porto alegre smells like smoke and feels like a humid hug

porto alegre’s vibe is just… random people arguing about soccer while a river the color of overcooked coffee flows behind them. i just checked and it's kinda sticky at 24°C but feels like 24.4°C-hope you like that kind of thing (humidity at 91%, ugh).

the city’s got five rivers elbowing their way into a lagoon or whatever.

someone told me it’s "brazil’s most underrated place to get fat" because of all the churrasco. they weren’t wrong. ate three meals yesterday that were 90% meat and 10% regret. also, the local wine tastes like someone dunked a leather boot in grape juice-distinctly proud of it, though.

wandering around the center feels like time tripping-portuguese-colonial-meets-soviet-brutalism energy. that concrete government palace? looks like a disappointed fridge.

if you get bored (or overwhelmed by the smell of grilled cow), canoas or sapucaia do sul are just a short drive away. heard someone call it "safer than rio but still wear shoes you can sprint in"-very reassuring.

final thoughts: it’s a place where germans, italians, and gauchos all agree that beer solves everything. might move here just to read books in their "literary capital" parks till i smell like a barbecue pit.

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