Sao Leopoldo
We stayed in Sao Leopoldo in Rio Grande do Sul, for one night, while John sat on a panel examining a Masters student at the University there (UNISINOS).

Sao Leopoldo is about a half hour drive from Porto Alegre. We have been there twice before, but this time I really noticed how German the area is. The city was populated by German immigrants in the early 1800s and you still see German style houses and billboards advertising firms such as 'Fritz e Freda'! A taxi driver told us that his wife was German and that her family only spoke German at home. In fact her grandparents had never learned to speak Portuguese, despite living in Brazil nearly all their lives.

We had an evening meal out at an excellent 'churrascaria' (BBQ) that was called 'Schneiders' and where the waitresses and waiters were dressed in German costume. The photo shows the waitresses in costume. The red and blue object on the table is supposed to be turned to let the waiters (who come round with spits of meat) know whether or not you want another serving of meat. If the red side is up, then they pass you by. In fact this system didn't work and they are at your elbow with another type of meat every 2 or 3 minutes!