Ilha do Papagaio in Santa Catarina

We spent the Easter holiday with our friends I&H and A&H in a wonderful small island in Santa Catarina, about 80Km south from Florianópolis , called Ilha do Papagaio (parrot island).
On the island there are 21 chalets, a small beach, swimming pool, aquatic sports
activities, short hiking trails, very good restaurant and friendly atmosphere thanks
to the owner and his family who mingle with the guests.
The island is an eco-resort with respect to nature.
Guests are being picked by a boat to go from the land to the island. On the island a waiter
is welcoming you with a fruit cocktail and from this moment on, all you got to do is
relax and enjoy the small paradise you've just discovered.
The kids spent most of their time on the beach, kayaks and swimming pool.

The restaurant offers a nice verity of fresh sea food among other dishes. We brought several wine bottles with us and the island crew was happy to uncork them and provide glasses.


Being an eco-resort, the chalets are simple yet comfortable and charming. We hardly spent time in the chalet since there's so much to do outdoors.

During winter time the place offers right whale watching, fireplace in the room and special winter dishes at the restaurant.

Mario Quintana Cultural House

Mario Quintana Cultural House is named after the famous poet born in 1906.
The cultural house downtown Porto Alegre is known for its pink color. In the past it used to be the Majestic hotel. It was built in the early 20's in a baroque style.
Today, this beautiful 7 story building is a home for cultural events, library, art galleries, shows, courses and movies. There's always something interesting going on and it definitely worth a visit.
On the 5th floor, there's a nice garden called Jardim Lutzenberger with purple water lilies in bath tubs, benches to rest and a view to the Centro and a beautiful church. A perfect place to relax or read a book.There are 2 cafe-restaurants. One is located at the entrance and the other one on the top floor, where we visited yesterday with our friends J&M. It's called "Cafe Santo de Casa". They have tables indoors and also outside the balcony with a view to the Guaiba. The food is simple and good. The dish names are all spiritual and the place is full of different santas.



Address:
Casa de Cultura Mario Quintana
Rua dos Andrados 736, Centro
Tel. 3221.7147
Closed on Mondays

FILE - Electronic Language International Festival

Today we visited the FILE exposition in Santander Cultural Center downtown Porto Alegre.
This interactive exposition is a combination of visual arts and technology, artists from 21 different countries.

The works show web-art, animation, 360º photos, games and more. The exposition is very interesting, there's a lot to see, touch and play with. A great place to spend few hours with kids. Free entrance. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
The exposition is on until Apr. 20th
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00
Sat-Sun 11:00-19:00

Natal Luz in Gramado

Christmas time is the nicest time to visit charming Gramado. The streets are full of Christmas decorations, all made of recycled plastic bottles and colorful lights in the evenings.
During November-December there are many events going on in Gramado. The holidays program is called "Natal Luz" and it includes many events, out of which the most impressive one is the "Nativitaten". This is a show of a choir, laser lights and fire works, held in the surrounding of an artificial lake. A ticket should be purchased beforehand in Gramado's cinema ticket office, or online. This year the price for a ticket is 40R$.
There's also a parade, a singing tree (a choir singing between a Christmas tree leafs) and many more attractions.

Maria Fumaça Steam Train

In the heart of the wine area, north from Porto Alegre, the Maria Fumaça train ride is a fun tourist attraction. The train leaves from Bento Gonçalves, where you will have some Brazilian wine tasting. As the ride starts, groups of singers pass between the passengers, playing, singing and dancing, dressed up like old Italian immigrants. If you drink enough wine and you're mentally ready to dance, the dancers would be happy to dance with you. Make sure you have enough space on your camera memory card before embarking (-: The train stops on Garibaldi, where you'll taste some champagne and grape juice. The final stop is in Carlos Barbosa. A bus ride back to Bento Gonçalves is included. Another option is to ride a bus to Carlos Barbosa and take the train back to Bento Gonçalves. The ride is around 2 hours long, over 23 kilometers of scenic route.

It's recommended to reserve tickets in advance by phone:(54)3455-2788.
Train operates on Wed. and Sat. at 9:00 from Bento Gonçalves and 10:45 from Carlos Barbosa. At 14:00 from Bento Gonçalves and 16:00 from Carlos Barbosa. Kids under 5: free. Above 6: 40R$ on low season and 45R$ on high season (July, Dec. Jan.).


View Larger Map

The Buddhist Center in Três Coroas

The Buddhist Center is located in a spectacular spot in the mountains of the serra gaúcha. The view is breathtaking and the temple is definitely worth a visit. Before entering the temple you should take off your shoes and keep silent. The temple and the monuments outside are beautifully decorated in vivid colors and detailed patterns. Unfortunately it's forbidden to take pictures inside the temple. There's also a small gift shop and kiosk.

Here's a short video about the temple (exclusive pictures from the inside, ha ha):


73Km from Porto Alegre on road RS-115, you arrive to Três Coroas, where you will see a sign to the "centro budista". Turn right to a dirt road. Climb up the mountain 7Km and turn left to the center. At the gate you'll be asked by intercom how many passengers in the car and the license plate number. Then the gate will magically open and you'll drive to the parking area. At this point you already start to feel the unique serenity surrounding you. Breath deeply and start meditating...
Pay attention to opening hours: Tuesday to Friday: 9:00-12:00 and 13:30-17:00. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00-17:00 pm. Free entrance.


View Larger Map

Air force base "open day"

The Brazilian air base in Canoas is having its annual open day tomorrow, Oct. 12th with lots of attractions like music shows, churrasco, exposition of civil and military aircrafts, F-5M, Mirage 2000 and of course an aerobatic show. The main aerobatic show usually starts at around 16:00. It's recommended to arrive 2 hours earlier to avoid the traffic jam.

Base Aérea de Canoas map - Tagzania

Essa POA e boa

Essa POA e boa is a contemporary art exposition, taking place in an indoor space by the Dado brewery in DC Navegantes. All artists participating are from Porto Alegre, showing 12 projects that include paintings, sculptures,video and music. Personally I liked this exposition much better than the Bienal. The works are more creative, colorful and interesting. The kids also liked it a lot.
Opening hours: Tue.-Sat. 12:00-22:00, Sun. and holidays 10:00-20:00. Free entrance and free parking at the DC Navegantes shopping center.

Farroupilha Parade

Farroupilha week will be celebrated tomorrow, Sept. 20th, with a nice parade of the gauchos. The parade passes by the Farroupilha park with gauchos dressed up in traditional cloths, riding horses or decorated trucks, marching bands and typical music. 9:45-12:30.

"No Ar" exposition - RBS group

RBS is a media group that celebrates 50 years of activity with a nice exposition in Porto Alegre -"No Ar" (=on air), about TV, radio, internet, newspaper and more. The exposition tells the history of RBS interactively, involving fiction, reality and rhythm. It's also fun for kids. Dates: 1.9 - 18.11.2007 Place: Usina do Gasometro Visiting hours: Tue.-Sun. 9:00-21:00. Free entrance. Free parking.

Parcão - Moinhos de Vento

The Parcão is a nice small park, located in Moinhos de Vento neighborhood. In the middle of the park there is a small pond(well... maybe more like a big puddle) with turtles, water-birds and ducks. Next to it there is a nice windmill ("Moinho de Vento") that during the summer is open for craft work and children activities. In the upper side of the park there is nice playground and an opportunity for the kids (and parents) to meet new people and make friends. Around the park there are two marked paths for jogging - the shorter one is 650m long and the longer is 1 Km long.

I think that the Parcão looks a bit different for each of us - for some it is the place to work out, for others - a great place to go with the kids (with or without a bike, with or without soccer ball) or the dog, others can enjoy reading the weekend newspaper or a nice book (with or without Chimarrão).

From time to time, usually on Sundays, there are free activities at the park, like concerts, children games, working out in groups, dog shows and more.

Sports Clubs in Porto Alegre

There are many sports clubs around the city. The biggest ones are Grêmio Náutico União and Sogipa. The clubs have several indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, gym, recreation areas, restaurants and sport classes. During the summer holiday they have special programs for kids. The União club has 3 different facilities, one in the Petropolis neighbourhood, one in Moinhos (open 24 hours a day) and the third is on an island on the Guaiba river.

We have been members of the União and the Juvenil clubs. The Juvenil is a smaller, yet fancy club, located in the Moinhos neighbourhood.

To use a club facilities you must become a member. Usually, the membership is for life, by buying a sort of club share and paying a monthly fee. There are lots of clubs in a wide price range. It's important to know, that as a foreigner, you don't need to buy the club share (which is very expensive). There's an option to pay a flat entrance fee and then a monthly fee that you stop paying whenever you decide to stop your membership. We usually renew our membership for the summer months only.

Addresses: Grêmio Náutico União (GNU) - Rua João Obino, 300 Tel. 3025.3800

Sogipa - Rua Barão de Cotegipe, 415 Tel. 3325.7200

Juvenil (AJL) - Rua Marquês do Herval, 280 Tel. 3323 4304

Books in English

Livraria Cultura (the website is in English) is a big book and music store. They have a good selection of books in English. It is also possible to order a book if they have it in one of their other stores in other cities of Brazil. They also have children books, CD's and a nice cafe to relax and read. Books in French or Spanish are also available. They have chairs all around the store to grab a book and sit down to look at it. For kids, they have a big dragon bench with cushions for the kids to relax and read.

A the register you can issue a membership card for free and get discounts for future purchases.

Address: Bourbon Shopping Country Tel. 3028-4033

Santander Cultural Center

The "Santander Cultural" is an artistic center of Rio Grande do Sul for visual art, cinema, music and lectures. It is a beautiful old building, located downtown in Centro. Among other activities, I like their "Oficina de Choro e Samba". Every Saturday at 14:00 and 17:00 they have an informal, free of charge show of a choro band. People of all ages play music just for the fun of it.
They also have shows of Brazilian musicians and singers for very good prices. The monthly program can be found on their website.

In the lower part of the building there's a nice cafe, in a volt shape and an exhibition of all the Brazilian past coins and notes.
Address: Rua Sete de Setembro, 1028 Centro - Porto Alegre

Sightseeing City Tour

The municipality of Porto Alegre offers a city sightseeing tour in a bus, called "Linha Turismo".
The upper level of the bus has no roof and it's cool to watch Porto Alegre from above in the open air. The 80min ride passes through the main touristic sites of the city and is bilingually guided. Reserve tickets at 3212.3464 or 3212.0721. Bus leaves from: Porto Alegre Turismo, municipal office (Travessa do Carmo, 84), Cidade Baixa. Tour hours: Tue.-Sat. 9:00, 10:30, 15:00, 16:30 and during summer also 18:00. Tickets: 7R$ on bus top, 5R$ inside bus. The bus ride is attractive for kids too!

Cisne Branco - a boat tour in the Guaiba river

The Cisne Branco (=white swan) is a small boat that takes you to a one hour long tour in the Guaiba river. It embarks from the local port down town (Portão Central do Porto), on Tue.-Sun. at 10:30, 15:00, 16:30, 18:00. The tour is guided (in Portuguese) and a snack bar is available. Tickets - 10R$, kids under 10 don't pay. Tickets can be purchased at the entrance. Safe parking is available at the port. The boat ride is a good fun for kids.

Zoo in Sapucaia do Sul

The zoo is about 30 minutes drive away from Porto Alegre on BR 116. It is by the city Sapucaia do Sul. It's very big and requires a lot of walking. It's not very well maintained and has a restaurant. Opening days: Tue.-Sun. 8:30-17:00. Tel. 3474-1499 .

The Brique Art Fair

The Brique arts and crafts fair is happening every Sunday morning until dark. It's in the Redenção park by Bom Fim neighbourhood in Porto Alegre. It is a place to walk along the different booths where artists sell their works. On another part of the fair they sell antiques, food and beverages. In the same area, there is also a small entertainment park for kids.

Pampa Safari

The Pampa Safari is located near Gravataí, which is about 36Km away from Porto Alegre. You enter the park with your car and ride it along the different wild animals that are walking free all around. There are local animals, like capibaras and other animals that are not typical for Brazil. In the end you reach a huge playground, where you can park and have a snack. It's a great place for kids to watch animals and then run around.

Entrance fee is per car. Address: RS-20, km 11, n.5680, Gravataí. Tel. (51)3488.1823

PUC Science and Technology Museum

Inside the PUC university campus, there is a wonderful science museum to go with the kids or even not! It's a huge museum to spend good 5-6 hours in. The museum offers lots of interesting "to touch" exhibits and experiments. There's a nice cafeteria to have a snack or a buffet restaurant to have lunch. A safe parking lot is available right beside the museum. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Address: Av. Ipiranga, 6681 • Prédio 40 • Porto Alegre - RS - Brasil • CEP 90619-900 Tel.: (51) 3320.3597 / 3320.3697 Opening hours: Tue. - Sun. 9:00-17:00. Tickets: 10R$ adult, 7R$ child ages 3-12.