Heyho Readers! How are you? Let's talk about Rio Grande do Sul, my beautiful home state in Brazil.

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Good morning monsters! When you think about Brazil, what comes to your mind? Let me guess...

• Beautiful tropical beaches, carnival and women;
• Super hot weather and humid jungles;
• Rio de Janeiro or Iguaçu Falls.

That's what my researches have told me. What if I tell you that this country is so big that we might have almost everything into one package. That's it, here you'll find an incredibly diverse climate and geografical beauties.

Today I'd like to take you on a tour to a relatively unknown Brazil, even for some brazilians.

Let's get off the beaten track and explore some of the beauties of my state - Rio Grande do Sul - the southernmost state in Brazil, where climate can be freezing during the winter, where we have mountains and beaches, where people drink Mate and ride horses.

This series of posts will be part of a trip where, in 2016, some friends and I prepared a big farewell party to another friend that was going to live in Australia, everything was organized in farm in the North-West part of the state. Afterward we did a roadtrip back to the capital - Porto Alegre. Our plans included cities such as Vacaria, Cambará do Sul and Torres - for me the most fantastic ones.

Porto Alegre is the capital, the city where I lived for 6 years and where this trip started. Apart from being a big metropolis, I encourage those who visit to walk through the Historic Center, watch the sun set on the Guaíba waterfront, spend the weekend afternoon at Parque da Redenção or have lunch at a traditional steak house. Good ol' memories when I used to do all that while enjoying a good Mate.

Porto Alegre is one of the most wooded cities in Brazil, it has many parks where you can enjoy the sun and get some readings done. That's what I want to share today.

Parque da Redenção (Redemption Park) in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil

I used to live one block away from this amazing park, its wooded area brings a little bit of fresh air to the city center. It's lovely walking there discovering all the little paths along the trees, seeking for a nice place by a fountain to read.

Click any image to enlarge!

^{Central fountain at Parque da Redenção.}

Below is the monument to honour the "pracinhas" of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (F.E.B), who fought in World War II. It is located in Largo General Yeddo J. Blauth, in the Farroupilha Park (Parque da Redenção is also called Parque Farroupilha), in front of the Military College.

^{Brazilian Expeditionary Force (F.E.B) monument}

There are loads of green areas with nice shadows to read, or even take an afternoon nap during the winter, when the sun doesn't burn you. During the weekend a lot of people come here to enjoy some fresh air.

This is the Buddha in a space dedicated to meditation to the right of who accesses the park from the Monument to the Expeditionary. Built around a dragon-shaped lake, it has small semi-arched bridges, a sculpture in the shape of the Fuji-Yama volcano, and this place where the Buddha sculpture is found.

^Buddha

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Facts About Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil

Being from Rio Grande do Sul means that you are a Gaúcho, that's how we are called. The geographical position of Rio grande do Sul puts us in direct contact with Argentina and Uruguay, meaning that we not only share the term 'gaúcho', but reinforces the ties between the nations, emphasized in the hum of the accent, in the carnivorous diet and even in the adaptation to rigorous winters. 

Considered by Portugal to be a captaincy only in 1807, the territory belonged until then, by the Treaty of Tordesillas, to the Spaniards. Throughout history, the region has been the scene of wars, such as Cisplatina (1825-1828) and Paraguay (1864-1870). In the interval between the two, there were uprisings that gave rise to the country's greatest civil conflict, the Farrapos Revolution (1835-1845), a separatist ideal. Immigration waves have also resulted in the formation of a local identity, with the arrival of German and Italian farmers, whose presence marks the tourism of the Serra Gaúcha in cities such as Gramado and Canela, much sought during the winter season, and in the municipalities that make up the Vineyards Valley.

Among the beautiful landscapes of the interior, the most impressive are on the outskirts of Cambará do Sul, gateway to Aparados da Serra National Park and its great attraction, the Itaimbezinho Canyon, whose gorges are 720 meters deep and 6 kilometers are bordered by araucarias. We'll get to those places on this trip, just not on this post.

In conclusion I have to say that I love this state and I feel like, day after day, even those who are not born in Rio Grande do Sul begin to acquire some of our traditions such as drinking chimarrão (Mate), good barbecue, cheer for International or Grêmio, and much more.

That's all for today's post, hope you've enjoyed knowing a little bit about my state and stay tunned for the next parts where we'll continue on this amazing road trip through Rio Grande do Sul. If you'd like to know more, feel free to leave a comment down below, I love talking to you all.

If you liked this post, please, consider leaving your upvote for a hot coffee.

~Love ya all,

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Disclaimer:  The author of this post is a convict broken backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.

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I'm Arthur. I blog about Adventure Stories, Brazil, Travel, Camping & Life Experiences.

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