Saturday Ecological Market

We visited today the feira ecológica near the Redenção park in Bom Fim neighborhood. This organic market is open every Saturday from 7:30 till 13:00. It's better to arrive as early as possible to find the largest variety of merchandise and less crowd.

The market offers fresh vegetable and fruit, honey, wholewheat bread, fresh herbs, home made jams, flowers, goat milk products and more. Many stands offer tasting samples and the atmosphere is very calm and friendly. Only by seeing, smelling and tasting this healthy food we felt in a better shape(-:

We saw some herbs and fruit we've never seen before like this Hibiscus fruit that is very citric in taste and is used to make tea or jam.

We left the market with a full basket and a tickling inspiration to cook healthy food.

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.

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.

The Caracol Park - Canela

The Caracol (=snail) park is located on the way from Gramado to Canela, 7Km before Canela. The Caracol waterfall is the main attraction of the park. The Caracol river falls from height of 130m to a small pool that can be reached by 927 stairs going down hill (and then uphill, yay!).
If you're not in an athletic mood, there are 2 other options to view the waterfall. First - a cable car ride with a view to the waterfall from above. Second - Entering the Caracol Park and taking the elevator to the view tower.

This picture was taken during summertime while the hortênsias (hydrangea) blooms.



This is a short video showing the waterfall, cable car and tower:




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Renting DVD's in Porto Alegre

The 2 biggest DVD stores we found are Espaço Video and Blockbuster. Signing up to a store is a bit of a pain... you'll need an ID card, CPF number and a residence proof. Payment is per movie - you rent a movie and pay upon return. Usually you can keep the movie for 24-48h on weekdays or for the whole weekend if you rent on a Friday. Espaço Video also has movie delivery service for extra 4R$.

Espaço Video stores addresses:

1. Rua Vasco da Gama, 153 Bom Fim. Tel. 3311-7999
2. Rua 24 de Outubro,1378 Auxiliadora. Tel. 3342-8585
3. Mucio Teixeira,661 Menino Deus. Tel. 3024-0808

Blockbuster stores addresses:

1. Assis Brasil 2847 Tel. 3361-6769
   
2. Carlos Gomes 11 Tel. 3333-8151
   
3. Av. Nilo Peçanha 2785 Tel. 3328-5660
   

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.).


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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.


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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.

Guia Quatro Rodas - planning trips in Brazil

If you are planning a trip in Brazil and you can read some Portuguese, don't forget to take a look at the "Guia Quatro Rodas Brasil". The book gives helpful information about all the touristic places in Brazil, including maps, prices and tips about hotels, restaurants and attractions.
The "Quatro Rodas" site, offers a lot of this information on-line for free.

Bienal B in Porto Alegre

The "Bienal B" is an alternative art exhibition, in parallel to the traditional Bienal do Mercosul. An informal organization of 300 artists is displaying the artists works all around Porto Alegre during the months of September, October and November 2007. This is a map of the bienal exhibits in Porto Alegre. During this period there will also be lectures and crafts classes given.

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.

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 .