Umbu Hotel

great local talents

by pepples46

where born in Porto Alegre, Elis Regina, one of Brasils greates vocalist and singer to name one.
she recorded with Jair Rodrigues in the mid sixties, making bossa nova known world wide. an other highlight was when she recorded with Antonio Carlos Jobim ..Elis & Tom.
she was small in stature but had an enormous voice.
Elis died suddenly in 1982, only 37years old
her recordings can be found on the net

Packing List

by janaina

Porto Alegre has a very very cold winter,and if you plann to go to the mountain region in the winter,even colder!Winter is from march to september.
Althought,the summer can be extremely hot,and if you plann to go to our coast(pictures can be found in the travelogue)than,the regular beach clothes are ok..
Storms are frequent,summer or winter..take a strong umbrella in consideration,even with the danger you can fly with it,the storm winds are extremely strong! In Brazil,unfortunately,you can buy almost EVERYTHING in the drugstore without a medical recipe!It's easy but was supose to be illegal..but..
Than take medicines only if you need a specific one as you can buy a similar here without any problems or explanations..it's a paradise for hypochondrics!
In the winter one may need medicines for flu,in the summer maybe for the sunburns.. Your usual camera,but in the winter the sunlight is not strong,the days are very dark! Bring a big smile and a lot of energy..and a pair of good legs as Porto Alegre has many hills,even in the central areas..

Meat! Meat! Meat!

by RaquelMac about Churrascaria

Churrascaria is the name given to the place where you can have some churrasco. The translation in English to this word is Barbecue, even though they are different things.... A churrasco is meat cooked in the heat of charcoal, but with no grill. In a churrascaria, you can taste different cuts of beef. One that is specially admired is Picanha.
Many churrascarias have traditional dance shows and also traditional live music, everything for you to have a bit of the local feeling. Picanha and Cupim are my favourite cuts. Chicken heart is also yummy!!!

Post and Telegraph Offices building

by Alless

Built in the beginning of the century, the building (was designed by the architect Rudolf Ahrons) is featured by the influence of Germanic baroque architecture. Bronze-domed asymmetric towers recall the helmets worn by the Prussian army. At the center of the building is Atlas, a Greek mythology character who was convicted to bear the world upon his shoulders. A female figure representing the old continent and the figure of an adolescent boy, simulating the new continent, comprise the ensemble. It came a historic landmark by the National Historic Site Office in 1981.
The Post Office building . In the beginning of the last century, the tourists arrived by the harbor customs, the main entrance to the city. So, the Republican and positivist government of the time (Carlos Barbosa and Borges de Medeiros) decided to open an avenue (nowadays Sepúlveda) from the harbor until the Palace (this project was not concluded, probably because they had to demolish important buildings of the period) . Alfândega Square was landed (in 1911), being built, on each of its sides, the magnificent buildings of the Post Office and MARGS.
The surroundings of Alfândega Square was considered "Porto Alegre Broadway”, and the investments on the area continued, because it was the “pulsing heart of the city".

It now houses a state museum ( Memorial do Rio Grande do Sul ) . A permanent exhibit focuses on the state's history and the lives of important gaúchos, and on the second floor there's one of Brazil's largest collections of documents and manuscripts about Brazilian society.
Cost: Free
Open: Tues.-Sun. 9am.-5pm.

Porto Alegre - The joyous Port

by Elena77

"Porto Alegre"

This fascinating city is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and it was the last stage of our 2005 Brazilian tour. And I assume that Porto Alegre must be one of the most beautiful cities of Brazil. The city is located at a delta resulting from the junction of five rivers, officially called Guaíba Lake. Porto Alegre is also one of the wealthiest cities in Latin America, and one of the most diverse. The urban population includes a large number of immigrants, mainly coming from Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland. The are also significant Arab, Jewish and Afro-Brazilian contingents in the population.

"Hastening through Porto Alegre"

In Porto Alegre we did have the same problem as with most of the towns we visited on that tour... not much time for sight seeing. What I still remember about the city is: one of the best hotels that I have ever been to (see hotels tip), one of the most "European" cities I've seen in South America, a pretty good concert and a fantastic farewell party organised by our Brazilian friends as the next day we, unfortunately, had to return to Germany.

"Goodbye to Brazil"

The last photo taken of our Brazilian friends, the band and some of the crew at Salgado Filho Airport in Porto Alegre.