Heyho Readers! How are you? Second post about Rio Grande do Sul, my beautiful home state in Brazil.

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Hey guys, this is the second post of a series I've started with the intention to show a little bit of my home 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. 

The idea here is to get off the beaten track, of showing cool tropical beaches, that everyone is so used to see over the internet when talking about Brazil.

As described in the first post, this series 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 a 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.

You can check the first post down below.

Road Trip Serie (Part I) - Visiting Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil

On that post we started showing a little bit of the Parque da Redenção, a beautiful park in Porto Alegre, we also talked about some of the cultural traditions such as drinking Mate and the clothes of a gaúcho. On this post I'd like to take you through a city tour, giving you a general view of the city.

Welcome to Porto Alegre

Starting off from the Parque da Redenção I'd like to present you the Colégio Militar de Porto Alegre (Military School). This is right in front of Brazilian Expeditionary Force (F.E.B) monument. This school was founded in 1912; the building, however, is from 1872 and features the neoclassical style.

^{Colégio Militar de Porto Alegre - Click image to enlarge!}

All over the city you'll find beautiful sculptures and monuments, one prime example is the the Monument to the Azoreans, built in 1973. This monument honours the arrival, in 1752, of the 60 couples of Azoreans to Porto Alegre (back then called Porto dos Casais). This was created by sculptor Carlos Tenius, it resembles a caravel composed of intertwined human bodies, with a winged figure ahead that resembles the ideological Icarus representing Victory. Unfortunately when this photo was taken the sculpture was under restoration.

^{Monument to the Azoreans - Click image to enlarge!}

Catedral Metropolitana de Porto Alegre (Metropolitan Cathedral of Porto Alegre) inaugurated on March 20th, 1929. Historically this is a relatively new construction, and the reason is because the old Cathedral, from 18th century, was demolished to give place to this one.

^{Catedral Metropolitana de Porto Alegre - Click image to enlarge!}

On this picture you can see the beautiful dome of the Cathedral and this amazing monument of Julio de Castilhos, one of the most important public figures in Rio Grande do Sul.

^{Julio de Castilhos monument - Click image to enlarge!}

Another monument, this time is the great  Manuel Luís Osório, he was a general, politician and monarchist considered a hero of the War of the Triple Alliance in the 19th century. The message says.

The happiest date of my life would be the one in which they would give me the news that civilized peoples celebrated their fraternization by burning their arsenals.

^{Manuel Luís Osório monument - Click image to enlarge!}

Below is the Piratini Palace, the current headquarters of the Executive Branch of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located in Praça Marechal Deodoro, better known as Praça da Matriz in the historical center of Porto Alegre. This is where the city started and there you'll find the oldest buildings standing.

^{Piratini Palace - Click image to enlarge!}

On this building from early 20th century you'll find the Brazilian Cultural Center, maintained by Santander bank. It is located in Praça da Alfândega.

^{Brazilian Cultural Center - Click image to enlarge!}

Represented here is Rua Borges de Medeiros, one of the most famous streets in Porto Alegre.

^{Rua Borges de Medeiros - Click image to enlarge!}

Shifting away from the historical center, now in the Moinhos de Vento neighborhood you'll find this cool building from early 20th century, it's the Estação de Tratamento de Água Moinhos de Vento (Water Treatment Station Moinhos de Vento). There you'll find another beautiful park, also called Moinhos de Vento.

^{Estação de Tratamento de Água Moinhos de Vento - Click image to enlarge!
Parque Moinhos de Vento - Click image to enlarge!
Parque Moinhos de Vento - Click image to enlarge!}

Our tour ends enjoying the incredible sunset near the Guaíba river, one of the most famous places in Porto Alegre if you want to walk, run, ride bicycle and enjoy yourself.

^{Sunset by the Guaíba river - Click image to enlarge!}

You'll be amazed by how many awesome places you can discover just wandering on the streets and by how Porto-alegrenses love their culture and soccer - Hey, if you have some extra time you can even watch some soccer games, there are two gigantic stadiums, Beira Rio (Internacional's stadium) and Arena (Gremio's stadium).

^{Watching Gremio play in the Arena stadium - Click image to enlarge!}

This post concludes our stay in Porto Alegre, of course there's much more to show but that would require me going back there do document everything. Even though it's not the favourite capital for foreign travellers I recomend it for those willing to see something different and with so much cultural qualities.

And don't forget to drink Mate while you watch the sunset on the Guaíba river.

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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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