We got married!

Thank you our lovely friends and families for a wonderful wedding!

For those who are staying in Porto Alegre

Raquel used to live in Porto Alegre before moving to the US, so she knows a lot about the city and has some very good friends who still live there.

Please, let her know if you need an insider information about things and places to go there. Three of her bridesmaids live there, and they can speak English with you :)

For those who are going to the Brazilian northeast

Raquel's mom lives in Maceio, AL. She could help you with some recommendations of places to stay and things to do there.

We also have some good friends whose families live in Salvador, BA; Fortaleza, CE; Recife, PE and Natal, RN. Let us know if you are going to any of these destinations.

For those who are going to Sao Paulo

Raquel also has friends who live in Sao Paulo and Sao Paulo state.

Please, let us know if you need specific information there. We have stayed in Sao Paulo a couple of times, so we could also indicate a good hotel and some touristic things to do!

For those who are going to Rio de Janeiro

One of Raquel's bridesmaids lives in Rio de Janeiro and is a fluent English speaker.

Please, drop us a line if you need her contact to help you plan fun things in Rio!

For those who are going to Iguacu Falls

I found this website very useful.

And, yes, they have lots of info in English. Click on "Entre" and then select the language.
Have fun!

Pidgin Portuguese

There are not many people who speak English in Brazil outside of the Airports and hotels, and with the possible exceptions of Foz de Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo there are not too many American tourists in the country. I've never encountered another American in Porto Alegre. If you go to Brazil and come to our wedding, you will probably need to try to speak some Portuguese, so lets get started:

The basics:

Hello: Oi (hi) and olá (hello, pronounced like 'hola' in Spanish, but with more emphasis on the last syllable)
Goodbye: Até logo, tchau ("chowe")
Thank you: Obrigado (if you are male), Obrigada (if you are female)
Coffee: Café
I would like a coffee: Eu gostaria de um café.
I would like a beer: Eu gostaria de uma cerveja.
I would like to go to this address: Eu quero ir para ese endereço.
I am an American / a foreigner: Eu sou Americano / extrangeiro
My name is: Meu nome é
Good morning, good afternoon, good night: bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite.

Here are some scans of a book with basic Portuese that may help: