em qualquer evento onde hajam cosplayers. Não importa se as interpretações são alegres ou enigmáticas. É uma tribo que transmite uma energia muito intensa.

Ampliar imagem acima

Confere aqui mais imagens sobre o Dia do Cosplay na Redenção, em Porto Alegre.

Cosplay na Redenção

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 06:59:00 +0000

O Parque da Redenção é um espaço de convivência de várias tribos. No último dia 21 uma destas tribos mostrou a sua força: os cosplayers.

O Dia do Cosplay foi um evento organizado pelos grupos de cosplayers Guild RS, Konoha RS, além de Lucas Barcelos e Johnny Joestar (segundo a fan page da MCM Brasil no Facebook). A concentração ocorreu no Monumento ao Expedicionário, no início da tarde. A seguir, o grupo se movimentou em direção ao Largo Professor Francisco de Paula B. da Rocha.

Cosplayer é o praticante do Cosplay. O Cosplay, por sua vez, é a arte de representar um personagem a caráter. Confere a seguir imagens de alguns dos cosplayers.

Ampliar imagem acima

O encontro na Redenção despertou a atenção e o interesse do público que frequenta o parque. Muitas pessoas pararam para fotografar os cosplayers que pacientemente atenderam a todos.

A tarde já se encaminhava para o seu final, mas o Parque Farroupilha continuava recebendo novos cosplayers.

E então, qual foi o teu cosplayer preferido?

¿Cuál es la diferencia?

noreply@blogger.com (Pili) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 21:25:00 +0000

Cuando llegué a Porto Alegre otros extranjeros me dijeron que esta parte de Brasil era diferente de lo que imaginaba. No se equivocaron. ¿A qué Brasil llegué? No me parece, como muchos dicen, una parte de Suramérica mas europea excepto en que la mayoría de la población es blanca. En cierta forma, es como otras ciudades de Suramérica: una periferia, un centro, problemas sociales y en la parte positiva, ciudad en crecimiento y gente amable y alegre. ¿Que és entonces lo diferente?

Primero, lo obvio, nada de tambores en las calles, mujeres en hilo dental bailando, ni samba o bossa nova, excepto en contados restaurantes. Segundo, bailar rock y pop en fiestas. En mi país, Colombia, esta música se escucha sentado, mientras bebes cerveza con tus amigos. ¿Bailarla? Jamás. En el resto de Suramérica podría decirse que se baila música mas “tropical”, nunca rock o pop.

También tienen la tradición gaúcha: toman una bebida muy caliente, el chimarrão, en pleno verano, tienen danzas con largos vestidos en mujeres y pantalones bombachos en hombres y los churrascos, una manera única de asar la carne.

Al estar en el sur del continente, Porto Alegre tiene estaciones, pero para nosotros, extranjeros, es difícil imaginar inmediatamente un Brasil frío, del mismo modo que pocos imaginan que Bogotá, la capital de mi país, es fría todo el año aunque esté cerca del Ecuador.

Aún así, Porto Alegre conserva la amabilidad brasilera. En esta ciudad permanece el calor humano de su gente, te abren las puertas de su casa, hay conversaciones en la calle con desconocidos, apoyo al pedir indicaciones en la calle e invitaciones a fiestas. Cuando te saludan por primera vez, te abrazan, cuando se despiden por primera vez te dicen “beijo”, y probablemente marquen un encuentro para verse una segunda vez contigo.

Green Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:04:00 +0000

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.

Surviving the Winter with humor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:36:00 +0000

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!

Lojas Renner e Memorial da Livraria do Globo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:37:00 +0000

No mesmo dia do aniversário de Porto Alegre, aconteceu a inauguração da Renner na antiga sede da Livraria do Globo. O fato de uma simples criação de uma nova filial da clássica rede lojista não motivaria um post específico para o blog, mas o grande fato reside que dentro do estabelecimento foi criado um espaço para a memória da Globo.

O local dedicado fica no terceiro andar e conta com expositores mostrando itens usados na antiga gráfica (como xilogravuras) e painéis fotográficos. O trabalho arquitetônico ainda contemplou uma grande parede onde o reboco foi retirado, deixando a mostra os quase centenário tijolos da edificação. No memorial ainda tem espaço para tomar um cafezinho.Pode-se dizer que é canto cultural bem interessante no meio da agitação de uma loja de roupas. Fato louvável.

Detalhe da entrada do prédio

Pipocas eram distribuídas aos clientes.

A inauguração da loja e do Memorial teve a presença do comunicador Piangers da Rede Atlântida com convidados.

Parede exposta com os tijolos do prédio

Sequência de fotografias do prédio na área do café

Vista geral do Memorial

Molde de xilogravura

Clientes tomando um café no Memorial

Vídeo do 3º Passeio Ciclístico de Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:47:00 +0000

Vídeo do 3º Passeio Ciclístico de Porto Alegre, em comemoração aos 240 anos da Capital do Rio Grande do Sul.

O evento teve largada às 10 horas da manhã, no último domingo. A concentração ocorreu no Supermercado Nacional da Avenida Wenceslau Escobar, percorrendo pelas avenidas do belo Bairro Assunção (ver trajeto no mapa).

O Passeio Ciclístico foi muito divertido, e a organização do trânsito pela EPTC garantiu um evento sem nenhum incidente.

Acompanhe aqui durante a semana a publicação das fotos do 3º Passeio Ciclístico de Porto Alegre