Here is what we knew about Porto Alegre prior to visiting:
1. Not a lot of people have been there.
2. It was supposed to be chilly.
3. Shoe capital of Brazil.
4. Gauchos.
So, that was my knowledge before and here's the knowledge I gained during our visit...
Porto Alegre has a HUGE European influence. From the architecture to the people to the accent, everything's European.
In the city center, there's a huge central park. We walked there from our hotel and wandered around for a bit. It definitely is true what they say about the number of trees in POA. There are at least 1.5 to every person. It's just beautiful. And they have the lovely, tacky swan paddle boats. How can a city go wrong with those?
I learned that turtles yawn. While one of these adorable turtles was climbing onto the log, it had an enormous yawn.
I learned that turtles yawn. While one of these adorable turtles was climbing onto the log, it had an enormous yawn. 
They have a great Sunday market, like most large cities do. 
Kathy and Andrea talking with an artist at the market. We did pretty well for ourselves.
Cute kids, just as everywhere else in Brazil. Lots of families were at the market that day. We even met an American whose wife is Brazilian and they were on vacation visiting family. When you hear English being spoken, it's hard not to want to chat.
People drink mate. It's a type of tea. Many people at the park wandered around with a thermous filled with hot water ro replenish their mate cups. 
As you can see they sip through silver straws. Mate is a common type of tea throughout southern South America. 
Gotta love this generational picture. Had to snap it.As you can see they sip through silver straws. Mate is a common type of tea throughout southern South America. 
Apparently there's a problem with crack there as we saw these stickers everywhere...car bumpers to garbage cans. Truly, saw like 100s of them. You can definitely tell that Porto Alegre has had some hard times and it makes you wonder if one of the things that came of those hard times was a larger drug market. No proof of that, only speculation.
I also learned that the European influence doesn't just end there.
Did you know that there are mountains in Brazil? Real, full on mountains. With pine trees and sharp hairpin turns and beautiful views. I actually had to wear a sweater that day. Ahhhh...Megan weather.
We spent a day driving up to two small towns outside of Porto Alegre. Germado and Canela. 
Both have a great German influence. They were a bit like visiting Disney's Epcot Center's Germany exhibit. So we of course had to enjoy the fun.
Both have a great German influence. They were a bit like visiting Disney's Epcot Center's Germany exhibit. So we of course had to enjoy the fun.
We visited a German restaurant and enjoyed some wonderful beer.
And we dined on some not so wonderful sausages. Gross!
Gremado definitely was built to be a tourist town but...
the views were just spectacular.
Oh, wait, how did this shot get in there? Another beautiful view but from one of the shoe outlets we visited. I bought 5 pairs. Yikes! But they were great deals and I needed more sandals so I went for it.
I actually felt like I fit in a bit there and you definitely don't feel like you're in Brazil anymore. It was the perfect getaway and definitely would be able to spend more time there. Plus there's Brazilian wine country a couple of hours away. For me, it was the perfect first flying holiday. I was treated to great company, cooler weather, tacky shops, beautiful trees and ahhh clear crisp air.