Portuguese Language Blog

Many foreigners that travel to Brazil come for the beaches or the Amazon, but not many know that Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, is more akin to Italy or Argentina than to Rio de Janeiro or Salvador. Originally settled by Italian and German immigrants, the area is famous for being the home of the traditional churrasco (barbecue) and for being the country’s main wine region.

One of the region’s prime resorts, the Villa Europa Hotel & Spa. The first of its kind in Brazil and only the fifth in the world, the hotel’s spa uses grapes and wine ingredients in its treatments. The hotel boasts antique furniture, a French-Italian restaurant, and a wine cellar containing over 550 types of wine.

The hotel is located near the region’s major vineyards, including Miolo, Casa Valduga, and Salton, which offer tours, restaurants, and wine tastings. The area is also famous for artisans, cheesemakers, and furniture makers.

For more information on the hotel and spa, click here. For more information on Rio Grande do Sul, click here.

…for a day.

Douglas de Mello, age 21, is a college student in Rio Grande do Sul. In October, he made a deposit in his bank account and looked at the receipt to make sure it had gone through. Much to his surprise, his account balance appeared as R$432 billion, three times the wealth of the richest man in the world, Warren Buffet, and 35 times the value of one of Brazil’s largest banks. The following day, his balance appeared as R$532 billion.

He reported the incident to the bank manager and the local police, who passed the matter on to the Federal Police. His bank informed him that there had been an system error, and no billion real deposit had actually been made. Nevertheless, the bank froze his account, as well as his credit and ATM cards, until the original balance was restored, for a mere R$700.

But police are still investigating the case, and Douglas’ life has become “a living hell.” He claims that the police tapped his phone and that he is constantly being followed. Many people, he says, still believe he is a billionaire. He hired a lawyer to deal with the case, but became so stressed out that he barely eats or sleeps, and had to quit his job. His parents fear that someone will attempt to kidnap him.

In the rural town of Santa Cruz do Sul, in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, a surprised woman found that one of her hens had adopted seven abandoned puppies. 

Though the woman has begun feeding the puppies, the hen has made herself responsible for the puppies’ well being. She nestles them like she would her eggs, and the puppies fight to nap under her wing.

The puppies are only one month old and seem to have accepted the hen as their mother. She protects them fiercely, and when they’re all snuggled together in the coop, the rooster isn’t allowed near them.

Check out the amazing video!